The Conversation -- January 29, 2024

Missy Ryan & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "American air defense systems failed to intercept an attack drone that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan because the incoming aircraft was mistaken for a friendly drone returning to the base, two officials said Monday. Officials have not yet positively identified which country the lethal attack, first disclosed Sunday, originated from, the officials said. It occurred in an area where the borders of Jordan, Syria and Iraq converge. Nearly three dozen U.S. troops were also injured in the incident. Three personnel were transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, a U.S. military facility that can offer troops more advanced care, the officials said." The AP report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ From the New York Times live updates on the Israel/Hamas war: "The return of the American surveillance drone to the remote resupply base prompted some confusion over whether the incoming drone was friendly or not, and air defenses were not immediately activated, according to ... officials.... Two other drones that attacked other locations nearby were shot down, they added."

Trump Admits 98 Percent of His Followers Are Cognitively Impaired. Meidas Touch Network: "Donald Trump told a room full of supporters that only 2% of them could pass a test meant to detect cognitive decline, declaring that the test asking participants to name pictures of animals was 'not easy.' Trump delivered the comments at a rally in Nevada, claiming the test was tough, and noted that it required memorizing six words. He then cited five words, telling his supporters, 'There's only about 2% of this room that can do it.'" Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: That explains the MAGA movement, but it's mighty surprising that Trump would not only admit it but would insult a roomful of his loyal supporters by telling them that they are mentally impaired and that he is smarter than they are. Biden should use this.

Kierra Frazier of Politico: "... Donald Trump took a swipe at the United Auto Workers president Sunday night, calling him a 'dope' days after the UAW endorsed President Joe Biden. In a social media post Sunday, Trump called for the removal of UAW President Shawn Fain after the union leader appeared on CBS News' 'Face the Nation' to tout Biden's support of the UAW's efforts.... 'Donald Trump has a history of serving himself and standing for the billionaire class and that's contrary to everything that working-class people stand for,' Fain said Sunday."

Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at the financial monitor overseeing the Trump Organization and urged a judge to fire her days after she reported a range of issues -- and flagged a questionable $48 million loan -- in the former president's New York civil business fraud case.... [Trump lawyer Clifford] Robert wrote [to Justice Arthur Engoron] ... three days after Jones submitted a report to Engoron accusing the Trump Organization of providing incomplete, inconsistent or incorrect information about its financial disclosures. In a footnote in that report, Jones said she identified a loan between Trump himself and an entity related to Trump Chicago Tower that later turned out not to exist. She was told that the loan was believed to total $48 million, but that there are no agreements memorializing it. 'However, in recent discussions with the Trump Organization, it indicated that it has determined that this loan never existed' and that it would be removed from subsequent forms, Jones wrote."

Marie: Trump should pick Ramaswamy for his running mate. Vivek is even crazier than Trumpaloony:

Say It Ain't So, Joe.! Isaac Schorr of Mediaite: "... Vivek Ramaswamy ... predict[ed] that the upcoming Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers would be rigged for the former in order to set the table for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's endorsement of President Joe Biden this fall."

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: Top Republicans, including Nikki Haley, punt when it comes to addressing Trump's sexual assault on writer E. Jean Carroll. Neither Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) or Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) "is truly vouching for Trump's actions or claims to persecution.... About the closest Haley came to weighing in on the substance was when she said, 'I absolutely trust the jury, and I think that they made their decision based on the evidence.'... Republicans have experience with standing by Trump without truly vouching for him and his claims, but that becomes more difficult when the cases against him are actually adjudicated by our legal system. At that point, truly going to bat for Trump requires tearing down our system of law and order in the process. And this weekend provided a preview of the rhetorical gymnastics that lie ahead."

Marshall Cohen of CNN: "In the wake of the 2020 election, the president of the far-right network One America News sent a potentially explosive email to former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell, with a spreadsheet claiming to contain passwords of employees from the voting technology company Smartmatic, according to court filings. The existence of the spreadsheet was recently disclosed by Smartmatic, which is suing OAN for defamation.... Lawyers from Smartmatic told a federal judge that the email, and the attached spreadsheet, suggest OAN executives 'may have engaged in criminal activities' because they 'appear to have violated state and federal laws regarding data privacy.'... According to court filings, the supposed passwords were shared around the same time that Powell, her associates and other Trump supporters were trying to improperly access voting systems across the country, to prove their false claims of voter fraud.... Nobody from OAN has been charged with any crimes."

Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post: "A former IRS contractor who leaked a slew of confidential tax records filed by the wealthiest Americans, including those of ... Donald Trump, was sentenced Monday to the maximum of five years in prison. Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty last year to one count of unauthorized disclosure of income tax returns. Littlejohn, 38, admitted that he leaked Trump's confidential tax information to the New York Times in 2019 and then replicated his work the next year, filtering the tax returns and financial data of thousands of wealthy Americans to ProPublica. The news organizations published reports showing how Trump and the richest Americans for years paid little or no federal taxes. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes said Littlejohn had 'pulled off the biggest heist in IRS history' and deserved the maximum sentence she could impose because he targeted a sitting president and thousands of others. Reyes compared Littlejohn to one of the rioters who broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and said judges had to send a message that they will not tolerate 'open season on our elected officials.'" The NBC News report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Littlejohn should not have leaked the returns of private citizens, IMO, but may I remind Judge Reyes that Donald Trump is the only president* or major-party candidate for president in recent decades who has not released at least some years of his tax returns to the public.

Donna Britt of the Washington Post: "The ordinary death of an extraordinary civil rights hero." Another tearjerker.

France. Those French Farmers Really Are Pissed Off. William Booth of the Washington Post: "On Monday, angry agriculturalists and their allies deployed their tractors in an attempt to surround Paris, choking major roadways and disrupting not only traffic and trade, but also politics and normal life.... This latest uprising by French farmers comes as other workers from Europe's countryside drive their combines and harvesters into the streets to protest cuts to subsidies and new regulations, some of them designed to reduce climate-changing emissions. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced the mobilization of 15,000 police. The minister vowed to keep open the capital's two major international airports -- De Gaulle and Orly -- and to protect one of the continent's largest wholesale food sellers, the International Market in Rungis. Despite the martial rhetoric, there were no reports of violence several hours into Monday's blockade. A few tires and some hay bales were burned. Mostly, the farmers shut down their tractors and played cards." Related story linked below.

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The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Three U.S. service members were killed and more than 30 were injured in a drone attack in Jordan, the first deadly military action against American personnel since the Gaza conflict sparked a spate of violence across the Middle East. President Biden blamed the attack on groups supported by Iran. 'We had a tough day last night in the Middle East,' he said. 'And we shall respond.'... Iranian officials denied any involvement in the drone attack. A representative for Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations told the country's official Islamic Republic News Agency that Tehran had no connection to the strike. The United States and Britain have accused Iran of supporting militant groups in the region. Attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria have surged to more than 160 since October. The Pentagon has carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxies in those countries, as well as a parallel campaign of strikes on the Iran-linked Houthi rebels in Yemen." ~~~

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

Zeke Miller of the AP: "Three American troops were killed and 'many' were wounded Sunday in a drone strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden said. He blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by the groups against American forces across the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war. With an increasing the risk of military escalation in the region, U.S. officials were working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it. Biden said the United States 'will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's President Biden's statement, via the White House. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Stephen Collinson of CNN: "After ... three US troops were killed in a drone attack in Jordan, Trump put all the blame on [President] Biden and his perceived lack of strength, claiming that current wars would never have happened if he were in the Oval Office. '(We) would right now have Peace throughout the World. Instead, we are on the brink of World War 3,' Trump said in a statement. His attacks represent gross simplifications of complex problems and an inflated sense of his own foreign policy, which was chiefly characterized by cozying up to dictators and excoriating US allies, while turning the United States -- a source of global stability for decades -- into a force for disruption. But Trump's attacks do stress the real political peril Biden faces at home as he wrestles with the possibility that an expanding Middle Eastern war could drag the US back into a regional conflict." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump's claim of "Peace throughout the World" is of course B.S. At least 65 troops died in Afghanistan alone during Trump's presidency*. "Two U.S. service members and two Department of Defense personnel were killed in an explosion in Syria on Wednesday [Jan. 2019], the U.S. military confirmed, even as ... Donald Trump's Syria team appeared to be in a state of chaos, with different factions scrambling to keep up with a volatile commander in chief." "A former Pentagon spokeswoman has said the White House under ... Donald Trump had pressured the military to downplay injuries sustained by 110 US troops following a 2020 Iranian missile attack on a base in Iraq." And remember that Trump called fallen soldiers "suckers" and "losers."

