The Commentariat -- May 12, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Heather Caygle, et al., of Politico: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are planning to move ahead with a Friday vote on a $3 trillion package to respond to the coronavirus crisis, despite protests from progressives that the bill doesn't go far enough.... Donald Trump and Senate Republicans also object to the Democratic proposal, saying there hasn't been enough time since the $2 trillion CARES Act passed to determine whether new legislation is needed or necessary." A Washington Post story is here.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "White House coronavirus task force medical expert Anthony S. Fauci delivered his long-awaited coronavirus testimony Tuesday to a Senate health committee.... Also appearing at Tuesday's hearing were Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn and President Trump's coronavirus testing czar, Adm. Brett Giroir.... Fauci said to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who asked about [the actual death toll], '... most of us feel that the number of deaths are likely higher than [the] number [reported]....'... Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) pressed Redfield on when we might see the past-due guidelines for reopening that have been held up -- noting that many states are pressing forward with reopening even without them.... Redfield responded, 'I do anticipate this broader guidance, though, to be posted on the CDC website soon.' '"Soon" isn't terribly helpful,' Murphy responded.... Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ... engaged in a particularly pointed exchange with Fauci.... 'What our country has done so far on testing is impressive but not nearly enough,' [committee chair Lamar] Alexander [R-Tenn.] said.... Alexander ... asked Fauci directly whether there will be the kinds of treatments or even a vaccine available to help reopen universities in the fall term.... [Fauci called that] 'a bit of a bridge too far.'... Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called the testing in the United States 'nothing to celebrate whatsoever.' He also rebuked Giroir and the White House for favorably comparing U.S. testing to that of South Korea, which ramped up testing much more quickly and has dealt with a much smaller outbreak as a result."

Mrs. McCrabbie: I pretty much missed it, but the Supreme Court is hearing the Trump tax returns cases. At 12:15 pm ET, but at 12:15 pm ET, it's still ongoing & the New York Times has the audio live here. Also comes with Times reporters snark attacks. Update: The full recording is still available at the linked page. Audio begins at about 15 minutes in. CNN has the audio here. The CNN video is kaput. ~~~

~~~ Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The very nature of the presidency was under scrutiny at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, as the justices heard more than three hours of arguments on whether House committees and prosecutors may obtain troves of information about President Trump's business affairs. The court's ruling, expected by July, could require disclosure of information the president has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect. Or the justices could rule that Mr. Trump's financial affairs are not legitimate subjects of inquiry. But some of the justices' questions raised a third possibility: that the court could return the cases to lower courts for reconsideration under stricter standards. That would have the incidental effect of deferring a final decision beyond the 2020 presidential election." ~~~

~~~ Robert Barnes, et al., of the Washington Post: "The court's conservative majority seemed far more critical of lawmakers' demands, questioning whether approving the subpoenas issued by three congressional committees would open the door for a Congress ruled by one political party to make potentially harassing requests of a president from a different party. The court's liberal justices seemed more accommodating to Congress's position that it has an important job to do in investigating potential wrongdoing and then proposing legislation to correct it.... Justices on both sides found less to criticize when Carey R. Dunne, general counsel for New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., spoke. Dunne said Trump's records are needed for an ongoing criminal investigation that touches more people than Trump and that federal courts already have decided that the request would put no additional burdens on the president. The records requested are held by Trump's accounting firm and financial institutions, and the prosecutors have said no action is required of the president to comply." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I hope somebody reminded the confederate justices that every single major-party presidential candidate in the last half-century has released years of tax returns, most without whining about it. (Romney whined.) Voters have a right to know what their potential presidents have been doing with their money. I'm not sure about previous presidents & veeps, but both President Obama & Vice President Biden also timely released their returns covering the years they were in office. What-all is Donald Trump hiding?

~~~ The New York Times live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.

Arizona. Not All Protesters Are Gun-Totin' Wingers. Jamie Landers of the Arizona Republic: "More than 20 body bags representing victims of the coronavirus pandemic lined the lawn of the Arizona state Capitol on Tuesday. The socially distant protest was organized by Indivisible Phoenix, a grassroots progressive movement, to ask Gov. Doug Ducey ;to reconsider his decision to lift the state's stay-at-home order. The stay-at-home order was originally extended through May 15. However, on ;May 4, Ducey said he spotte a downward trend and adjusted the order, allowing some non-essential businesses and restaurants to reopen."

The POTUS* Is Completely Insane. Batshit Crazy. Deranged. Bonkers. Nutso. Quint Forgey of Politico: "Donald Trump on Tuesday explicitly suggested MSNBC's Joe Scarborough had committed murder.... Following a segment on the network's 'Morning Joe' talk show that featured discussion of upcoming Senate testimony by Dr. Anthony Fauci..., as well as critical comments from Scarborough regarding the White House's coronavirus response, Trump lashed out in a tweet posted just before 7 a.m. 'When will they open a Cold Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida. Did he get away with murder? Some people think so,' Trump wrote. 'Why did he leave Congress so quietly and quickly? Isn't it obvious? What's happening now? A total nut job!' Trump was apparently referring to the 2001 death of Lori Klausutis, who worked as a staffer in Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach, Fla., office when he served as a Republican House lawmaker from the state's 1st Congressional District. Klausutis' autopsy revealed she had an undiagnosed heart condition, and a coroner concluded she died after passing out and hitting her head in a fall, according to The Associated Press. She was not struck by another person, the coroner said, and Scarborough was in Washington at the time of her death." ~~~

     ~~~ mike pence may or may not be in solitary confinement, but reporters should start phoning him up to ask why he hasn't got the Cabinet together to invoke the 25th Amendment. ~~~

