Sunday
Jun282020
The Commentariat -- June 29, 2020
Late Morning Update:
Ave, Ave Stare Decisis! Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law that could have left the state with a single abortion clinic. The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. voting with the court's four-member liberal wing but not adopting its reasoning. The chief justice said respect for precedent compelled him to vote with the majority. The case was the court's first on abortion since President Trump's appointments of two justices shifted the court to the right. The Louisiana law, which was enacted in 2014, requires doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals." An NBC News story is here. The AP story is here. Mrs. McC: Gosh, I seem to remember when Sen. Susan Collins (Gullible-Maine) voted to put Cowardly Liar Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court because he assured her that he would preserve abortion rights. ~~~
~~~ Ian Millhiser of Vox: “The Supreme Court just delivered the narrowest, most temporary victory for abortion rights. Though Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative who votes fairly consistently to uphold abortion restrictions, cast the key fifth vote to strike down a Louisiana anti-abortion law, his opinion makes it clear that his views about abortion haven't changed. The best reading of the Court's decision in June Medical Services v. Russo is that Roberts just gave the constitutional right to an abortion a potentially very brief reprieve. And he did so largely because Louisiana presented the weakest possible case in June Medical. As Justice Stephen Breyer notes in his plurality opinion, June Medical involves a Louisiana law that is 'almost word-for-word identical' to a Texas law the Supreme Court struck down four years ago in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt (2016).... 'I joined the dissent in Whole Woman's Health and continue to believe that the case was wrongly decided,' the chief justice writes. Nevertheless, 'the question today however is not whether Whole Woman's Health was right or wrong, but whether to adhere to it in deciding the present case.'... But Roberts also signals that he's open to a lawsuit challenging this right on other grounds.
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the president is free to fire the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without cause. The decision, rejecting a federal law that sought to place limits on presidential oversight of independent agencies, was a victory for the conservative movement to curb the administrative state. The vote was 5 to 4, with the court’s five more conservative justices in the majority."
Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court will not take up a challenge to new federal death penalty protocols proposed by the Justice Department, which wants to resume executions as early as July for the first time since 2003. The court, without comment, declined Monday to take up the lawsuit filed by four death row inmates. As is customary, it gave no reason. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have accepted the case." Mrs. McC: Barr's purpose might be to make Trump look tough on heinous crime.
Michigan. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "A largely peaceful protest in Detroit against systemic racism and police brutality turned violent on Sunday night as a police SUV plowed through a group of protesters, striking multiple people and sending a couple of demonstrators who had climbed on the hood flying from the vehicle. Police accelerated the vehicle multiple times as dozens of protesters surrounded it, according to videos of the incident posted to social media. After each acceleration, protesters could be heard shrieking in shock, pleading for the driver to stop hitting the gas while people were in front of the vehicle and being thrown from its hood.... [Ethan] Ketner[, a protester who filmed the scene,] wrote that 'multiple people injured' were receiving treatment at local hospitals."
Missouri. Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "... as [a] peaceful crowd of about 500 [protesters calling for the removal of the city's mayor] walked along a private, gated street, a white couple ... emerged from a marble mansion.... A barefoot man in a pink collared shirt walked out from the five-story house, carrying a semiautomatic rifle as he appeared to threaten the group. A few feet away, a woman pointed a pistol at the crowd, her finger directly on the trigger.... A video of the scene on social media had been viewed almost 9 million times. President Trump retweeted it without explanation on Monday morning. The White House later declined to say why he did so."
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Allow me to answer for "the White House": "Mr. Trump retweeted the video of rich white people pointing guns at peaceful protesters because he wants everyone to know that he approves of vigilantes threatening lethal force & perhaps shooting you dead for exercising your First Amendment rights. SECOND AMENDMENT!" ~~~
~~~ An AP story is here. "Police said they were still investigating but labeled it a case of trespassing and assault by intimidation against the couple by protesters in the racially diverse crowd.... [The barefoot man in the pink shirt] Mark McCloskey told KMOV-TV that a mob rushed toward the home as the family was having dinner and 'put us in fear of our lives.'" Mrs. McC: Well, of course the McCloskeys were in fear of their lives. They were dining at home when a 'racially diverse crowd' happened by.
