The Commentariat -- January 9, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "An Iranian missile accidentally brought down a Ukrainian jetliner over Iran this week, killing everyone aboard, American and allied officials said on Thursday, adding a tragic coda to the escalated military conflict between Washington and Tehran. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada said his country had intelligence that an Iranian surface-to-air missile brought down the jetliner, which was carrying 63 Canadians among its some 176 passengers and crew. Mr. Trudeau said his conclusion was based on a preliminary review of the evidence but called for a full investigation 'to be convinced beyond all doubt.'... A security camera captured the impact -- first the predawn darkness, then a series of blinding bursts of light in the distance, followed by a storm of burning debris in the foreground." The AP's story is here.

Parisa Hafezi & Babak Dehghanpisheh of Reuters: "A[n Iranian] Revolutionary Guards commander said Iran would take 'harsher revenge soon' after Tehran launched missile attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq in retaliation for last week's U.S. killing of an Iranian general, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A divided federal appeals court has lifted a lower court's order blocking $3.6 billion in military construction funds that ... Donald Trump planned to use to finance an expanded and improved border wall. The New Orleans-based 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a brief order on Wednesday granting the Trump administration's request to stay the injunction that U.S. District Court Judge David Briones, based in El Paso, Texas, issued last month." The plaintiffs have not decided whether or not to appeal the decision.

Jury Foreman Colludes with Slacker Defendant Living Large in Public Housing. Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "... Mitch McConnell and ... Donald Trump met Wednesday at the White House and discussed the upcoming Senate impeachment trial, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. McConnell, one of the sources said, walked Trump through the trial format and discussed how Senate Republicans were reacting to the developments around the trial.... The senator from Kentucky has not shared with the White House the text of the resolution that would set up the trial, according to one of the sources, who insists there's no negotiation with the GOP leader's office on how the language should be drafted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has demanded to see the resolution before sending the two articles of impeachment to the Senate."

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Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Wednesday that the House would vote on Thursday to force President Trump to quickly wind down military action against Iran unless he is given explicit authorization from Congress, opening what promised to be a searing debate over presidential war powers.... Congressional Democrats ... said the vote on Thursday would be on a measure that would require that Mr. Trump cease all military action against Iran unless Congress votes to approve it. Such a measure could face an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled Senate, but on Wednesday, two Republicans signaled they were inclined to support it, holding open the possibility of a razor-thin vote. Either way, it is certain to ignite a fierce debate over Mr. Trump's strategy on Iran, and Congress's role in curtailing a president's ability to wage war."

Worst Briefing Evah. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "GOP Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Rand Paul (Ky.) ripped the administration over a closed-door briefing on Iran on Wednesday, announcing they will now support a resolution reining in President Trump's military powers. Lee, speaking to reporters after a roughly hourlong closed-door meeting with administration officials, characterized it as 'the worst briefing I've seen, at least on a military issue.' Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, CIA Director Gina Haspel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley were dispatched to brief both the House and Senate on Wednesday amid days of concerns from lawmakers that Trump was on a path to war with Iran, which on Tuesday night launched missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Lee said the officials warned that Congress would 'embolden' Iran if lawmakers debated Trump's war powers. 'I find this insulting and demeaning ... to the office that each of the 100 senators in this building happens to hold. I find it insulting and demeaning to the Constitution of the United States,' Lee said.... Paul ... knocked the administration for using the 2002 war authorization as the basis for last week's airstrike against an Iranian general." ~~~

~~~ Rebecca Kheel & Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Democrats said Wednesday that the Trump administration failed to present evidence supporting the claim that a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. drone strike was planning an imminent attack.... Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said the evidence represented a 'far cry' from an imminent attack, while Rep. Gerry Connollyn> (D-Va.) called the briefing 'sophomoric.'... Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said the administration 'did not establish in any way' that 'an imminent threat was posed.' Asked whether she was convinced, presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said flatly 'no.'"