Ronen Bergman & Patrick Kingley of the New York Times: "... accusations ... in a dossier provided to the United States government ... [detail] Israel's claims against a dozen employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency who, it says, played a role in the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7 or in their aftermath.... The accusations are what prompted eight countries, including the United States, to suspend some aid payment to the UNRWA.... On Sunday, the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, described himself as 'horrified by these accusations' and noted that nine of the 12 accused employees had been fired. But Mr. Guterres implored those nations that had suspended their aid payments to reconsider. UNRWA is one of the largest employers in Gaza, with 13,000 people, mostly Palestinians, on staff.... Israeli intelligence officers ... described 10 of the employees as members of Hamas.... Another was said to be affiliated with another militant group, Islamic Jihad."

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Sunday in the Israel/Hamas war are here. The New York Times' live updates for Sunday are here. CNN's live updates are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California and the former House speaker, on Sunday called for the F.B.I. to investigate protesters demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, suggesting without evidence that some activists may have ties to Russia and President Vladimir V. Putin. 'For them to call for a cease-fire is Mr. Putin's message,' Ms. Pelosi said during an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union.' 'Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine. It's about Putin's message. I think some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some, I think, are connected to Russia.' When pressed on whether she believed some of the demonstrators were 'Russian plants,' Ms. Pelosi said: '... I think some financing should be investigated. And I want to ask the F.B.I. to investigate that.'" The Hill's story is here.

Maya King of the New York Times: "As the Israel-Hamas war enters its fourth month, a coalition of Black faith leaders is pressuring the Biden administration to push for a cease-fire -- a campaign spurred in part by their parishioners, who are increasingly distressed by the suffering of Palestinians and critical of the president's response to it. More than 1,000 Black pastors representing hundreds of thousands of congregants nationwide have issued the demand. In sit-down meetings with White House officials, and through open letters and advertisements, ministers have made a moral case for President Biden and his administration to press Israel to stop its offensive operations in Gaza, which have killed thousands of civilians. They are also calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas and an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank." (Also linked yesterday.)

Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said he wants to be held responsible for blocking a bipartisan border security bill in the works in the Senate as President Biden seeks emergency authority to rein in a record surge of unauthorized border crossings. 'As the leader of our party, there is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America,' Trump told a rowdy crowd of supporters at a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday, ahead of the state's presidential caucus on Feb. 8. 'I'll fight it all the way. A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they're blaming it on me. I say, that's okay. Please blame it on me. Please.' Trump's opposition follows Biden's statement on Friday praising the deal and pledging to use its new authorities to 'shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed' -- a striking shift as he signaled openness to asylum restrictions and other enforcement measures that were previously unacceptable to Democrats." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "House Republicans announced two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday, accusing him of 'willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law' and breach of the public trust.... Although the Biden administration has been struggling with the overwhelming surge of migrants at the southern border, congressional lawmakers have yet to detail clear evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors on the part of leaders.... Two law professors who testified before the committee this month both stated that they did not see a constitutional basis for impeachment." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race

Illinois. Mitch Smith of the New York Times:"A former Republican judge appointed to hear arguments on whether to disqualify ... Donald J. Trump from the Illinois primary ballot said on Sunday that he believed Mr. Trump engaged in insurrection by attempting to remain in office after the 2020 election. But the former judge, Clark Erickson, whose nonbinding opinion will be considered by the State Board of Elections on Tuesday, added that he believed the board did not have the authority to disqualify Mr. Trump on those grounds and that the question should instead be left to the courts.... In Illinois, at least five of the eight members of the Board of Elections would have to vote on Tuesday to remove Mr. Trump for him to be struck from the ballot. The appointed board is made up of four Democrats and four Republicans. Their decision can be appealed to the courts before the March 19 primary." CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Clark, I do believe you'll be banned from MAGA camp this summer. BTW, I was wondering last week just what MAGA camp was, and luckily, Seth Meyers has done some reporting: "If you are wondering what MAGA camp is, it is like Boy Scout camp except the badges are for things like tax evasion, election fraud, lying about your golf score."

