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The Ledes

Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Washington Post's liveblog of developments in the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse is here: “Divers recovered the bodies of two construction workers who died when a massive cargo ship struck and collapsed a Baltimore bridge, as investigators revealed Wednesday that hazardous material was leaking from breached containers on the stranded vessel and state and federal lawmakers rushed to begin the recovery from the disaster that crippled the Port of Baltimore. Rescue crews found the victims shortly before 10 a.m. trapped in a red pickup truck in about 25 feet of water in the Patapsco River near the mid-span of the hulking wreck of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland State Police Secretary Roland L. Butler Jr. said at a news conference. The conditions were treacherous for the divers, so Butler said they were suspending the search for the bodies of four other construction workers who plunged to their deaths when the container ship in distress struck the bridge shortly before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, causing it to fall.

“The workers are believed to be the only victims in the disaster.... The victims recovered were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, Md. Other victims identified Wednesday were Maynor Suazo Sandoval, 38, from Honduras, and Miguel Luna, from El Salvador, who was the father of three. The names of the remaining two victims have not been released.” ~~~

~~~ CNN's live updates are here.

The Wires
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The Ledes

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Washington Post: “As a cargo ship the size of a skyscraper drifted dangerously close to a major Baltimore bridge that carried more than 30,000 cars a day, the crew of the Dali issued an urgent 'mayday,' hoping to avert disaster Tuesday. First responders sprang into action, shutting down most traffic on the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge just before the 95,000 gross-ton vessel plowed into a bridge piling at about 1:30 a.m., causing multiple sections of the span to bow and snap in a harrowing scene captured on video.... Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) hailed those who carried out the quick work as 'heroes' and said they saved lives, but the scale of the destruction was catastrophic and will probably have far-reaching impacts for the economy and travel on the East Coast for months to come.” ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here. CNN's live updates are here. ~~~

     ~~~ A Washington Post liveblog of developments is here: “Six people [-- bridge construction workers --] were presumed dead Tuesday evening, authorities announced as they shifted from a search and rescue operation to a recovery effort.... The governor declared a state of emergency, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) announced that the city has deployed its emergency operations plan. Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore was 'suspended until further notice.'”

Public Service Announcement

The Washington Post offers tips on how to keep your EV battery running in frigid temperatures. The link at the end of this graf is supposed to be a "gift link" (from me, Marie Burns, the giftor!), meaning that non-subscribers can read the article. Hope it works: https://wapo.st/3u8Z705

The Hollywood Reporter has the full list of 2024 Oscar winners here.

Ryan Gosling performs "I'm Just Ken" at the Academy Awards: ~~~

Marie: If you don't like birthing stories, don't watch this video. But I thought it was pretty sweet -- and funny:

If you like Larry David, you may find this interview enjoyable:


Tracy Chapman & Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Allison Hope comments in a CNN opinion piece:

~~~ Here's Chapman singing "Fast Car" at the Oakland Coliseum in December 1988. ~~~

~~~ Here's the full 2024 Grammy winner's list, via CBS.

He Shot the Messenger. Washington Post: “The Messenger is shutting down immediately, the news site’s founder told employees in an email Wednesday, marking the abrupt demise of one of the stranger and more expensive recent experiments in digital media. In his email, Jimmy Finkelstein said he was 'personally devastated' to announce that he had failed in a last-ditch effort to raise more money for the site, saying that he had been fundraising as recently as the night before. Finkelstein said the site, which launched last year with outsize ambitions and a mammoth $50 million budget, would close 'effective immediately.' The New York Times first reported the site’s closure late Wednesday afternoon, appearing to catch many staffers off-guard, including editor in chief Dan Wakeford. As employees read the news story, the internal work chat service Slack erupted in what one employee called 'pandemonium.'... Minutes later, as staffers read Finkelstein’s email, its message was underscored as they were forcibly logged out of their Slack accounts. Former Messenger reporter Jim LaPorta posted on social media that employees would not receive health care or severance.”

Washington Post: “The last known location of 'Portrait of Fräulein Lieser' by world-renowned Austrian artist Gustav Klimt was in Vienna in the mid-1920s. The vivid painting featuring a young woman was listed as property of a 'Mrs Lieser' — believed to be Henriette Lieser, who was deported and killed by the Nazis. The only remaining record of the work was a black and white photograph from 1925, around the time it was last exhibited, which was kept in the archives of the Austrian National Library. Now, almost 100 years later, this painting by one of the world’s most famous modernist artists is on display and up for sale — having been rediscovered in what the auction house has hailed as a sensational find.... It is unclear which member of the Lieser family is depicted in the piece[.]”

CNN: “Jon Stewart is heading back to 'The Daily Show.' The comedian, who during his 16-year run as host of the Comedy Central program established it as an entertainment and cultural force, will return to host the show each week on Mondays starting February 12, Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios announced Wednesday. Stewart, who returns as the 2024 presidential election season heats up, will also executive produce the show and work with a rotating line-up of comedians who will helm the program the rest of the week, Tuesdays through Thursdays.”