The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here: "Jacksonville, the largest city in Florida and host of the Republican National Convention in August, announced Monday that masks will be mandatory in public and indoor locations, as the World Health Organization warned that the outbreak is far from over. The news comes as the global community marked yet another grim milestone on Sunday, with the confirmed worldwide death count from the novel coronavirus surpassing 500,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University." Mrs. McC: Hope the Jax police arrest Trump mid-speech, cuff him & throw him in the tank with the usual riffraff. Ugliest mugshot ever.
Jason Slotkin & Mark Katkov of NPR: "In a tweet late Sunday night, President Trump said the intelligence community told him he was not briefed about allegations Russia had offered the Taliban bounty payments to kill Western forces — including U.S. troops -- because it did not find the reports credible[:] 'Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans look bad!!!'" Mrs. McC: What's "not credible" is Trump's tweet. In various, and sometimes multiple, forms, the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NBC News and CNN all have confirmed the reports. And the U.K.'s Sky News, relying on British intel sources, also has confirmed the story (linked below). There may be others. Moreover, the WashPo (story linked below) also has confirmed that American soldiers were killed for the Russian bounties. Flag-draped coffins are tragically "credible." ~~~
~~~ Jeremy Herb & Lauren Fox of CNN: "A bipartisan group of congressional leaders is demanding the Trump administration explain what it knew about reports US intelligence concluded Russia offered bounties to Taliban fighters to kill US troops.... The swift response underscored the congressional push for information about the US intelligence -- and whether ... Donald Trump was briefed on the matter, which Trump denied. [Speaker] Pelosi also said that the 'Gang of Eight,' the congressional leaders who are briefed on sensitive intelligence matters, were not told about the bounties offered to the Taliban."
~~~~~~~~~~
** Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russian bounties offered to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan are believed to have resulted in the deaths of several U.S. service members, according to intelligence gleaned from U.S. military interrogations of captured militants in recent months.... The intelligence was passed up from the U.S. Special Operations forces based in Afghanistan and led to a restricted high-level White House meeting in late March.... The disturbing intelligence -- which the CIA was tasked with reviewing, and later confirmed -- generated disagreement about the appropriate path forward, a senior U.S. official said.... As more details have unfolded, the primary controversy in Washington over the weekend revolved around denials by President Trump and his aides that the president was ever briefed on the intelligence.... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday joined other lawmakers -- including leading Republicans -- in expressing concern and calling for the administration to provide Congress with an explanation. 'This is as bad as it gets, and yet the president will not confront the Russians on this score, denies being briefed,' Pelosi said on ABC's 'This Week.'... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally who golfed with the president Sunday..., said it was 'Imperative Congress get to the bottom' of the Russian offer 'to pay the Taliban to kill American soldiers with the goal of pushing America out of the region.'" ~~~
~~~ Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: "United States intelligence officers and Special Operations forces in Afghanistan alerted their superiors as early as January to a suspected Russian plot to pay bounties to the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan, according to officials briefed on the matter. The crucial information that led the spies and commandos to focus on the bounties included the recovery of a large amount of American cash from a raid on a Taliban outpost.... Interrogations of captured militants and criminals played a central role in making the intelligence community confident in its assessment that the Russians had offered and paid bounties in 2019, another official has said. Armed with this information, military and intelligence officials have been reviewing American and other coalition combat casualties since early last year to determine whether any were victims of the plot.... The details added to the picture of the classified intelligence assessment, which The New York Times reported Friday has been under discussion inside the Trump administration since at least March, and emerged as the White House confronted a growing chorus of criticism on Sunday over its apparent failure to authorize a response to Russia." ~~~