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Twenty-five historians of the civil war and Reconstruction filed a US supreme court brief in support of the attempt by Colorado to remove Donald Trump from the ballot under the 14th amendment, which bars insurrectionists from running for office. 'For historians,' the group wrote, 'contemporary evidence from the decision-makers who sponsored, backed, and voted for the 14th amendment [ratified in 1868] is most probative. Analysis of this evidence demonstrates that decision-makers crafted section three to cover the president and to create an enduring check on insurrection, requiring no additional action from Congress.'"

Biden: "Just think back to the mess Donald Trump left this country in. A deadly pandemic, economic free fall, a violent insurrection. I promised to do everything in my power, I said at the time, to get us through one of the toughest periods in our history. And together, we are." pic.twitter.com/WSPUgAU99b

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 28, 2024

David Lynch of the Washington Post: "... despite lingering consumer angst over inflation, the surprisingly strong [United States] economy is outperforming all of its major trading partners. Since 2020, the United States has powered through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the highest inflation in 40 years and fallout from two foreign wars. Now, after posting faster annual growth last year than in 2022, the U.S. economy is quashing fears of a new recession while offering lessons for future crisis-fighting. 'The U.S. has really come out of this into a place of strength and is moving forward like covid never happened,' said Claudia Sahm, a former Federal Reserve economist who now runs an eponymous consulting firm. 'We earned this; it wasn't just a fluke.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: And, as we noted in yesterday's Comments, Trump's "answer" to the recovery is to slap huge tariffs on Chinese imports. He is an incredible nitwit. ~~~

David Siders of Politico: "The most notable thing about the Republican call-and-response following the E. Jean Carroll verdict was that there was barely any response at all.... 'Everyone is just trying to pretend it didn't happen,' said Jason Roe, the former executive director of the state Republican Party in Michigan. In the past, when prosecutors or the courts have smacked Trump, the former president fumed and the GOP rage machine spun itself into overdrive, framing the court developments as acts of political persecution. In the Carroll case, the first part happened, but not the second. That most Republicans were not talking about $83 million in damages reflects both a discomfort with, and an uncertainty about, the political implications of the verdict. It also hints at a latent fear: that the ruling may prove to be a turnoff for some independent or conservative-leaning women in the suburbs." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BUT. Check yesterday's Comments. Akhilleus found a bona fide Trump defender offering an unusual rationale.

Maggie Haberman & Kate Christobek of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's behavior as he attended the defamation trial that ended on Friday with a jury ordering him to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll -- and his similar conduct in a pending civil case in New York -- showcased his disdain both for a legal system seeking to hold him accountable and for the protocols of courtrooms where he has little control." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The reporters don't mention it, but after Trump testified in the defamation case (for a whole three minutes during which the judge squelched most of his testimony), he left the court room muttering, "This is not America. This is not America. This is not America." I wondered what he meant by that, and I can only guess he meant that in his America, wealthy white men can wriggle out of paying for their crimes & misdemeanors, as he has done countless times in the past. In the "Access Hollywood" tape, you will recall, he even boasted about the very sort of crime a Carroll jury found he had committed. And he has boasted about the white-collar crime of not paying taxes: "That makes me smart," he said during a debate with Hillary Clinton. Trump doesn't see the failure to hold him accountable as a glitch in the system -- which it is in a country that proclaims it stands for "equal justice under the law" -- but as evidence that the system is operating as it should.

David French, a conservative columnist for the New York Times, writes that conservative media cover only sex scandals involving left-wing perps, leaving their readers & viewers with the impression "that a righteous 'us' was taking on a villainous 'them.'"