~~~ Marie: I don't know if this podcast will update automatically, or if I have to do it manually. In any event, both you and I can find the latest update of the published episodes here. The episodes begin with ads, but you can fast-forward through them.

Contact Marie

Click on this link to e-mail Marie.

Thursday
Sep232021

The Commentariat -- September 23, 2021

Afternoon Update:

** Lauran Neergaard & Mike Stobbe of the AP: "The U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19 stood on the verge of a major new phase as government advisers Thursday recommended booster doses of Pfizer's vaccine for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans -- despite doubts the extra shots will do much to slow the pandemic. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems. The extra dose would be given once they are at least six months past their last Pfizer shot. Deciding who else might get one was far tougher. While there is little evidence that younger people are in danger of waning immunity, the panel offered the option of a booster for those 18 to 49 who have chronic health problems and want one. But the advisers refused to go further and open boosters to otherwise healthy front-line health care workers who aren't at risk of severe illness but want to avoid even a mild infection.... The CDC advisers expressed concern over the millions more Americans who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots early in the vaccine rollout. The government still hasn't considered boosters for those brands and has no data on whether it's safe or effective to mix-and-match and give those people a Pfizer shot."

John Hudson, et al., of the Washington Post: "The U.S. special envoy for Haiti has quit his job in a blistering resignation letter.... 'Our policy approach to Haiti remains deeply flawed, and my recommendations have been ignored and dismissed,' Daniel Foote said in the letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday. 'I will not be associated with the United States inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country where American officials are confined to secure compounds because of the dangers posed by armed gangs in control of daily life,' he said. Foote was named special envoy in July just weeks after the assassination of Haiti's president plunged the country into political turmoil. In another reaction to the Haitian immigration crisis, the administration announced Thursday it was suspending all horse patrols in the migrant camp at Del Rio, Tex.... [The State Department has taken] issue with Foote's version of events." ~~~

     ~~~ The AP's story is here. Foote's resignation letter is here, via Yamiche Alcindor of PBS.