~~~ Trump: I Was Clueless! Lynn Berry & Zeke Miller of the AP: "... Donald Trump on Sunday denied that he had been briefed on reported U.S. intelligence that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan, and he appeared to minimize the allegations against Moscow. American intelligence officials concluded months ago that Russian officials offered rewards for successful attacks on American service-members last year, at a time when the U.S. and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war, according to The New York Times. Trump, in a Sunday morning tweet, said 'Nobody briefed or told me' or Vice President Mike Pence or chief of staff Mark Meadows about 'the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians.... Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us,' he said.... Trump's director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, also said neither the president nor vice president was 'ever briefed on any intelligence alleged' in the Times' report and he said the White House statement was 'accurate.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is a remarkable response. Trump is downplaying the attacks as "not many" and saying that "everybody is denying it," when "everybody" = Russia & the Taliban. That is, Trump is once again taking Putin -- and even the Taliban's! -- word over the U.S. intel community's. In addition, a real president who learned that his own intel staff had not informed him of proxy acts of war against U.S. military personnel would immediately find out why, & staff heads likely would roll. ~~~
~~~ Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "Appearing on MSNBC early Sunday morning, [Jeremy Bash,] the former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency said it was 'inconceivable' that Donald Trump was not aware that Russia has been paying a bounty for every American soldier killed in Afghanistan and said the administration's protestations 'don't add up.'... 'They don't appear to be denying the underlying intelligence,' Bash began. 'They don't appear to be denying they have intelligence that Russia and Russian intelligence paid Taliban elements to go out and kill U.S. service-members..., but they appear to be saying the president and other senior leaders at the White House were not briefed, which I find totally inconceivable and totally noncredible.'" ~~~
~~~ Juan Cole: "Director of National Security John Ratcliffe, a strong Trump supporter who is a political appointee rather than an intelligence professional, denied the report that Trump was briefed on the GRU instigation. I'll say right away that I don't find Ratcliffe's denial plausible. If the intelligence were gathered, it would have been briefed to the president.... A leak like this makes you ask questions.... The entire scenario is baffling. The most plausible thing in the story is that Trump would have been told that the Russians had harmed US troops, and that Trump should have ignored it and gone on pursuing his creepy friendship with Vladimir Putin. And, yes, you could imagine US military and intelligence analysts seeing that happen and being so frustrated that they risked their careers and possibly their freedom in order to blow the whistle." ~~~
~~~ Riley Beggin of Vox has a good summary of the reports here. ~~~
** Alistair Bunkall of Sky News: "British security officials have confirmed to Sky News that the reports about the plot are true.... The report, which was first published on Friday evening by The New York Times, is 'on the nose', according to a source briefed on the matter.... There are currently around 1,000 British troops deployed in Afghanistan, mainly in the capital Kabul, and no confirmation any have been hurt as a result of the Russian efforts." --s
~~~ J.L. Cauvin, on the other hand, says Putin did not place a bounty on our troops; after seeing Donald strongly throw the paper towels at Puerto Ricans, Putin offered to send our troops Bounty paper towels. (Also linked yesterday.)
It was a day ending in "y", so another Trumpatrocity:
** Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Trump on Sunday retweeted a video of one of his supporters yelling 'White power!,' once again using the vast reach of his social media platforms to inflame racial divisions in a nation roiled by weeks of protests about police brutality against black people and demands for social justice reforms. The edited racist video shows a white man riding in a golf cart bearing 'Trump 2020' and 'America First' signs during what appears to be an angry clash over the president and race between white residents of a Florida retirement community.... In response to a protester shouting 'Where's your white hood?' and other taunts, the man in the golf cart pumps his fist in the air and says 'White power!' twice. The two-minute video continues to show profane exchanges between protesters and other Trump supporters riding on more golf carts. The president retweeted the video to his millions of followers just after 7:30 a.m., thanking 'the great people of The Villages,' the Florida retirement community where the clash apparently took place. He added: 'The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!!'... Mr. Trump deleted the tweet more than three hours after posting it."* An NPR story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
* Mrs. McCrabbie: No, "Mr Trump did not delete the tweet." According to NBC News, someone deleted the tweet while Trump was on the golf course with Lindsey Graham. The "White Power" yells came right at the top of the video, also according to NBC. In fairness to Trump, it does seem quite possible that he didn't notice or see anything wrong with someone yelling "White Power" twice. (An amazed protester immediately repeats it, too: "He said 'White Power.' Did you hear that?" So that's three times.) But it seems like a normal remark to Trump. Neither he nor anyone from the White House condemned the "White Power" sentiment. Judd Deere of the White House eventually put out this statement: ""President Trump is a big fan of The Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters." Big fan. A real president, of course, would be embarrassed if his supporters were doddering old white supremacists & would disavow them.