~~~ AFP: "White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said [Vice President] Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, 'has made the choice to keep his distance for a few days' from the president." Mrs. McC: Hope that means it's because he's busy calling Cabinet members about the 25th.

Trump Blows up His Own Victory Party. Allyson Chiu & Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "... it looked like a victory lap of sorts was underway. Two giant banners bearing the words 'AMERICA LEADS THE WORLD IN TESTING' in all-caps were suspended from the White House columns. Testing machines and kits to detect the novel coronavirus had been carefully arranged on wooden tables flanking the president's lectern, which was set against a backdrop of American flags. But the orchestrated opportunity for the president to boast about his administration's efforts to ramp up testing backfired. Instead of reassuring Americans and being a celebratory event, the roughly hour-long news conference ended with Trump shutting down reporters' questions and abruptly leaving the Rose Garden following heated exchanges with two female journalists, including one who seemed to imply that he made a racially charged comment toward her. Soon, the news conference was trending on social media -- for all the wrong reasons." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Sorta like he arranged the tables with Trump "University" "diplomas" and they ignited. And with Trump steaks that drew rats & flies. And with Trump wine bottles that exploded. Then two giant "Trump Brands" banners blew over in the wind, landing on Donald & Jared & catching fire from the "diplomas."

John Vernovek & Molly Nagle of ABC News: "In an interview Tuesday morning on 'Good Morning America'..., Joe Biden pushed back on ... Donald Trump's claim that anyone in America who wants to get tested for COVID-19 has the ability to do so. '... Anyone can't get a test around the country... He knew about this crisis all the way back in January and February. He's been incompetent the way he responded,' Biden told ... George Stephanopoulos. Biden said that as president, he would advise the nation's governors to listen to the medical experts on the question of when it is safe to open back up certain parts of the country, in particular Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases."

** Frank Figliuzzi in an NBC News opinion piece: "On Saturday, Trump retweeted a fantastical fiction of a theory from The Federalist asserting that former President Barack Obama's White House intelligence discussions about, in part, the trustworthiness of incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn ... were proof that Obama and ... Joe Biden were malevolently conspiring against the Trump administration. Trump later retweeted a Fox News legal analyst's opinion that without Flynn, the entire Russia investigation is meaningless and perhaps should be thrown out.... [Attorney General Bill] Barr is riding shotgun on Trump's scorched-earth joyride against justice.... On May 7, the same day that Barr moved to dismiss proven charges against Flynn, Trump had a call with Putin. Although the official White House summary of the call didn't include a discussion of what Trump has called the 'Russia hoax,' Trump disclosed to reporters that he and Putin talked about the repercussions of the special counsel's investigation. Trump explained that the 'Russia hoax' was 'very hard' on the U.S. and Russia's foreign relations, 'and we discussed that.'... As this staged farce unfolds, the truth will be trampled, reputations ruined and a foreign adversary empowered."