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "The White House budget office will tell federal agencies on Thursday to begin preparations for the first shutdown of the U.S. government since the pandemic began, as lawmakers on Capitol Hill struggle to reach a funding agreement. Administration officials stress the request is in line with traditional procedures seven days ahead of a shutdown and not a commentary on the likelihood of a congressional deal."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday morning announced that the Senate, House and White House have reached a deal on a 'framework' to pay for the massive human infrastructure spending package they hope to pass this fall under budget reconciliation.... [An] aide explained it's an understanding between Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) about what revenue-raising proposals are on the table for the upcoming negotiations.... The menu of revenue-raisers will be used as the template for negotiations with moderates such Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on the reconciliation package and how to pay for it." ~~~

~~~ Alexander Bolton, et al., of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has signaled to colleagues in both chambers that she will not put the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package on the House floor for a vote until it's clear that it can also pass the 50-50 Senate.... Without a [Senate] deal in sight, there's no way the House will be ready to vote on the reconciliation package in time to move it next week along with the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package that passed the Senate on Aug. 10. That puts Pelosi in a tough spot, since she pledged last month to centrist House Democrats led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) that the House would vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill by Sept. 27."

Tom Hamburger & Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "The White House is leaning toward releasing information to Congress about what Donald Trump and his aides were doing during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol despite the former president's objections.... Trump has said he will cite 'executive privilege' to block information requests from the House select committee investigating the events of that day.... But President Biden's White House plans to err on the side of disclosure given the gravity of the events of Jan. 6, according to two people familiar with discussions.... '... there's no such thing as a former president's executive privilege,' said Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), a committee member who teaches constitutional law.... What Trump was doing while the attack was occurring and who he was speaking with are among the big, unanswered questions concerning the assault on the Capitol."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jonathan Weisman, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden huddled with congressional Democrats on Wednesday to try to break through a potentially devastating impasse over his multitrillion-dollar domestic agenda, toiling to bridge intraparty divisions over an ambitious social safety net bill and a major infrastructure measure as Congress raced to head off a fiscal calamity. Democrats on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are nearing a make-or-break moment in their bid to push through huge new policies, as an escalating fight between the progressive and moderate wings -- and a multitude of other divisions within the party -- threatens to sink their chances of doing so while they retain control in Washington. At the same time, even the basic functions of Congress -- keeping the government from shutting down next week and from defaulting on its debt sometime next month -- are in peril as Republicans refuse to support legislation that would both fund the government and increase the statutory cap on federal borrowing." A Politico story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course intraparty crisis meetings like these would not be necessary if even a minority of Republicans thought it was a bad idea to renege on debt incurred during previous administrations. However, all Republicans in both houses oppose having the federal government meet its obligations. They do favor pushing the country -- and the world -- into an immediate recession & threatening about six million American jobs. That's really "owning the libs," isn't it?

Anne Gearan, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to meet in person next month when they spoke by phone Wednesday, French and U.S. officials said, as the two leaders seek to make peace after a secret arms deal led to an unprecedented diplomatic rupture between Washington and its oldest ally. A White House statement suggested regret over the way the episode unfolded. 'The two leaders agreed that the situation would [have] benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners,' the statement said. 'President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard.'... The statement also said the ambassador to France would return to Washington next week. Macron had recalled Ambassador Philippe Etienne to Paris in the days after the announcement." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "... the aggressive effort to quickly clear a makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas, of more than 15,000 Haitian migrants was part of a Biden administration response that included 'surging' agents to the overrun area using a public health immigration rule invoked by [President*] Trump to send many people home.... The deportations are a stark example of how Mr. Biden -- who declared on Feb. 2 that his goal was to 'undo the moral and national shame of the previous administration' -- is deploying some of the most aggressive approaches to immigration put in place by Mr. Trump over the past four years. Having failed in his attempts to build a more 'humane' set of immigration laws, Mr. Biden has reacted in a way that few of his supporters expected. In case after case, he has shown a willingness to use tough measures. Part of the dilemma Mr. Biden faces is that his efforts to use the power of his office to enact lasting immigration change have been blocked by federal judges skeptical of executive power and slowed by a bureaucracy purposely hobbled by the former president." ~~~