I will ALWAYS PROTECT PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS,ALWAYS!!! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet last week, after DOJ filed a brief demanding the pre-existing-condition provisions of the ACA be abolished
Trump has claimed nearly 100 times since he took office that he will 'always protect people with preexisting conditions,' but the legal brief filed by the Justice Department last week belies the president's claim. It says point blank that the entire Affordable Care Act -- including its coverage guarantee for people with preexisting conditions -- 'must fall.' -- Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post
Mark Mazzetti, et al., of the New York Times have written (what I consider) a devastating story on how AG Bill Barr colluded with Michael Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell to drop the charge against Flynn. "Ms. Powell and her client won a significant victory on Wednesday when a divided appeals court panel -- in a surprise ruling written by Judge Neomi Rao, a former White House official whom Mr. Trump appointed to the bench -- ordered Judge Sullivan to drop the case without scrutiny. Judge [Emmet] Sullivan suspended his review but has not dismissed the charge, suggesting that the extraordinary legal and political saga is not yet over." (Also linked yesterday.)
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
John Harwood of CNN: "... Donald Trump, ever impulsive, often acts against his own interests. But nothing tops his self-defeating resistance to mask wearing during the coronavirus pandemic. His dogged stance, mimicked by supporters, undercuts efforts by public health officials to stop the summer resurgence of coronavirus. That in turn impedes efforts to revive the US economy, now staggering under the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. Failures on both fronts has left Trump in a deep hole on his pre-eminent priority of winning reelection. And they leave public health experts mystified."
Felicia Sonmez, et al., of the Washington Post: "Vice President Pence on Sunday implored Americans to wear face masks, practice social distancing and stay away from senior citizens protect them amid a new spike in coronavirus infections, as the United States surpassed 2.5 million confirmed cases.... But earlier Sunday, a 'Celebrate Freedom' rally Pence attended at First Baptist Church in Dallas featured a large choir that did not wear masks while singing, despite evidence that some choir practices have served as 'superspreader' events. Members of the choir put on their masks after they finished singing, and about two-thirds of attendees were wearing masks during the event, although many were sitting side-by-side in the pews." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Funny how mike didn't think wearing face masks & practicing social distancing was important till the coronavirus began hitting hard in states that tend to vote Republican. You might think he didn't care when Democrats were getting sick & dying in the long, cold months of winter & spring. ~~~
~~~ Jamie Ehrlich of CNN: "A choir of more than 100 people performed without masks at a robustly attended event in Texas at the First Baptist Church on Sunday that featured a speech by Vice President Mike Pence. Nearly 2,200 people attended the 'Celebrate Freedom Rally,' in the Lone Star State, according to rally organizers, which has seen a severe surge in coronavirus cases since easing restrictions.... Throughout the service, the members of the choir sang at full volume, behind an orchestra.... When Pence arrived at the event, he was wearing a mask. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who traveled with the vice president, also wore masks." ~~~
~~~ Justin Wise of the Hill: "... Joe Biden's campaign on Sunday denounced Vice President Pence for his scheduled trip to Dallas, saying it 'epitomizes the dismissive attitude"'the Trump administration has taken toward addressing the coronavirus outbreak. Pence, the head of the White House coronavirus task force, is set to visit Texas Sunday to receive an on-the-ground report from officials about the surge in coronavirus cases throughout the state. He is also scheduled to speak at an event at the First Baptist Dallas, a church led by Pastor Robert Jeffries, during the visit. 'Our leaders should be tackling this pandemic head on and laying out concrete recovery plans for the American people -- not jet setting across the country to hold events that go against basic public health guidance,' Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mike Morris & Zach Despart of the Houston Chronicle: "Texas Medical Center hospitals [in Houston] have stopped reporting key metrics showing the stress rising numbers of COVID-19 patients are placing on their facilities, undermining data that policy makers and the public have relied upon during the pandemic to gauge the spread of the coronavirus. The change came one day after the hospitals reported their base intensive care capacity had hit 100 percent for the first time during the pandemic, with projections showing the institutions -- which together comprise the world's largest medical complex -- were on pace to exceed their 'unsustainable surge capacity' by July 6." Oops! Firewalled.