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Finland. Johanna Lemola of the New York Times: "Voters in Finland are casting ballots on Sunday in a presidential election that comes as NATO's newest member faces the threat of an antagonistic Russia. The election, which is expected to require a second round of voting, is for Finland's first new head of state in 12 years. The country's wildly popular president, Sauli Niinistö, has served two terms and is ineligible to run again.... From a field of nine candidates, the latest polls show two front-runners: Alexander Stubb and Pekka Haavisto. Both are familiar faces with strong foreign policy credentials." (Also linked yesterday.)

France. Soup to Nuts. Herb Scribner of the Washington Post: "Two female activists tossed soup at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre on Sunday in a protest over food security and protections for farmers. The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, which is fortified behind armored glass, was not damaged, according to multiple reports." Here's a France 24 story (in English). ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Some protests are downright stupid, and this would be one of the stupid ones, IMO. I'm not saying French farmers don't need advocates; maybe they have genuine grievances. But Leonardo has nothing to do with it. He's dead. Nobody knows who La Gioconda was, but it's unlikely she (or he!) was a French farmer. And if you're worried about food security, shouldn't that soup have gone to hungry French children?

Apparently the soup Nazi ladies screamed as they were defacing the glass around the painting, "What's the most important thing? Art, or the right to healthy and sustainable food?" That's a good question, although it should be phrased, "what's more important," since they were contrasting two alternatives, not "what's most important," which would apply to a list of alternatives. (Admittedly, the question is an English translation of what the protesters screamed in French, so maybe they got the French right.) In any event, many people would answer that both art and food are important, perhaps equally important. Maybe these jejune protesters, once the French legal system is finished with them, should take a trip to the Lascaux cave in the Dordogne & contemplate the 20,000-year-old paintings there. What was more important to the cave artists? The nuts & berries they ate or the nuts & berries they ground into pigments? The nuts & berries they consumed or the nuts and berries that lasted 20,000 years? Just askin'.

The Conversation -- January 28, 2024

Zeke Miller of the AP: "Three American troops were killed and 'many' were wounded Sunday in a drone strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden said. He blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by the groups against American forces across the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war. With an increasing the risk of military escalation in the region, U.S. officials were working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it. Biden said the United States 'will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Here's President Biden's statement, via the White House.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Sunday in the Israel/Hamas war are here. The New York Times' live updates for Sunday are here. CNN's live updates are here.

Maya King of the New York Times: "As the Israel-Hamas war enters its fourth month, a coalition of Black faith leaders is pressuring the Biden administration to push for a cease-fire -- a campaign spurred in part by their parishioners, who are increasingly distressed by the suffering of Palestinians and critical of the president's response to it. More than 1,000 Black pastors representing hundreds of thousands of congregants nationwide have issued the demand. In sit-down meetings with White House officials, and through open letters and advertisements, ministers have made a moral case for President Biden and his administration to press Israel to stop its offensive operations in Gaza, which have killed thousands of civilians. They are also calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas and an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank."

Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said he wants to be held responsible for blocking a bipartisan border security bill in the works in the Senate President Biden seeks emergency authority to rein in a record surge of unauthorized border crossings. 'As the leader of our party, there is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America,' Trump told a rowdy crowd of supporters at a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday, ahead of the state's presidential caucus on Feb. 8. 'I'll fight it all the way. A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they're blaming it on me. I say, that's okay. Please blame it on me. Please.' Trump's opposition follows Biden's statement on Friday praising the deal and pledging to use its new authorities to 'shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed' -- a striking shift as he signaled openness to asylum restrictions and other enforcement measures that were previously unacceptable to Democrats."

Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "House Republicans announced two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday, accusing him of 'willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law' and breach of the public trust.... Although the Biden administration has been struggling with the overwhelming surge of migrants at the southern border, congressional lawmakers have yet to detail clear evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors on the part of leaders.... Two law professors who testified before the committee this month both stated that they did not see a constitutional basis for impeachment.: Politico's story is here.