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nancy Cook of Politico: "On the day the U.S. death toll from coronavirus topped 80,000..., Donald Trump stood in the White House Rose Garden for a 'mission accomplished' moment. Behind Trump were a row of American flags and a pair of giant signs reading, in all capital letters: 'America leads the world in testing,' referring to the total number of U.S. tests conducted in recent months rather than per-capita testing, in which America does not lead the world. In front of Trump sat his staff [including Jared Kushner] and reporters, physically distanced and all wearing face masks.... 'We have met the moment and we have prevailed,' [Trump asserted]. It was a pronouncement incongruous with the widespread anxiety among employers across America about whether enough testing exists to reopen their workplaces. It was also incongruous with the internal turmoil spreading on Monday inside the West Wing, where officials were scrambling to prevent the virus from crippling the ... supposedly safest office in America.... White House aides are deeply aware the president's message urging states to reopen their economies does not mesh with the optics of the virus spreading throughout the West Wing.... [Vice President] Pence's only public event on Monday was a teleconference with governors, and as of now he has no travel publicly scheduled for this week. He did not appear alongside the president at the briefing as he usually does when not traveling." ~~~

~~~ Anne Gearan, et al., of the Washington Post: "... President Trump claimed Monday that his administration is besting the world in testing and that it will help states expand such efforts.... The administration said it will distribute $11 billion to states to facilitate testing -- from money already approved by Congress for coronavirus relief.... [Trump] said the United States should pass 10 million completed tests this week, 'nearly double the number of any other country.' Officials outlined the plan in front of huge banners that proclaimed 'America leads the world in testing.'... But the White House event ... amounted to an acknowledgment that there is not yet enough testing capacity across the United States.... The United States as of Sunday had completed nearly 9 million coronavirus tests, according to the Covid Tracking Project.... The figure is equivalent to just 2.74 percent of the U.S. population and does not give a full representation of the virus's reach within American society. There are far higher levels of per-capita testing in other parts of the world.... The United States continues to be, by far, the world's coronavirus hot spot.... Trump had asserted earlier Monday that 'coronavirus numbers' are decreasing in almost all of country.... Though the rate of new daily infections in the United States has declined from its peak in mid-April, the daily case totals in several states are still rising.... [Late last week, public health researchers at Harvard] said that fewer than a dozen states are testing enough to keep ahead of the virus. Most others, researchers wrote, are not testing at a level that will allow them to adequately track people who get sick and others they might have come into contact with." The article is free to nonsubscribers. The Hill's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Allen, et al. of NBC: "Coronavirus infection rates are spiking to new highs in several metropolitan areas and smaller communities across the country, according to undisclosed data the White House's pandemic task force is using to track rates of infection, which was obtained by NBC News.... The 10 top areas recorded surges of 72.4 percent or greater over a seven-day period compared to the previous week according to a set of tables produced for the task force by its data and analytics unit. They include Nashville, Tennessee; Des Moines, Iowa; Amarillo, Texas; and -- atop the list, with a 650 percent increase -- Central City, Kentucky.... The spiking infection rates suggest that the pandemic is spreading quickly outside major coastal population centers that were early hot spots[.]" --s

Trump to Chinese-American Reporter: "Ask China Your Nasty Question." David Bauder of the AP: "... Donald Trump abruptly ended his White House news conference Monday following combative exchanges with reporters Weijia Jiang of CBS News and Kaitlan Collins of CNN. Jiang asked Trump why he was putting so much emphasis on the amount of coronavirus tests that have been conducted in the United States.... 'Why is this a global competition to you if everyday Americans are still losing their lives and we're still seeing more cases every day?' Trump replied that 'they're losing their lives everywhere in the world. And maybe that's a question you should ask China. Don't ask me. Ask China that question.' He called for another question.... 'Sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically?' Jiang asked. Jiang ... was born in Xiamen, China, and emigrated to the United States with her family at age 2. Trump said he would say that to 'anyone who asks a nasty question.' 'It's not a nasty question,' Jiang said. 'Why does that matter?' Trump again asked for another question, then ... waved off CNN's Collins when she approached the microphone. 'You pointed to me,' Collins said. The president said, 'I pointed to you and you didn't respond.' Collins said she was giving Jiang the time to finish her questioning. 'Can I ask a question?' Collins said. With that, Trump called an end to the news conference ... and walked away." ~~~

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "The White House on Monday ordered all West Wing employees to wear masks at work unless they are sitting at their desks, an abrupt shift in policy after two aides working near the president -- a military valet and Katie Miller, the vice president's spokeswoman -- tested positive for the coronavirus last week.... Asked at a Rose Garden news conference whether he had ordered the change, Mr. Trump — who did not wear a mask and has repeatedly said he sees no reason to -- said, 'Yeah, I did.' But officials said the new requirement was not expected to apply to Mr. Trump or to Vice President Mike Pence.... The White House also made some smaller changes, including displaying signs encouraging social distancing at entryways and asking aides during routine temperature checks if they are experiencing symptoms, according to officials.... Many of the president's top aides and advisers have eschewed masks in their appearances with Mr. Trump, despite their own advice to their staffs to wear them. On Saturday, the defense secretary, Mark T. Esper, and the top military chiefs sat barefaced around the table with Mr. Trump at the White House, apparently in contradiction of policy at the Pentagon, where officials have been social distancing for two months and wearing masks for several weeks."

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Dr. Anthony S. Fauci ... plans to deliver a stark warning to the Senate on Tuesday: Americans would experience 'needless suffering and death' if the country opens up prematurely. Dr. Fauci, who has emerged as the perhaps nation's most respected voice during the worst public health crisis in a century, is one of four top government doctors scheduled to testify remotely at a high-profile -- and highly unusual -- hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He made his comments in an email to a New York Times reporter late Monday night.... It is a message starkly at odds with the things-are-looking-up argument that President Trump has been trying to put out: that states are ready to reopen and the pandemic is under control. In the Rose Garden earlier on Monday, Mr. Trump declared that 'we have met the moment and we have prevailed,' though he later walked back the comments and said he only meant to say the country had prevailed on increasing access to coronavirus testing -- an assertion public health experts say is not true." CNBC has a summary report here. ~~~

~~~ “Let It Rip,” Tony. Ali Zaslav of CNN: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, not to hold anything back and to 'let it rip' ahead of tomorrow's Senate Health Committee oversight hearing on the administration's coronavirus response.... He also said that until now, the country has mostly heard from the members of the coronavirus task force 'through the distorted lens of the White House press conference with the President often prevents them from answering fully, interrupts their response, or even contradicts their fact based advice.'"