~~~ Elliot Spagat, et al., of the AP: "Many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, two U.S. officials said, undercutting the Biden administration's public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion. Haitians have been freed on a 'very, very large scale' in recent days, according to one U.S. official who put the figure in the thousands. The official ... has direct knowledge of operations.... The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said. They are processed by the Border Patrol at those locations." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Jacob Soboroff & Ken Dilanian of NBC News: "The Biden administration is advertising for a new contract to operate a migrant detention facility at the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, with a requirement that some of the guards speak Spanish and Haitian Creole, according to government records. A little-known immigrant holding facility on the base has a capacity of 120 people, the records say, and it 'will have an estimated daily population of 20 people,' according to a solicitation for bids issued Friday by the Department of Homeland Security. According to the solicitation, formal bidding is expected to take place later this fall. 'The service provider shall be responsible to maintain on site the necessary equipment to erect temporary housing facilities for populations that exceed 120 and up to 400 migrants in a surge event,' the contract solicitation says." ~~~

~~~ Adolfo Flores of BuzzFeed News: "Mexican authorities carrying rifles and flashlights combed through [Ciudad Acuña]'s downtown early Wednesday, searching for the Haitians who were in hiding after being pushed to flee the US just days ago.... Returning to Mexico was a last resort for the Haitians after crossing the Rio Grande and setting up camp under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas. Food, water, and medicine were lacking. Border Patrol agents on horseback chased them. Children were getting sick. There was no avoiding COVID-19. President Joe Biden's administration started loading people onto planes and flying them back to Haiti, a place many of the immigrants haven't lived in for years."

Dino Grandoni of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration will finalize its first new climate rule Thursday, slashing the use of greenhouse gases warming the planet at a rate hundreds to thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide. The Environmental Protection Agency regulation, which establishes a program to cut the use and production of chemicals known as hydrofluorocarbons in the United States by 85 percent over the next 15 years, implements a law passed by Congress last year. There is broad bipartisan support for curbing these super-pollutants, which are short-lived and often used in refrigeration and air conditioning."

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "Two former GOP treasury secretaries held private discussions this month with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hoping to resolve an impasse over the debt limit that now threatens the global economy, according to four people aware of the conversations. The previously unreported talks involving the GOP economic grandees -- Henry Paulson, who served as treasury secretary under President Bush [II]; and Steven Mnuchin, treasury secretary under President Trump -- did not resolve the matter and the U.S. is now racing toward a massive fiscal cliff with no clear resolution at hand.... The backchanneling by Mnuchin and Paulson ... reflects the widespread alarm among economists and U.S. business interests about the consequences of an unprecedented default on the federal debt. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The Federal Reserve on Wednesday held benchmark interest rates near zero but indicated that rate hikes could be coming sooner than expected, and it significantly cut its economic outlook for this year. Along with those largely expected moves, officials on the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee indicated they will start pulling back on some of the stimulus the central bank has been providing during the financial crisis. There was no specific indication, though, as to when that might happen." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

Caitlin Emma, et al., of Politico: "The top House Democrat on Appropriations introduced a bill on Wednesday that would provide $1 billion for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, after the funding was abruptly pulled from a government funding package Tuesday. Democrats were forced to toss the money from a stopgap spending bill aimed at avoiding a government shutdown at the end of the month amid objections from progressives. The incident, which temporarily derailed a vote on the continuing resolution, illustrated the long-simmering internal tensions within the party over supporting Israel, a longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East.... Iron Dome, which is built by a joint venture of U.S. defense contractor Raytheon Technologies and Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, enjoys wide support on Capitol Hill.... But those funding efforts have faced progressive resistance in recent years, with more liberal members of the party demanding that U.S. military aid to Israel be conditions-based."

Joan Greve of the Guardian: "Bipartisan negotiations in the US Congress over a police reform bill that was prompted by the killing of George Floyd have collapsed. 'We did the best we could,' the Democratic congresswoman Karen Bass told reporters on Wednesday. The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in March, and Bass and the Democratic senator Cory Booker have since been working with the Republican senator Tim Scott to try to reach a bipartisan agreement on a bill that could pass the Senate. But the talks dragged on for months with negotiators remaining at odds over a few crucial issues in the bill, and the lawmakers now appear to have thrown in the towel. Most notably, the bipartisan negotiating team could not reach an agreement on the Democratic proposal to reform qualified immunity, which shields police officers from civil liability for misconduct."

Thanks, Mainers! Chelsey Cox of USA Today: "A Democratic bill to protect abortion rights nationwide will not receive support from Republican abortion rights advocate, Sen. Susan Collins. The senator from Maine said Tuesday she opposes the bill to prohibit states from interfering in abortion based on fetal viability, The Los Angeles Times first reported. The measure is a direct response to the Texas 'fetal heartbeat' bill that took effect earlier this month after the Supreme Court declined to block its enforcement.... The bill would 'codify' Roe v. Wade.... But Collins said it would weaken the Religious Freedom Restoration Act...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Calling Collins an "abortion rights advocate" in a lede is journalistic malpractice. As David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement points out, "Senator Collins, who repeatedly claims to be pro-choice, is being criticized after years of supporting ... Donald Trump's judicial nominees at every level of the federal judiciary, including two of his three Supreme Court picks.... [AND] According to NBC News affiliate News Center Maine, Collins just endorsed former Maine Republican Governor Paul LePage for a third term.... LePage is a Trump acolyte known for making outrageous and vulgar remarks, is anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, and pro-death penalty."

Marie: BTW, I heard two law experts, one on MSNBC -- Neal Katyal -- and one on CNN -- Jennifer Rodgers -- say that Donald Trump's lawsuit against Mary Trump and the New York Times lacked merit, & Donald stands little chance of prevailing. Rodgers said she was surprised to see such a sloppily drafted complaint, and she doesn't understand why Donald Trump would want to expose himself in depositions, especially in a suit he is so likely to lose. Update: and Joyce Vance (I think it was) said that the complaint -- which rests largely on a claim that Mary Trump violated a confidentiality agreement does not cite any part of the Trump family agreement that requires confidentiality; Vance said that this omission could be the basis for a successful request to dismiss the suit. Underlying story linked yesterday.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. "Missing White Woman Syndrome." Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "The intensity of the [media] coverage [of Gabrielle Petito's disappearance and death] has mirrored the interest of social media users, who have discussed and debated the case on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.... As of Wednesday morning, the hashtag #gabbypetito had received more than 794 million views on TikTok. The demographic makeup of major news organizations is another factor in the emphasis on narratives of white women who go missing or are murdered, said Martin G. Reynolds ... of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.... The disappearances of people of color tend not to generate the same volume of media interest, despite their occurring at a higher rate.... Danielle Slakoff ... [o]f California State University, Sacramento..., said that white women were typically depicted as good people, while women of color were often characterized as risk-takers or somehow complicit in their own disappearances.... 'I don't think we can discount the profit motive and the fact that, historically, these types of stories have gotten tons of engagement, viewers and clicks,' Ms. Slakoff said." ~~~