Jamie Ehrlich, et al., of CNN: "Senior Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander said Sunday that he thinks it would 'help' if ... Donald Trump wore a mask because it would eliminate political stigma around doing so as the coronavirus continues to spread across the US. 'If wearing masks is important and all the health experts tell us that it is in containing the disease in 2020, it would help if from time to time the President would wear one to help us get rid of this political debate that says if you're for Trump, you don't wear a mask, if you're against Trump, you do,' the Tennessee Republican, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said on CNN's 'Inside Politics.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Worth Remembering. Catherine Thorbecke & Arielle Mitropoulos of ABC: "At least 45 million people have filed for unemployment since the pandemic began. Yet between March 18 and June 17, as the pandemic raged, the combined wealth of the 614 U.S. billionaires increased by $584 billion[.]" --s
The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Sunday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Christina Maxouris & Eliott McLaughlin of CNN: "Only two US states are reporting a decline in new coronavirus cases compared to last week: Connecticut and Rhode Island. A rise was reported in a staggering 36 states, including Florida, which some experts have cautioned could be the next epicenter for infections.... Florida reported 9,585 new coronavirus cases Saturday, a single-day record.... The number rivals those of New York's peak in early April (New York's new case tally Saturday was about 6% of Florida's)." (Also linked yesterday.)
Florida. Frances Robles of the New York Times: "On Saturday, for the second straight day, Florida crushed its previous record for new coronavirus cases, reporting 9,585 infections. Another 8,530 were reported on Sunday.... Six-hour lines formed in Jacksonville over the weekend as thousands of people flocked to get drive-through tests. Orlando has seen an explosion of coronavirus: nearly 60 percent of all cases diagnosed in that county came in just the past two weeks.... Statewide, about 20 percent of people aged 25 to 34 are testing positive, [Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)] said at a news conference Sunday.... Much of Florida's new surge in cases appears to follow from the reopening of beaches, bars, restaurants and other social activities. The state's beaches are full and throngs of revelers pack its waterways on boats.... The median age of new coronavirus patients is now 36, the Department of Health said.... Officials have done little so far to halt public interactions.
Presidential Race
Shane Goldmacher & Thomas Kaplan of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. released statistics on the diversity of his presidential campaign staff on Saturday evening, announcing that 35 percent of his full-time staff members and 36 percent of his full-time senior staff members are people of color. A majority of Mr. Biden's staff members and senior staff members are women -- 53 percent and 58 percent, respectively.... [Donald Trump's] campaign said on Saturday that 25 percent of senior staff members are people of color.... The Trump campaign also said on Saturday that 52 percent of its full-time staff members, and 56 percent of its senior staff members, are women." (Also linked yesterday.) Mrs. McC: Re: Trump campaign, pardon my skepticism. And here's a good reason why:
~~~ Zoe Tillman of BuzzFeed News: There are 93 U.S. attorney positions. Trump has filled 81 of them. Of those, seven and women. Two are black: "Louis Franklin Sr. in Alabama and Kenji Price in Hawaii, who is also Asian American." (Also linked yesterday.)
** Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. James Gordon of The Daily Mail: "Bob Woodward, the investigative journalist most famous for his original reporting on the Watergate scandal in 1972, was apparently going to publish a story exposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as being an anonymous source in his 1999 book Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate ... while serving as a lawyer on [Ken] Starr's team.... Kavanaugh publicly denied ever being a source for Woodward's book in a letter to the Washington Post in 1999.... The fact that Kavanaugh had lied on record enraged Woodward, who was prepared to expose the judge using evidence that he had indeed contributed to the 1999 book.... Woodward's article was due to come out just as he was to be nominated to the Supreme Court in 2018.... The New York Times described the article by two Post journalists who read it as being 'explosive'.... Ultimately, the executive editor of the Washington Post, Martin Baron, stepped in and urged Woodward not to breach his 19-year-old confidentiality agreement and to protect Kavanaugh's anonymity. The piece was ultimately spiked." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Emphasis added. Lying under oath, as he did in his confirmation hearings, is just one step up from lying on record. Kavanaugh was, is & ever shall be a bald-faced liar. Here's the New York Times story, by Ben Smith, titled "Marty Baron made the Post Great Again. Now the News Is Changing." "The revival of The Post by Mr. Baron and its owner, the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, is perhaps the greatest news business success story of the past decade. But that journalistic revival has in some ways masked a messier story, one of many contradictions.... Mr. Baron's opposition to Mr. Woodward's story, people who work with him said, wasn't about favoring Mr. Kavanaugh, or being afraid of a fight. Publishing the article would simply violate the traditional principle that sources should be protected." It's worth reading.
Elizabeth Dwoskin, et al., of the Washington Post: Largely in an effort to accommodate Donald Trump's incendiary posts, "Facebook has constrained its efforts against false and misleading news, adopted a policy explicitly allowing politicians to lie, and even altered its news feed algorithm to neutralize claims that it was biased against conservative publishers, according to more than a dozen former and current employees and previously unreported documents obtained by The Washington Post. One of the documents shows it began as far back as 2015, when as a candidate Trump posted a video calling for a ban of Muslims entering the United States. Facebook's executives declined to remove it, setting in motion an exception for political discourse. The concessions to Trump have ... paved the way for a growing list of digitally savvy politicians to repeatedly push out misinformation and incendiary political language to billions of people. It has complicated the public understanding of major events such as the pandemic and the protest movement, as well as contributed to polarization."
Beyond the Beltway
Mississippi. Rick Rojas of the New York Times: "Mississippi lawmakers voted on Sunday to bring down, once and for all, the state flag dominated by the Confederate battle emblem that has flown for 126 years, adding a punctuation point to years of efforts to take down relics of the Confederacy across the South. The flag, the only state banner left in the country with the overt Confederate symbol, served for many as an inescapable sign of Mississippi's racial scars and of the consequences of that history in defining perceptions of the state.... The vote in the Mississippi House was 91 in favor of removal and 23 opposed. The vote in the Senate was 37-14. The measure now goes to Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, who has said he will sign it." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's probably worth noting that Mississippi also was the last state to ratify the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery. The state did not do so until -- wait for it -- 2013.
Way Beyond
Good News Network: "Ocean Voyages Institute says it made history this week, returning to the port of Honolulu Tuesday, after successfully removing 103 tons of fishing nets and consumer plastics from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It more than doubled its own record-setting results from a 25-day stint last year during this 48-day expedition. And, Mary Crowley, the group's founder and executive director, says they are headed back to sea in two days to collect more debris.... The team is committed to 0% ending up in any landfill and is sending the sorted debris to recycling companies to be turned into insulation, energy, etc.... Ocean Voyages Institute is launching a second voyage that will depart in two days to continue clean-up of the area, but its length (between 25-30 days) will be determined by donations and fundraising. You can donate by check, paypal, or other method on their website." --s
China. AP: "The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country's Han majority to have more children. While individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control, the practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known.... The campaign over the past four years in the far west region of Xinjiang is leading to what some experts are calling a form of 'demographic genocide.' The state regularly subjects minority women to pregnancy checks, and forces intrauterine devices, sterilization and even abortion on hundreds of thousands, the interviews and data show." --s
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Reader Comments (14)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/opinion/trump-newt-gingrich.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Jennifer Senior didn’t have space to tell the whole story here, but what she does tell is right on.
My comment:
You've nailed it, Ms. Senior. No coincidence that the egregious Newt is mostly foursquare and often loudly behind his even more egregious offspring. Call it paternal pride.