** PPE Factory Refuses to Let Trump in the Door. Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: "President Trump was pushing to get out in the public eye in recent weeks and tout his leadership during the pandemic, and White House staff thought they had hit on the ideal event: a presidential visit to thank the Pennsylvania factory workers who had recently taken herculean steps to ramp up U.S. supplies of protective equipment. Workers had received national attention after dozens of them lived for 28 days inside their factory so they could ensure they were virus-free and their production was not contaminated or disrupted by illness.... But after extensive back and forth [between the White House & the factory], factory officials ultimately asked to postpone, worried that a visit from Trump could jeopardize both the safety of the workers and the plant's ability to produce special material for masks and other medical gear...." Catherine Garcia of the Week has a summary report here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Good for them. I hope they don't back down. Had I been head of the Mayo Clinic (a ludicrous notion), I would have told mike pence to wear a mask or get out. But I didn't think real business managers would have the guts to turn away the President*. The management at Braskem America have showed for a second time they're a company of true American heroes.

"We're All Casualties of Trump's War on Science." Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit research organization focused on emerging pandemics..., worked with China's Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses in bats that could infect humans.... Since 2014, the EcoHealth Alliance has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health, until its funding was abruptly cut two weeks ago. The reason, as '60 Minutes' reported on Sunday evening, was a conspiracy theory spread by Representative Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who in March wore a gas mask on the House floor to mock concern about the new coronavirus. On April 14..., Gaetz ... [told] Tucker Carlson ... that the N.I.H. grant went to the Wuhan Institute, which Gaetz intimated might have been the source of the virus.... The first of Gaetz's claims was flatly false, and the second unlikely; the C.I.A. has reportedly found no evidence of a link between the virus and the Wuhan lab. But at a White House briefing a few days later, a reporter from the right-wing website Newsmax told President Trump that under Barack Obama, the N.I.H. gave the Wuhan lab a $3.7 million grant.... In fact, Trump's administration had recently renewed EcoHealth's grant, but Trump didn't appear to know that.... Trump ... said, 'We will end that grant very quickly.' And they did.... Conservative antipathy to science ... [has] grown worse under Trump, with his authoritarian impulse to quash any facts ... that might reflect poorly on him."

Norm-Destroyer Bemoans Lack of Norms. Jordain Carney of The Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.) said on Monday that former President Obama should have held back from criticizing President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.... 'I think President Obama should have kept his mouth shut.... But I think it's a little bit classless frankly to critique an administration that comes after you,' McConnell said.... Obama, during a private phone call, characterized the administration's response as an 'absolute chaotic disaster' that stemmed from a 'what's in it for me' mindset." --s  More on Mitch linked below.

Christina Maxouris & Arman Azad of CNN: "Two new reports released [Monday] by the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention paint a harrowing picture of the grip and spread of coronavirus in parts of the US.... In New York City, the virus may have directly or indirectly killed far more people than the city's official death toll shows, according to one of the two reports. Researchers found that while the city reported 24,172 more deaths since mid-March compared to what would normally be expected, only about 19,000 of them were directly linked to the virus. And while it's hard to track why the other 5,000 deaths occurred, the report says one reason may be that 'social distancing practices, the demand on hospitals and health care providers, and public fear related to COVID-19 might lead to delays in seeking or obtaining lifesaving care.' Those findings add to a growing body of evidence highlighting how the pandemic may be killing Americans without ever infecting them.... In the second report, researchers say airport screening of travelers from China and Iran failed to prevent the spread of the virus, at least in California."

Alabama. WSFA Montgomery: "It took 59 days, just shy of two months, for Alabama to reach 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The milestone happened Monday, the same day Gov. Kay Ivey's order to loosen restrictions on gatherings and business reopenings took effect.... More than 1,250 have been hospitalized since the state's first case and a total of 401 people have died of the disease, the health department has confirmed. ADPH says 37 percent of those hospitalized are treated in the ICU and 60 percent of those patients are on a ventilator. About 20 percent of those who test positive are health care providers and long term care workers." Mrs. McC: No word on the racial make-up of victims.

Arizona-New Mexico. Christina Capatides of CBS News: "Jean Stowell, head of [Doctors Without Borders]' U.S. COVID-19 Response Team, told CBS News that Doctors Without Borders has dispatched a team of nine to the hard-hit Navajo Nation in the southwest U.S. because of the crisis unfolding there.... Doctors Without Borders is best known for sending medical professionals into international conflict zones in the midst of medical crises. The organization has teams in Afghanistan, Iran, Sierra Leone, Venezuela and 66 other countries. It did not, however, have a medical presence in the U.S. -- until now.... Navajo Nation, home to roughly 170,000 people, now has more coronavirus cases per capita than any state in America."