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump backed away from further military confrontation with Iran on Wednesday after a barrage of missiles fired at American troops killed no one and Tehran indicated that would be the end of its retaliation for the killing of a top general." Mrs. McC: Another one of the speeches Trump delivered in his "hostage" monotone. BTW, the brass who allowed themselves to be used as a shiny human backdrop for a speech that was bound to contains outrageous lies & misdirection (and of course it did) should be ashamed of themselves. Some of them managed to look like hostages, too, and that's probably how they felt. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ ** Liar, Liar. Linda Qiu of the New York Times: "President Trump, responding during a White House address on Wednesday to the missile strikes by Iran, assailed the nuclear agreement reached by his predecessor and praised American military might. The 10-minute address contained numerous inaccuracies and claims that lacked evidence. Here's a fact check." ~~~

~~~ Ashley Parker & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Trump's handling of the Iran crisis in some ways epitomized his presidency, with his remarks containing striking contradictions and remaining open to interpretation. He was at once unyielding in his rhetoric against Iran building a nuclear weapon while open to talks with its leaders and pushing to involve NATO allies in diplomacy. Trump sought to extend his administration's 'maximum pressure' strategy by announcing toughened economic sanctions on Iran yet also promised to help the country build prosperity at home. He sounded both bellicose -- describing the arsenal of weapons at his disposal as 'big, powerful, accurate, lethal and fast' -- and dovish, saying he did not want to use it and was 'ready to embrace peace.'"

~~~ The Buck Stops with Obama. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump's big speech about the situation in Iran is not getting strong early reviews, in no small part because he spent much of it blaming former President Barack Obama for the current tensions with Tehran." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC: "... it was ... discouraging to see and hear Trump deliver a strange speech to an anxious public, repeating a series of demonstrably false claims. Instead of ... striving for some semblance of national unity, Trump told Americans this morning, for example, that last night's missiles 'were paid for' with funds 'made available' by the Obama administration. That's absurd, and it's part of a bogus claim Trump has been repeating for many months. He went on to take credit for 'destroying 100% of ISIS,' which is plainly false, since ISIS hasn't been destroyed. He also boasted, 'We are now the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world,' which is true, though it's a status the United States reached in 2012. [Update: There were, of course, a variety of related factual missteps.] Just as alarming, Trump seemed eager to step on his own message. While embracing the idea of de-escalation, he added, 'The civilized world must send a clear and unified message to the Iranian regime: your campaign of terror, murder, mayhem, will not be tolerated any longer. It will not be allowed to go forward.' In the next breath, Trump suggested involving NATO in ... something related to the Middle East. It wasn't at all clear what exactly he had in mind.... Facing a credibility crisis, he lied. Facing a divided domestic electorate, he took partisan cheap shots at his predecessor. Facing questions about whether he's up to the task of leadership, he struggled with his trusted teleprompter and mispronounced a series of words." ~~~

~~~ Ben Mathis-Lilley of Slate: "The remarks that Donald Trump delivered about the Iran situation on Wednesday ... did not answer or even address many of the issues that concerned United States citizens might be wondering about.... Trump didn't discuss whether the U.S. is planning to withdraw forces from Iraq, as a letter that the Department of Defense issued but then disavowed Tuesday suggested. He said he is 'going to ask NATO to become much more involved in the Middle East process,' but didn't say anything about what that meant, or why any of the NATO countries would have an incentive to hear him out. He didn't explain, more broadly, what his administration wants from Iran.... Typically, these kinds of details might be filled in during background briefings by other high-ranking administration officials or by a White House press secretary. But there hasn't been a White House press briefing since March 2019, and there do not appear to have been any 'senior administration official' conference calls Wednesday about NATO.... Why worry about the details if the person in charge doesn't think about them either? He was mad enough to start a war but then maybe Tucker Carlson, on his TV, talked him out of it. Everything is fine for now." ~~~

~~~ ** Conservative David Frum of the Atlantic: "The Trump administration and its supporters seem to have hoped for a 'rally around the flag' effect from the killing of Soleimani. This did not happen. The fundamental geology of Donald Trump's presidency remains unchanged: A large majority of Americans do not trust him, do not support him, and will not follow him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has complained that European allies do not support the Trump administration's actions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell laments that Democrats in Congress will not support the president either.... Unlike the Clinton impeachment of 1998-99, [Trump's impeachment] commands the approval of a majority of Americans.... That's ... certainly sufficient to deprive the president of the legitimacy to lead the nation to war. The United States finds itself in the dangerous situation of having a president in power but without authority. He is the least trusted president in the history of polling. Two-thirds of Americans regard him as dishonest."