Celebrity, sleaze, narcissism, Trump wears them as his favorite three-piece suit and Newt was his tailor.
Not a nanosecond of hesitation or an ounce of embarrassment from either as they both used and abused the power of office to fatten their wallets, while supposedly acting in the public's interest.
Don't know if Trump actively studied Newt's methods (did he ever actively study anything?) but Gingrich certainly paved the path he followed.
One difference. Newt was mean and crooked, but genuinely smart. Trump is just mean and crooked.
Must aggravate Newt no end that a poor copy like Trump made it all the way to the White House.
Think of Mr. Gingrich as a political John the Baptist to the anti-christ Trump, now consigned to the background grinding his teeth.
Marie wrote, of the halfpence “You might think he doesn’t care if Democrats get sick and die.”
He doesn’t. He got a special dispensation from Jesus. But his fat fuck of a boss doesn’t care who sickens and dies as long as it’s not him, and as long as he can continue to tout his wonderfulness.
The moral vacuity of this bunch of debauched jackanapes makes serial killers look halfway decent.
What can you say about a sniveling, narcissistic incompetent who cares more about statues of dead traitors than living Americans fearing the ravages of a pathogen he continues to promote?
Not even fantasy Bond villains were this vicious and reprehensible.
The story about Marty Baron (whom I’ve always considered a worthy practitioner of journalism) bouncing a story about the degenerate liar Bart (Rapeboy) O’Kavanaugh is another example of the truism that people who strive for honor play by the rules, even when it’s tough to do. Others (anyone with an R after their name) do not, even when it’s easy. Oh, and they have no use for honor. That’s for the other guys.
@Akhilleus: Not only does Trump claim to care more about effigies of dead treasonous soldiers than he does living Americans, he cares more about those statues of military traitors than he does patriotic American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan under his watch. But not to worry: According to Trump, there have "not been many attacks" on U.S. soldiers.
If in 2015 I had created a profile of a nightmare Republican president, he would not have been as bad as Trump (altho it's hard to say how bad a president Ted Cruz, for instance, would have been). Normally, I would attribute my inability to draw a sufficiently horrible profile to a lack of imagination, but on November 4, 2016, I don't think any sane person imagined even Trump would be as terrible as he has proved to be.
Dear Mr. Akhilleus:
I happen to be one of those cereal killers you spoke about––I deplore the idea of people eating that stuff so I go about the grocery stores and punch as many holes in those boxes as I can get away with. When I read this:
"The moral vacuity of this bunch of debauched jackanapes makes serial killers look halfway decent," I cheered–-never thought of myself as even halfway decent but you confirmed that little bitty suspicion that it might be the case. But hold on! Just noticed you meant "SERIAL" killers, not my kind of destruction–––so never mind, although I love that "moral vacuity" and "debauched jackanapes"––gave me a tingle in my right patella.
Yours in Applejack Crispy Nuggets
P.S. I also noticed that if you erase the A and eliminate the H in your name you get KILL––I'd say we have more in common that I thought.
PD,
Ya got me there, pal. My secret is out!
And just to add an additional bit of levity (yucks being in short supply these days, we must giggle them when we may), your play on words reminded me of an old friend who, in college, worked as a waitress. Every morning a regular customer would sit at a table and order a bowl of Corn Flakes. After polishing that off, he’d get two more. He was known to her fellow waitresses as the Cereal Killer.
Okay, not a knee slapper, but mildly amusing.
Lindsey Graham wants to get to the bottom of Trump allowing his pal Putin to get away with paying to have American servicemen killed?
Well, okay. I’ll be sure not to hold my breath for that one.
I’m sure in a couple of days ol’ Lindsey will report back that it’s all been cleared up. “Per the Dear Leader, it’s just more fake news. To, um, to...make Republicans look bad. Right. Oh, wait. I forgot the triple exclamation points. That always looks so presidential!!!”
Yeah, and I’m sure all the confederate chicken hawks will be right on top of this too.
That Nagging Little Man...