Colorado. Alison Borden of Colorado Public Radio: "Gov. Jared Polis, calling the restaurant an 'immediate health hazard,' has suspended the restaurant license of C&C Breakfast & Korean Kitchen in Castle Rock, a day after a video [surfaced on social media] showing a packed dining room in defiance of public health rules.... Polis said the license would be suspended indefinitely -- at least for 30 days.... Polis' announcement followed news that Tri-County Health Department ordered C&C to close. The health department warned the restaurant on Friday not to open, but the now-viral video shows it was open to dine-in service -- with dozens of people sitting to eat and only a few people wearing masks -- on Sunday."

Illinois. Tina Sfondeles of the Chicago Sun-Times: "A member of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's senior staff has tested positive for COVID-19 and all staffers -- including the governor -- will now work from home for an 'appropriate isolation period,' the governor's office said Monday. The staff member was asymptomatic and tested positive late last week. That staffer was also in close contact with Pritzker and other staff members, the governor's office said. All staffers were tested last week. The Democratic governor and all other senior staffers have tested negative, and Pritzker was tested once again early Sunday and tested negative, his office said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Another Great Moment in Trump "Press Briefings." Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump on Monday declined to name the crime he believes former President Obama committed as he was pressed on a string of critical tweets he sent over the weekend accusing his predecessor of committing the biggest political crime in history. 'You know what the crime is. The crime is very obvious to everybody. All you have to do is read the newspapers, except yours,' Trump told Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker during a press conference in the White House Rose Garden.... 'Obamagate.... It's been going on from before I even got elected,' Trump said. 'It's a disgrace that it happened, and if you look at what's gone on and if you look at now all of the information that is being released and, from what I understand, that's only the beginning. Some terrible things happened, and it should never be allowed to happen in our country again,' the president continued. 'You'll be seeing what's going on over the coming weeks.'" ~~~

~~~ Andrew Desiderio & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "... Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to encourage sweeping investigations of his predecessor Barack Obama met a unanimous response from Senate Republicans: No thanks. Trump's Senate allies on Monday stopped short of echoing Trump's frenetic and unsubstantiated claim that Obama acted illegally when the Justice Department began probing incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn in late 2016. And they indicated that the Senate would pass on investigating the former president as they conduct their own investigations that could soon ensnare other senior Obama administration officials.... After the Justice Department's abrupt decision last week to drop the criminal case against Flynn, Trump shifted his public focus over the weekend to mount a three-day tear against his predecessor on Twitter, accusing Obama of committing the 'biggest political crime in American history.' Trump sought to popularize the hashtag 'Obamagate,' which he said makes the Watergate scandal 'look small time.' Trump also said Obama 'got caught' and later retweeted comments by Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, who said Obama was part of an effort to frame and entrap her client." ~~~

~~~ ** BUT. Talk About a "Witch Hunt." Spencer Ackerman of the Daily Beast: "Days after the Justice Department controversially dropped charges against Mike Flynn, Senate GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is set to expand a highly politicized Justice Department's surveillance authority during a vote this week to renew the 2001 PATRIOT Act. Under cover of redressing what ... Donald Trump and his allies call the FBI's 'witch hunt' over collusion with the Kremlin, McConnell, via an amendment to the PATRIOT Act, will expressly permit the FBI to warrantlessly collect records on Americans' web browsing and search histories. In a different amendment, McConnell also proposes giving the attorney general visibility into the 'accuracy and completeness' of FBI surveillance submissions to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court. Versions of the amendments circulating Monday were shared with The Daily Beast.... Privacy advocates consider McConnell's moves an alarming expansion of Attorney General Bill Barr's powers under FISA, a four-decade-old process that already places the attorney general at the center of national-security surveillance.... McConnell is increasing Barr's oversight of surveillance on political candidates while expanding surveillance authorities on every other American." ~~~

~~~ Juan Cole: "Vice President Mike Pence says he would be happy to have disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn back in the White House.... Now is the time to remind everyone that in the 1990s, Mike Pence argued that President Bill Clinton should be impeached and removed from office for telling a lie. In his smarmy way, Pence then said it was a moral issue. Clinton committed perjury over sex.... Apparently Pence would only be outraged if [Russian ambassador Sergey] Kislyak had been a Russian bombshell and Flynn had slept with her, and then lied about that." --s ~~~