Kylie Atwood, et al., of CNN: "The top US general made clear Wednesday night that he believes Iran meant to kill US troops in the ballistic missile attack on US forces in Iraq, rebutting a belief among some Trump administration officials that Iran intentionally missed areas populated by Americans. 'I believe based on what I saw and what I know that they were intended to cause structural damage destroy vehicles and equipment and aircraft, and to kill personnel. That's my own personal assessment,' said Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when speaking to reporters on Wednesday[.] Milley argued that the reason there were no casualties had 'more to do with the defensive techniques that our forces used as opposed to intent.'... The message runs counter to what some administration officials have suggested to CNN, which is that Iran could have directed their missiles to hit areas that are populated by Americans but intentionally did not. And those officials said Iran may have chosen to send a message rather than take significant enough action to provoke a substantial US military response, a possible signal the administration was looking for rationale to calm the tensions."

Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "U.S. officials said they knew by Tuesday afternoon that the Iranians intended to strike at American targets in Iraq, although it was not immediately clear exactly which they would choose. The early warning came from intelligence sources as well as from communications from Iraq that conveyed Iran's intentions to launch the strike, officials said.... In an address from the White House on Wednesday morning, President Trump credited an 'early warning system' for helping prevent loss of life. A defense official later said the president was referring to the radar network the military has searching for potential enemy missiles. At least two sources of intelligence gave the United States time to prepare." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times' behind-the-scenes story, by Mark Mazzetti & others, is here.

Peter Beaumont, et al., of the Guardian: "Iran's aviation authority will not hand over flight recorders from the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet that crashed moments after take-off from Tehran killing all 176 passengers and crew, either to the aircraft's manufacturer or US aviation authorities.... 'This accident will be investigated by Iran's aviation organisation but the Ukrainians can also be present during the incident's investigation,' [said Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation head Ali Abedzadeh].... Announcing on his Facebook page that Ukraine would send a team of experts to Iran later on Wednesday, the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said: 'Our priority is to establish the truth and those responsible for this terrible catastrophe.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ U.K. Telegraph: "Ukraine has refused to rule out that the plane that crashed in Iran and killed all 176 on board was struck by a missile.... Mr Zelensky instructed Ukraine's prosecutors to open criminal proceedings over the crash." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Jeff Wise, in New York, explains why it seems likely the aircraft was shot down. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Secret Services's Secret Expenses. Carol Leonnig & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration is seeking to delay a Democratic effort to require the Secret Service to disclose how much it spends protecting President Trump and his family when they travel -- until after the 2020 election, according to people familiar with the discussions. The issue has emerged as a sticking point in recent weeks as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and key senators have been negotiating draft legislation to move the Secret Service back to his department, its historic home. Mnuchin has balked at Democratic demands that the bill require the Secret Service to disclose the costs related to the travel of the president and his adult children within 120 days after it is passed, according to people with knowledge of the talks. Mnuchin has agreed to Democrats' push for a requirement that the Secret Service report its travel expenses but wants such disclosures to begin after the election."

Alexandra Levine & Zach Montellaro of Politico: "Facebook is standing by its policies that allow politicians to lie to voters, while targeting their ads at narrow subsets of the public -- decisions with vast implications for the more than $1 billion in online campaign messaging expected in this year's elections. The online giant announced Thursday morning that it is not changing the most controversial elements of its approach to campaign ads, after months of a debate that has divided Silicon Valley and brought Facebook a barrage of criticism from Democrats. The critics have been most incensed by Facebook's refusal to fact-check politicians' claims, accusing the company of knowingly profiting from deception."

Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "Democratic small-dollar donors gave $1 billion through the online fundraising platform ActBlue in 2019, officials said Thursday, highlighting the explosion of online giving on the left heading into the presidential election year. Of the 6 million donors who gave to Democratic candidates and organizations in 2019, half were first-time donors, officials said, pointing to the growing base of contributors who are giving online. Forty percent of the new donors gave multiple times, according to ActBlue, in a sign of the new donors' sustained political interest and engagement."

Dominic Rushe of the Guardian: "McDonald's is being sued by two African American executives who allege they suffered 'systematic but covert' racial discrimination at the fast-food giant. Vicki Guster-Hines and Domineca Neal, senior directors working for McDonald's in Dallas, allege that discrimination at the company worsened under the former chief executive Steve Easterbrook, who took over the company in 2015. UK-born Easterbrook was ousted from the firm last year after it was revealed he had been involved in a romantic relationship with a colleague that broke company rules. He left with over $37m in stock awards and a severance deal of $675,000. During Easterbrook's tenure, Guster-Hines and Neal allege, McDonald's 'conducted a ruthless purge' of high-ranking African Americans and shifted advertising away from black customers. The suit claims the number of African Americans in the top ranks of McDonald's operations fell to seven last year from 42 in 2014.... Guster-Hines and Neal were demoted from vice-president to senior director positions in July 2018 as part of a broader corporate restructuring conducted under Easterbrook."

Beyond the Beltway

Maryland. A Never-Trumper Just Like Trump. Ed Kilgore of New York: "... Governor Larry Hogan Jr. has made a habit of directing state transportation resources toward areas where his family real-estate business is heavily invested[.]... In ... occasions where state transportation decisions appear to have benefited the Hogan Companies, the governor's spokespersons -- when they've deigned to address the appearance of impropriety -- have tried to minimize the governor's personal role in project-specific decisions and have touted a 'trust agreement' that limits Hogan's involvement in company business.... One anonymous but well-placed source in the Maryland Department of Transportation ... says the governor signed off on every major decision made in his appointed secretary's name. And [in] the 'trust agreement' Hogan signed..., he retains almost complete access to the company's books and personnel." Kilgore's post is based on "a very extensive investigative report by the Washington Monthly's Eric Cortellessa...." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's probably fair to say that in many cases, the main difference between Trump & GOP Never-Trumpers is that they're running different scams.

Way Beyond

U.K. Kevin Rawlinson & Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to step back from senior roles in the royal family and work towards financial self-sufficiency after a period marked by open warfare with the media over claimed intrusion and bullying. It is understood that no other royal was consulted before the decision was announced on Wednesday evening, and Buckingham Palace was disappointed by the news. Prince Harry and Meghan plan to split their time between the UK and North America, the continent of her birth, as they raise their son, Archie.... The fact the couple did not consult the Queen or Prince Charles that they were to release their bombshell statement has caused disquiet at the heart of the monarchy. Discussions between the monarch and Charles about the couple's future role had only just begun, it is understood.... The couple have appeared increasingly unhappy in recent months with their public roles and the level of scrutiny they have faced.... Harry has inherited millions of pounds from his relatives' estates, including from his mother, and, prior to taking a public role, Meghan was a highly successful actor. The Queen also gave them a home to live in. Harry and Meghan indicated they would seek paid work in future and would fulfil some royal duties if asked to do so, suggesting such work would continue to be funded in the usual way."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Mamie Lang Kirkland died last month at her home in upstate New York. She was the mother of nine, the matriarch of another 158, a longtime saleswoman for Avon Products, and, at the time of her death, at 111, the oldest resident of Buffalo.... She was also the embodiment of the African-American experience of the 20th century, her life's long journey altered repeatedly by the racial violence and bigotry coursing through the United States. Lynchings, riots, the Ku Klux Klan -- she survived it all, and spent her centenarian years working to ensure that these realities never slipped from collective memory. Her life helped inspire the creation, in 2018, of the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, in Montgomery, Ala. Both document the country's history of racial terrorism and encourage social justice."