~~~ Charles Blow of the New York Times: "The breathless coverage of the disappearance and apparent killing of Gabrielle Petito has played out in a virtual -- and sometimes literal -- split screen alongside images of mounted officers in Texas swinging long reins like whips while herding Haitian migrants. That startling contrast forces us once again to wrestle with a crucial question: What kinds of people, in what kinds of bodies, with what kinds of lineage do we value?... In 2004, at the Unity journalists of color convention in Washington, Gwen Ifill coined the phrase 'missing white woman syndrome,' joking that 'if there is a missing white woman you're going to cover that every day.'... It all becomes cyclical: Media raises the profile [of a white woman gone missing]; law enforcement engages because of that high profile; the public becomes invested; then the media continues its coverage because of the massive law enforcement response and widespread public interest. Just like that, we have all been manipulated into playing a part in the white damsel ideology, that young white women, often attractive, are the very epitome of innocence and virtue."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here: "Scientific advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will take up a thorny challenge on Thursday: Who qualifies for the new Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus booster and why?" The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Thursday are here: The CDC "is expected to issue a recommendation Thursday to clarify some of the vagueness within the FDA's decision -- including who falls under the category of people 'whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk' of serious illness, and of people under 65 who are 'at high risk of severe COVID-19.'"

** Noah Weiland & Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "... the Food and Drug Administration ... on Wednesday authorized people over 65 who had received Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine to get a booster shot at least six months after their second injection. The F.D.A. also authorized booster shots for adult Pfizer-BioNTech recipients who are at high risk of becoming severely ill with Covid-19 or are at risk of serious complications from the disease due to frequent exposure to the coronavirus at their jobs. The authorization sets up what is likely to be a staggered campaign to deliver the shots, starting with the most vulnerable Americans. It opens the way for possibly tens of millions of vaccinated people to receive boosters at pharmacies, health clinics, doctors' offices and elsewhere. Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting F.D.A. commissioner, said that the authorization would allow for booster doses 'in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others.' Her statement suggested that agency leaders took a permissive view of the subgroups it deemed eligible for an extra injection.... The F.D.A. is expected to take up the question of boosters for [the millions of Americans who got Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines] in short order." ~~~