~~~ Ryan Saavedra of the Daily Wire: "Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell has declassified the list of former Obama administration officials who were allegedly involved in the 'unmasking' of ... Michael Flynn." ~~~

~~~ ** Jonathan Kravis is a Washington Post op-ed: "Three months ago, I resigned from the Justice Department after 10 years as a career prosecutor. I left a job I loved because I believed the department had abandoned its responsibility to do justice in one of my cases, United States v. Roger Stone.... Last week, the department again put political patronage ahead of its commitment to the rule of law, filing a motion to dismiss the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn -- notwithstanding Flynn's sworn guilty plea and a ruling by the court that the plea was sound.... In both cases, the department undercut the work of career employees to protect an ally of the president [right after the president* complained about the prosecutors].... Indeed, the department chose to assign these matters to a special counsel precisely to avoid the appearance of political influence. For the attorney general now to directly intervene to benefit the president's associates makes this betrayal of the rule of law even more egregious.... Department lawyers are ethically bound to protect the confidences of their client. Barr's decision to excuse himself from these obligations and attack his own silenced employees is alarming. It sends an unmistakable message to prosecutors and agents -- if the president demands, we will throw you under the bus." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ ** DOJ Alumni Statement: "... Attorney General Barr has once again assaulted the rule of law, this time in the case of ... Michael Flynn.... The Department's purported justification for [dismissing the case] does not hold up to scrutiny, given the ample evidence that the investigation was well-founded and -- more importantly -- the fact that Flynn admitted under oath and in open court that he told material lies to the FBI in violation of longstanding federal law.... We thus unequivocally support the decision of the career prosecutor who withdrew from the Flynn case, just as we supported the prosecutors who withdrew from the Stone case. They are upholding the oath that we all took.... We urge Judge Sullivan to closely examine the Department's stated rationale for dismissing the charges -- including holding an evidentiary hearing with witnesses -- and to deny the motion and proceed with sentencing if appropriate." Nearly 2,000 former DOJ attorneys have signed the statement. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The letter, organized by the nonprofit group Protect Democracy, was signed by Justice Department staffers serving in Republican and Democratic administrations dating back to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The vast majority were former career staffers -- rather than political appointees -- who worked as federal prosecutors or supervisors at U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country or the Justice Department in downtown Washington." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ariane de Vogue of CNN: "The Supreme Court will consider Tuesday whether the House of Representatives and a New York prosecutor can subpoena ... Donald Trump's accounting firm and banks for his financial documents, two momentous disputes concerning separation of powers and Trump's broad claims of immunity. Arguments in the cases, conducted over the telephone because of the coronavirus pandemic, come after Trump has sought for years to shield his tax returns and other records, while his critics launched a variety of investigations into hush money payments and potential violations of financial disclosure as well as ethics rules."

Presidential Race

Marc Caputo & Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "... Donald Trump's political operation narrowly outraised Joe Biden in April, according to fundraising totals released Monday. The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee raked in $61.7 million, they said late Monday, while Biden and the Democratic National Committee announced they took in $60.5 million.... But Biden is woefully trailing Trump's fundraising juggernaut, which through March had a cash advantage over the Democrat of about $187 million."

Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "The Democratic Party plans to adopt new rules Tuesday to narrow the scope of its presidential nominating convention, potentially paving the way for either a limited in-person gathering or a virtual event this August. The proposed changes, which are expected to be adopted in virtual meeting of the party's rules and bylaws committee, would allow delegates to participate even if they do not attend the convention in person. No final decision on the convention is expected to be made in coming weeks as organizers await a decision by federal, state and local health officials. The convention had originally been planned for July in Milwaukee, but was moved back a month in hopes that restrictions forced by the coronavirus pandemic would ease by then. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said over the weekend that she had told Democratic Party Chair Tom Perez that the nearly week-long event could be held over a single day at an outdoor stadium." The Hill's report is here.

Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times looks back on "Joe Biden's time in Sarah Palin's shadow." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Kurt Burdella in a USA Today op-ed: "In 2016, Donald Trump fueled his improbable presidential victory with an arsenal of catch phrases designed to incite and excite the Fox News and Breitbart audience who live in fear of America's diversity and inevitable demographic changes.... As the 2020 campaign comes into focus, Trump is looking to recreate his success by refreshing his xenophobic rhetoric [in] what amounts to a remix of 2016, this time replacing Mexico with China.... The Republican playbook for 2020 can be summed up in two words: blame and fear. It's the same playbook as 2016." --s

Way Beyond the Beltway