New York Times: "Buck Henry, a writer and actor who exerted an often overlooked but potent influence on television and movie comedy -- creating the loopy prime-time spy spoof 'Get Smart' with Mel Brooks, writing the script for Mike Nichols's landmark social satire 'The Graduate' and teaming up with John Belushi in the famous samurai sketches on 'Saturday Night Live' -- died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 89."

Comments

[Jeanne]

I avoided the fest of Fatso striding onto the world stage, and have only seen clips here and there. His face is mottled, he sniffs many times, he lies continually, he can't read or express anything in any way, he sounds stoned or dying, and I encountered a twitter feed at another site that had closeups of his huge eye pupils. The consensus was that this moron is both naturally ignorant, stupid and a world-class liar AND on coke with an adderol (don't know how to spell that--)chaser.

I think it is time for a general roundup of this train wreck of a man, and all his fans/administration, and to cart them all off to any remaining 18th century dung holes in European prisons so infamous in history. I said to my husband last night how can it be that one man can f*** up the entire world, and he muttered that it was not just one man-- it is the Pompousasseoses and Grahams of his royal court, and the network devoted to His Highness and lying right along with him. "Disinformation"--ha. Lies and damn lies. I don't know how in the world the Democrats in congress even get up in the morning. Imagine dealing with impeachment and Iran and those creeps all day--

[MAG]

@Jeanne: I managed about 52 seconds of the Trump briefing, enough to catch his sniffing, the mispronunciations, the sing-songy delivery...and watch his eyes move left to right, right to left as he attempted to read the script off the TelePrompters. Agh!

Pompousasseoses.You do come up with good ones!

[Bobby Lee]

Off the hot subjects but closer to home. Puerto Rico, devastated by a series of severe earthquakes this week, is still waiting of billions of dollars in aid appropriated over a year ago.

How long before these people, American citizens, get some relief?

[Akhilleus]

Bobby Lee,

Just as soon as they become white, Trump-adoring, evangelical hypocrites who fall over themselves with delirium at the possibility of licking the Dear Leader’s boots.

Until then, it’s paper towels. If they’re extremely lucky.

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: I have been trying to figure out how paper towels would help in an earthquake: All I can come up with is,

1. Clean up spills after bottles fall off shelves & break.

2. Glue whole rolls to walls to serve as padding in case the quake throws you up against the wall.

3. Play paper-towel toss (in honor of Trump) while waiting for aid, electricity, food, water, etc.

4. Dry the tears from your eyes when aid doesn't come.

[Marie Burns]

Update: My neighbor just stopped by and spilled his coffee. Luckily, I had paper towels to clean it up.

[RAS]

I just saw a story about how Japan is going to be using cardboard for the beds of the Olympic athletes this summer. So, maybe those paper towel rolls are handier than we thought.

[RAS]

I heard this morning Trump trying to brand this whole Iran incident the Anti-Bengazi. Now it looks like the airplane that went down on the same night as the Iranian rocket attacks may have been accidentally shot down by Iran. The unintended consequences of Trump's assassination and the foreseeable retaliation by Iran is the loss of 176 people.

It also looks as if Sergei Lavrov has a higher security clearance than members of the US Congress. Trump did not worry about disclosing sources and methods when he was briefing Lavrov in the Oval Office about classified ISIS operations by Israel. But apparently Congress cannot be trusted with the super secret evidence of Suleimani's evil plans.

[Ken Winkes]

OMG.

"Kookie," whose character prompted a memorable fight between my father and me, and perhaps also served as the inspiration for the Pretender's hair fetish, gone.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/edd-byrnes-dead-kookie-77-938511

File it under entertainment, I guess.