     ~~~ NPR's story is here and CNN's is here. Marie: Assuming that the Times story is correct, both the NPR & CNN stories are what I would call "confusing." Neither makes entirely clear that the Pfizer booster is recommended only for people who got two Pfizer shots months ago. Since experts frequently tell the media that shots can be "mixed" -- that is, that you can get one Moderna shot and one Pfizer shot, for instance -- reading the NPR & CNN stories would lead a reasonable person who got the Moderna vaccines last winter to think she could get the Pfizer booster now.

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: ""President Biden, declaring the coronavirus an 'all-hands-on-deck crisis,' set out ambitious goals on Wednesday for ending the pandemic and urged world leaders, drug companies, philanthropies and nonprofit groups to embrace a target of vaccinating 70 percent of the world by next year.But the course that Mr. Biden charted, at a virtual Covid-19 summit meeting that he convened on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, may be difficult to turn into reality.... The daylong meeting, the largest gathering of heads of state to address the pandemic, was a reflection of Mr. Biden's determination to re-establish the United States as a leader in global health after ... Donald J. Trump severed ties with the World Health Organization last year, at the outset of the coronavirus crisis." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Biden's goal is achievable only if most people around the world aren't as stupid as millions of Americans. Since February 2020, I have seldom "gone to town" during peak business hours, but yesterday, for the first time in months, I had business in Concord, New Hampshire, that had to be done during the day. As I drove past the local hospital, there stood a small group of protesters carrying signs urging motorists to honk for freedom from vaccines. The good news -- nobody honked within my hearing.

Nick Niedzwiadek of Politico: "President Joe Biden announced Wednesday the formation of a partnership between the United States and European Union to further the global Covid-19 vaccination effort. 'The United States is leading the world on vaccination donations. As we're doing that, we need other high-income countries to deliver on their own ambitious vaccine donations and pledges,' Biden said at a virtual meeting with leaders of the United Nations, World Health Organization and countries including the United Kingdom and Canada.... He also made official his administration's plan to purchase another 500 million vaccine doses to distribute to some of the world's poorest nations. News of the additional supply trickled out earlier this week, and will bring the United States' total commitment to 1.1 billion doses." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

OMG! There Are Covid Cooties in My Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "Michael Flynn, the former National Security Adviser to the Trump administration who has embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory and advocated the violent military overthrow of the United States, has a new conspiracy theory: the Deep State is going to vaccinate your salad dressing.... 'Somebody sent me a thing this morning where they're talking about putting the vaccine in salad dressing,' said Flynn [Wednesday]. 'Have you seen this? I mean it's -- and I'm thinking to myself, this is the Bizarro World, right?... These people are seriously thinking about how to impose their will on us in our society, and it has to stop.'"

Alaska. Zaz Hollander of the Alaska News: "Alaska is activating crisis standards of care for the entire state and bringing in contracted health workers as staff shortages and influx of COVID-19 patients make it difficult for hospitals to operate normally. Gov. Mike Dunleavy and top health officials announced the hospital support on Wednesday, the same day Alaska's new single-day cases hit another record as the highly infectious delta variant drives infections. A combination of short staffing and high numbers of COVID-19 patients is overwhelming medical facilities in Anchorage, Mat-Su and Fairbanks. Rural hospitals say they struggle to transfer patients to urban centers for higher care. At least one patient died recently when a bed in Anchorage wasn't available."

Beyond the Beltway

California. Noam Scheiber of the New York Times: "Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Wednesday signed a bill that restricts warehouse employers from setting productivity quotas that prevent workers from taking breaks or following health and safety laws. The new law could alter Amazon's labor practices.... 'The hardworking warehouse employees who have helped sustain us during these unprecedented times should not have to risk injury or face punishment as a result of exploitative quotas that violate basic health and safety,' Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, said.... Two separate studies, including one by a group backed by labor unions, have shown that the rate at which Amazon workers suffer serious injuries was nearly double that of the rest of the warehousing industry last year.... But business groups strongly opposed the bill, arguing that it would lead to an explosion of litigation and hamper the distribution of goods."