Brazil. Jake Spring of Reuters: "Brazil deployed thousands of soldiers to protect the Amazon rainforest on Monday, taking precautions to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus, as the government mounts an early response to surging deforestation ahead of the high season for forest fires.... Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon surged 55% in the first four months of the year compared with the same period of 2019.... The destruction hit an 11-year high last year[.]" --s

Iran. Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "For the second time this year, Iran appears to have fired a missile at the wrong target with deadly consequences, fueling public disillusionment with the government and undermining faith in its military. On Sunday, a missile from an Iranian Navy frigate struck another Iranian naval vessel during a military exercise in the Sea of Oman, killing at least 19 sailors, the navy said. In January, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukrainian Airlines passenger plane with two missiles, killing the 176 passengers and crew onboard. Iran blamed the shooting on human error. Official details of the accident were scant on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether it was the result of human error or faulty equipment." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Lede

New York Times: "Jerry Stiller, a classically trained actor who became a comedy star twice -- in the 1960s in partnership with his wife, Anne Meara, and in the 1990s with a memorable recurring role on 'Seinfeld' -- died early Monday morning at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 92."

Comments

[Akhilleus]

Which lie should we disbelieve today?

“Testing”...shouts Donnie the Witch Doctor, “...doesn’t work. One day you’re negative, next day you’re positive. What good is testing? We don’t need it.”

BUT

The very next day, his giant all caps sign screams “Best testing in the world!!!”

So...testing is no good but we’re spending billions on it, more than any other country in the world?

Which is the lie? Ha! It’s a trick question. They’re both lies! Okay, okay, I know. It’s Fatty. Everything he says is a lie. Still, it’s impressive, in a slack-jawed, head shaking way, how this cretin clearly thinks that he can get away with back to back, obviously contradictory lies on a regular basis. I guess the giant all caps sign represents a sort of visual doubling down on the latest lie, indicating that this is the lie he wants us to believe today. Tomorrow, who knows what smelly cow patties he’ll be flipping our way, insisting that they’re made of genuine Trump Beef, best in the world. Eat up.

Disgraceful, or sad? You pick.

[NiskyGuy]

You gotta hand it to the bastard, "Obamagate" is a brilliant shiny object for the press to chase for weeks on end. The non-answer alone will have talking heads talking for days.

How do we shut it down? I would like to think Philip Rucker was on the right path, asking "What is the crime exactly [that] you are accusing him of?" but as long as the bastard keeps bloviating, it's only gasoline on the fire.

[PD Pepe]

The exchange between Trump, the two female reporters and Rucker (video linked above) gives me some hope that the art of shutting up and taking it has reached its zenith. Fatty feels it, refuses to deal with it, so exits pronto.

The McConnell criticism of Obama is rich! For four years his boss man has tried to make mincemeat of our previous president –-blamed him for everything including, the lighting––-those eco-bulbs didn't flatter Fatty's fleshy face enough.

Mitch, according to Jane Mayer's piece on him, reports numerous Republican power players, once donating generously to McConnell's coffers, now have walked away, disgusted at what has gone down. One old acquaintance said that even though Mitch realizes that "Trump is a hideous human being and utterly unfit to be president," and that standing by Trump anyway, has shown that that he he has "no ideology except his own political power." This person also said he was voting for Amy McGrath, McConnell's opponent, and added:

"Those who stick with the hideous, incompetent demagogue endanger the country and will be remembered in history as shameful cowards."

I'll drink to that!

But one more thing about the shell bearing turtle: It appears that he has also lost the support of his three daughters: the youngest–-is a progressive activist; his middle daughter's husband has, like the youngest, severely criticized Kavanaugh online; and the oldest daughter is a registered Democrat. Imagine the family fun at holiday feasts.

Bottom line: This poster says it all––a billboard outside of Berea, Kentucky, featuring a giant photograph of Mitch and Elaine, accompanied by the words:

WE'RE RICH. HOW Y'ALL DOIN?

[Ken Winkes]

So now we can look forward to six months of Obamagate, an old movie remade with a new name. Wonder how it will play to an audience wider than the Pretender's band of loyalists who apparently don't care how many times they see the same thing.

But it's not 2016 and in this new edition of the old fantasy the changing times required certain updates, which taken together make it ever harder to go along with the hackneyed plot.

China is now the most evil of empires (the gave us the flu and refused to be bullied) and Obama (and by implication his Veep) has replaced HRC as the featured villain.

Already, we can hear the creaks. Covid may have originated in China, but it's obvious to most Americans that the Pretender fucked up our response to it all on his own. Obama always projected more charm than HRC and is now more popular than ever. He didn't have Comey on the TV complaining about his use of a private server, and while he was and still is black, he isn't a woman.

Then there're those Flynn guilty pleas. That he did what he did is not in question. And the Mueller report with its documentation of more than 100 Pretender campaign--Russian contacts, also not in dispute. More recently the bipartisan Senate concluded (took 'em long enough) that Russia did indeed interfere in the 2016 election.

All things considered, that's a lot to sweep under any rug, even when you have a Barr, huffing and puffing, pushing the broom. especially when the rug is so worn and threadbare anyone with eyes can see right through it.