With each new revelation of Trump cupidity, stupidity, irresponsibility, brutality, and hostility to truth and moral behavior, I see polls that seem to indicate increasingly dire electoral prospects for the Orange Menace. For a millisecond, I get a tiny endorphin blast.
But then the little man shows up. You guys know him. He’s that little man who plonks you on the brain pan and says “Wake up, stupid! This is Trump we’re talking about. If there’s any way possible for him to lie, cheat, steal, or kill his way back into the White House, he’ll do it. And he’s got plenty of help. Putin will certainly reward him for allowing the murder of Americans to be covered up and ignored. Republicans will disenfranchise Democratic voters at record rates. Fox will scream “election fraud” if Biden gets too far out in front, and at least a dozen investigations into the Biden’s pet cat will be convened by Graham, McConnell, Cotton, et al.
There will be spurious last minute announcements throwing the whole thing into chaos. And the droolers and gun knobbers will stalk the polls challenging every non-white voter. (It’s legal now.)
That little man is a pain, but he could be 100% correct this time. You know how women have been twice as good as men and blacks have to be three times as good as whites? Well it shouldn’t be a surprise that Biden might need five times as many votes as Fatty to win. But, oops! Don’t forget the Supreme Court. They appointed their own guy once, they can do it again.
GOTV is vital but Democrats have to be ready for everything else. In many cases, as we saw with the clusterfuck in Georgia, it might already be too late.
Hate that little man!
This may not be the apex of irony, but it's got to be close. The city of Jacksonville, host to the RNC this August, has just mandated that masks be worn in public and in indoor venues.
Now what was the big reason the RNC picked Jacksonville?
Here's an email my brother sent me from one of his buddies. I refrain from acknowledging such nonsense for fear of exploding:
"Just when I thought I have seen it all!!....
I am absolutely livid!!! Our Military and our veterans and our first responders are treated like crap!! So what does Nancy Pelosi do?? She has presented George Floyd’s brother with a folded American flag that should be reserved for service men and women. Are you kidding me?? I don’t care what your stance is on the situation, he was NOT part of our armed forces nor was he a first responder!!! This is something you earn through service to our country or to your state or community. This is not something we just toss around!!! This is an extreme insult to all who served as military or first responders. Many in my family put their lives on the line for that flag!! 😡😡
And on top of her insult. George Floyd had a long criminal record!!"
"Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans look bad!!!" -MOOM
Are we sure that Trump is talking about US Intelligence or did Russian Intelligence call him up to tell him that the reports were not credible, no briefing and it was all just a hoax.
I wonder at the fact that the contradiction in reasoning by AG Barr (R-Opus Dei) in regard to "the sanctity of life" is never questioned. He rails against abortion but then orders all speed to death penalty executions. Once you get pushed out of the womb, your sanctity is revoked.
@PD Pepe: Please tell your brother a friend of yours said he was dumb as a rock. and before he gets his dander up he should know as much as I knew when I was 10 years old and captain my elementary school safety patrol. Then I received (for the school) the gift of a flag folded into a triangle -- a flag that flew over the Capitol. I don't know if it was our Congressman or a member of the American Legion or whoever who presented the flag to me. But I'll bet that old guy didn't take me for a veteran.
We refolded the flag into a triangle every afternoon after it had flown over the school during the day.
As Jessica Lee of Snopes wrote June 16, "No language in the federal statutes prohibits government officials — or anyone — from presenting a folded flag to any American for any reason. Also, the statutes do not prescribe symbolic meaning to the 13 steps people traditionally use to fold a flag into a triangle, like the one Philonise Floyd received.... Anyone can buy a display case for an American flag via Amazon or other retailers, and Pelosi and other members of Congress allow constituents to purchase American flags via their offices, including flags that have flown over the Capitol."
Pelosi presented the flag to Floyd after his moving testimony before a committee of a House of Representatives. It was entirely appropriate for her to do so. Mr. Floyd performed a service to the U.S., and your brother should not be so stupid as to deny it. Maybe if he actually listened to Mr. Floyd's testimony he would learn something.