Texas. Abbott's "Steel Wall." Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has sent a fleet of state-owned vehicles to line up for miles as a barricade along the border with Mexico, insisting the state was taking 'unprecedented steps,' as thousands of migrants still seek to cross into the United States." MB: The article does not make clear who -- if anyone -- is in the cars and what-all these people might be doing to dissuade immigrants from climbing over the parked vehicles. However, in a tweet embedded in the story, Abbott says, "Texas Dept of Public Safety troopers & Texas National Guard are stanching the flow of illegal migrants trying to cross into the Del Rio region." The Hill's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Ukraine. Ivan Nechepurenko & Michael Schwirtz of the New York Times: "A top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was shot at on Wednesday while being driven in his car outside Kyiv, in what the authorities said was an assassination attempt. The adviser, Serhiy Shefir, was not injured in the attack, but the driver of the car was wounded and hospitalized, Irina Venediktova, Ukraine's prosecutor general, said in a statement that included a picture of the driver's side of Mr. Shefir's black Audi riddled with bullets." (Also linked yesterday.)

Reader Comments (12)

According to an article in Florida Politics Sunburn this morning Florida is merrily continuing to magnify it's vaccine stupidity. To top the new state law that if a child is exposed to c-19 only the parents decide if the child has to quarantine state senator Manny Diaz (Chairman Health committee) is preparing to review all mandated vaccines curently required in Florida. That's mumps, rubella, polio ect...

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

“Oh waiter, I’ll have the chicken Caesar salad, but could I get my vaccine on the side? Thank you so much.”

These people are not just anti-science, they’re flat out morons. So, every time I order a salad i get re-vaccinated? I’m assuming these vaccines cost something to produce. How many Americans use salad dressing every day? Let’s say 50 million, just for argument’s sake. So after a couple of months, that would be 3 billion doses of Paul Newman’s vaccine vinaigrette. Who’s paying for billions of doses?

On top of that, there’s a reason virologists aren’t suggesting you get several hundred doses of a vaccine. But hold on. General Mikey forgets that plenty of R’s don’t eat wussy salads. They eat red meat. And red meat from cows who smoke cigarettes and watch Fox.

Add this to TuKKKer KKKarlson’s latest batshit broadside, that Biden is using vaccines to emasculate military personnel. What is it with this guy and giant testicles and lowered testosterone? A tad too obsessed with this stuff?

Big balls, salad dressing, alien DNA, microchips in the brain, garlic, horse pills, bleach chasers…Jesus. Rick Santorum once whined that “The smart people have picked a side, and it’s not ours.” Ya got that right.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

@Akhilleus: Thanks for making me LOL early in the morning. But you're right about salad dressing's being a very bad choice as a delivery system for the vaccine. I'd suggest Redneck Beer & pork rinds.

September 23, 2021 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

That Susan Collins Women's Rights moniker is pretty funny. Like saying in an Akhilleus vein that Exxon is pro-environment.

But I wish the chuckle it brings would last a longer.

The problem with Republican antics is that while they may be funny, they are far more rueful than risible. They are funny only in the limited way we sometimes see humor in a puppy or small child doing something stupid because we know that while on a larger scale it would lead to disaster, they will grow out of such behavior before much harm befalls. A skinned knee maybe, and a lesson learned, but nothing terminal.

This morning we have not just the Susan Collins stupidity. On another channel there's Josh Hawley (he of the raised fist at the Insurrection) ranting about the Afghanistan withdrawal mess he did nothing to alleviate and his party did much to create; and of course the entire party that refuses to deal with the national debt they played a significant part in building.

Intractable problems like the Haitian camps along the southern border or climate change or pandemics require adults to deal with them. They will not go away by pretending they don't exist or by wishing that they would.

And the "border crisis" is just one instance: what do we do about mass movements of peoples caused by natural and economic upheavals?