[NJC]

Merrick Garland

[NiskyGuy]

Another turtle turd, via Steve Benen:

In an online interview with Lara Trump, the turtle said that "the Obama administration 'did not leave to this administration, any kind of game plan and for something like this,' referring to the current coronavirus crisis."

Up is down.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/despite-facts-mcconnell-slams-obama-trump-s-unpreparedness-n1205091

[PD Pepe]

Here's something you can smile about. When Joe and I watch the PBS News Hour, because the reporters are doing their job at home, we get to see not only their living-rooms but their pets. I love watching them –-always disappointed if they are not present. Well, last night they had a special segment just on this–-seems a whole lot of other people were "into" these creatures. During these stressful times these companions can soothe our troubled souls or at least distract us with their needs.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-newshours-family-of-furry-friends

[Jeanne]

I heard the Phil Rucker piece last night, because it was sent to me by my daughter, every spitty word of it, as mimed by a female comedian-- I gotta hand it to the Explosive Gasbag-- he managed to NEVER even hint what the "crimes" committed by Obama are...how does he do it?! I guess his long years as a lying scumbucket on teevee really have paid off. He lies better than anyone EVER. And his scorn for female reporters makes me want to vomit. The part that makes my blood run cold is that 36% believe every lie as it volcanoes from his flabby lips. And Rich Mitch knows that and capitalizes on it, starting with his reign years ago. He is a cold-blooded monster himself, so together, they are able to wind up the conscience-less Hounddog Barr and set him on a course to canonize the Orange Villain and villainize Obama further, never mind the endless lies. The mind, she boggles. What's in it for Moscow Mitch?! His reputation is already that of a poisonous viper.

As I write, Fauci talks. Lamar Alexander, R-coward, wants us not to "point fingers" but Patty Murray pointed plenty. I don't think I can listen to these POS senators...

[Dan Lowery]

Trump's "Mission Accomplished" moment.

Reminds me of "Baghdad Bob" and his infidels are committing suicide at the gate presser.

[Marie Burns]

I got a fundraiser e-mail from Amy McGrath yesterday. Apparently she's tied Mitch in a recent poll. Hope springs till November.

[Marie Burns]

P.S. Speaking of hope springing, somebody please listen to the kid who "Dreamed a Dream" & read the story about the lost boys, both filed under "Infotainment." For all of our doddering dysfunction, the kids are all right.

[Akhilleus]

Wait, wait, wait...

The scheming Turtle Man, arguably the most vile, vicious, and evil example of unconstitutional, hyper partisan mendacity is blaming Obama for the lethal indolence and ignorance of his Glorious Leader (not to mention his own—McConnell’s—role in essentially rolling over while Fatty murdered tens of thousands of Americans), because the Obama administration didn’t tell them what to do in case of an epic pandemic? Are these people complete infants? They need instructions on how to not crap their diapers too?

Ih, that horrible nee-groe! He never told us what to do in case of an alien invasion! We’re doomed. How can we possibly respond to climate change? Obama didn’t leave us instructions! Michelle Obama took the plans for changing a light bulb. Guess we’ll have to sit in the dark.

What McConnell is admitting is that, yes, his president and his party royally fucked up their response to this crisis because Obama didn’t tell them what to do and they’re all too stoopid to figure it out for themselves.

Amazinger and amazinger! (apologies to Lewis Carroll for that one, but we’re way beyond the point at which standard vocabulary can accommodate the retarded bullshit flung out every day by these murderous monsters).

[Ken Winkes]

Have been thinking of the weapons Republicans have in their arsenal when they go to war with anything that threatens their hold on power, paying particular attention to their current leader and his bag of tricks.

Let's see now, what does the Pretender usually do?

Bully? Covid doesn't seem to notice or care.

Build a wall? Didn't work.

Sue? Covid is not welcome in most courts.

Say, "We'll see?" We sure are, every day.

Lie over and over? Doesn't seem to be working.

Have a public hissy fit? Let a couple of women reporters drive you off the stage? Kinda sends the wrong message: Weakness.

Lying's effectiveness is vastly diminished when what you are lying about is evident to all.

Covid's ubiquitous presence and its effects are much harder to mistake than the effects of climate change or the inner workings of the FBI and the Justice Dept.

Covid's obdurate presence doesn't provide much room to fudge.

Must be very frustrating for the Pretender.

All his standard weapons are duds.

[Akhilleus]

Ken,

If we look at the fate of nearly all authoritarian liars and schemers, very few have a happy ending (the jury’s still out on donnie heart throb, and fellow authoritarian, Uncle Vlad ). Most end up shot or hanged, or hung upside down and then shot. A few live out their wretched lives in exile, hiding on some desert island, lording it over the monkeys. None go down in history as the best, or greatest, or “tremendous” leaders, or any of the monotonous litany of interchangeable, predictable, and pallid adjectives the Orange Menace employs in quotidian exaltation of his own impotent flaccidity.

I’m not quite ready for the shot and hanged outcome (but not that far off either), but I’m all in on humiliating electoral devastation followed straightaway by dustbin of history-ness.

It’s not often that hyperbolic exhortation is exactly accurate, but in this case, “life or death” is the entirely necessary description for the situation we find ourselves in. We can either fashion up our own lifeline, or go down with Captain Iceberg—Full Speed Ahead!

[Ken Winkes]

More from the Deep State (that just won't shut up):

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/unreleased-white-house-report-shows-coronavirus-rates-spiking-heartland-communities-n1204751