Just once, I'd like to see a Republican offer an idea, propose a solution, even clearly identify the source of a problem.

But we'll never see that from these Republicans. That would require thoughtful effort and a sense of that responsibility they used to claim was their exclusive possession. Now, effort and responsibility are entirely up to others.

So much easier (and in the current political environment, apparently still effective) to stay on the sidelines, say stupid things, and carp.

Today's Republicans are nothing more than parasites in the body politic, eating us from within.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Newspapers––those that haven't lost their minds–-need to get together and print in big bold black headlines Marie's words ( and a tack on).

THEY DON'T CARE:

ALL Republicans in both houses oppose having the federal government meet its obligations. They do favor pushing the country -- and the world -- into an immediate recession & threatening about six million American jobs and ALL Republicans refuse to vote for bills that would help their constituents live better lives.

And when Rick Santorum is the one who spoke the truth about his party then–––My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty has been invaded by Pod people whose brains are wired for destruction and eventual takeover of all the states, one by one. Interesting that film was made so long ago––it now feels so fresh.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterP.D. Pepe

Bravo for the comments above––there has to be more blowback on these pod people ( interesting that "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was made years ago) and when Rick Santorum tells it like it is then––

Max Boot, who left the GOP Party after Trump placed his rump in the W.H. said this today:

“Why won’t the GOP do more to avert so many foreseeable tragedies?

Because it is afraid to take on anti-vaxxers and COVID deniers, oil and gas interests, and the gun lobby,” he concluded. “Due to a combination of extremism and expedience, Republicans are allowing problems to fester at great cost rather than dealing with them at the source.”

I recall another leader who knew all about the screw you policies:

"Politics is the art of acquiring, holding and wielding power."
–––Indira Gandhi

Pass the salad dressing, said the Flim Flam man to his guest on the right, whose balls had enlarged to such an extent that pillows were needed to make him comfortable. Poor sod–-he was the victim of the vaccine that was hoisted on him by the big bad gov-ment. SOoooo sorry, big fella, said the FFM, a little dressing down should cure what ails you. More beer?

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterP.D. Pepe

My first comment did not show up so I tried a second one which did show up and eventually so did the first. Don't know if anyone else is experiencing the lag.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterP.D. Pepe

https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/countries-by-gdp: GDP ranks US - $22 trillion; China $15 trillion; France $3 trillion; Australia $1.5 trillion. That's ranked 1,2,9,& 14 respectively. France is mighty upset about the $65 billion submarine deal. They lost the deal. Next.

On a totally different subject: My wife's comment: if you trust Pfizer to make your Viagra, why don't you trust them to make your vaccine? I'd believe them more than I'd believe anything Susan Collins says. What an awful piece of shit she is...just to get a road or airport named in her honor. The odor coming off her sorry existence is worse than Moscow Mitch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Collins - nothing but laudatory bs there; nothing about first husband, children. Sue is a Wiki buffer.
"Politics is the art of acquiring, holding and wielding power."
–––Indira Gandhi. Collins family sounds like the Maine equivalent of the South Carolina family the Murdaughs.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered Commentercitizen625

I wish the press would remember that there are 50 Republican senators and each one could vote to protect our country. Though it doesn't look like any will right now, not even the "reasonable" ones Mitt, Lisa, or Susan. How about chasing them down for a quote. Unfortunately we do not have any leadership in the Republican party, just lemmings. Over 200 in the House already voted to ruin the American and global economy just because they were told to do so. Maybe one of those nice job creators could ask nicely for the Republicans to not tank our future. I would actually be happy to see the business community prioritize it's profits in this situation.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Citizen,

There might be an idea there.

Hows about Covid vaccines in the Viagra?

For all those manly men that eschew salad, that oughta do the trick.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes
September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterP.D. Pepe

If the R's were as determined to help people (even their own voters)
as they are to thwart anything Biden or Dems try to do to help everyone, wouldn't this be a great country?
And I make my own salad dressing so guess I'm out of luck 'cause
you can't buy the vaccine at the local drugstore. Could add some
dewormer I guess, that should spice it up.

September 23, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterForrest Morris
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