David Lynch of the Washington Post: "... despite lingering consumer angst over inflation, the surprisingly strong [United States] economy is outperforming all of its major trading partners. Since 2020, the United States has powered through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the highest inflation in 40 years and fallout from two foreign wars. Now, after posting faster annual growth last year than in 2022, the U.S. economy is quashing fears of a new recession while offering lessons for future crisis-fighting. 'The U.S. has really come out of this into a place of strength and is moving forward like covid never happened,' said Claudia Sahm, a former Federal Reserve economist who now runs an eponymous consulting firm. 'We earned this; it wasn't just a fluke.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: And, as we noted in today's Comments, Trump's "answer" to the recovery is to slap huge tariffs on Chinese imports. He is an incredible nitwit. ~~~

Biden: "Just think back to the mess Donald Trump left this country in. A deadly pandemic, economic free fall, a violent insurrection. I promised to do everything in my power, I said at the time, to get us through one of the toughest periods in our history. And together, we are." pic.twitter.com/WSPUgAU99b

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 28, 2024

David Siders of Politico: "The most notable thing about the Republican call-and-response following the E. Jean Carroll verdict was that there was barely any response at all.... 'Everyone is just trying to pretend it didn't happen,' said Jason Roe, the former executive director of the state Republican Party in Michigan. In the past, when prosecutors or the courts have smacked Trump, the former president fumed and the GOP rage machine spun itself into overdrive, framing the court developments as acts of political persecution. In the Carroll case, the first part happened, but not the second. That most Republicans were not talking about $83 million in damages reflects both a discomfort with, and an uncertainty about, the political implications of the verdict. It also hints at a latent fear: that the ruling may prove to be a turnoff for some independent or conservative-leaning women in the suburbs." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BUT. Check today's Comments. Akhilleus found a bona fide Trump defender offering, well, an unusual rationale.

Finland. Johanna Lemola of the New York Times: "Voters in Finland are casting ballots on Sunday in a presidential election that comes as NATO's newest member faces the threat of an antagonistic Russia. The election, which is expected to require a second round of voting, is for Finland's first new head of state in 12 years. The country's wildly popular president, Sauli Niinistö, has served two terms and is ineligible to run again.... From a field of nine candidates, the latest polls show two front-runners: Alexander Stubb and Pekka Haavisto. Both are familiar faces with strong foreign policy credentials."

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Nick Miroff & Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post: "President Biden's surprise declaration Friday that he would 'shut down' the southern border when illegal crossings surge to overwhelming levels illustrates how his many other efforts to address immigration have fallen short of their goals. Biden signed more executive orders related to immigration than any other topic on his first day in office. He's taken more than 500 executive actions since then, already surpassing ... Donald Trump's four-year total, according to a recent tally by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute (MPI). But one of Biden's most active areas of policymaking has become one of his biggest vulnerabilities to reelection. The president's management of the southern border and immigration is his worst-rated issue in polls, and record numbers of illegal crossings have galvanized Republicans, undermined the president's push for Ukraine aid and played to the perceived strengths of Trump, the GOP front-runner."

Presidential Race

Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "... President Biden told a largely Black audience on Saturday night that 'you're the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president,' in what was effectively his first appearance related to the Democratic primaries. Mr. Biden made clear in his remarks at a South Carolina Democratic Party dinner in Columbia, S.C., that he viewed the forthcoming week as not just a contest but a pivotal moment to energize a frustrated base of Black voters across the nation. And in the run-up to the state's Feb. 3 Democratic presidential primary, which the party's national committee selected last year to be the first in the nation, Democrats believe they have entered an opportune time.... 'Do what you did before,' [Rep. James] Clyburn [D-S.C.] said in an appeal to the Black electorate. 'Turn that election around and save this democracy.'"

Trump Is Still Confused. Michael Gold & Kellen Browning of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump ... previewed on Saturday a likely general-election message, extensively attacking [President] Biden at an event in Nevada, a critical battleground state. Further proof of Nevada's importance could be seen a mile away, where Vice President Kamala Harris cast the fight against Mr. Trump, should he wrap up the nomination, as a battle for democracy.... Mr. Trump's victory in Nevada's caucuses is a foregone conclusion. [Nikki] Haley is on the ballot for a presidential primary on Feb. 6 that will not count toward the G.O.P. nomination, so she is skipping the state entirely. [She has not registered for the caucuses, which will determine whose delegates go to the convention.] 'Don't worry about the primary, just do the caucus,' Mr. Trump told his supporters. Later, he delivered a more mixed message. 'Don't waste your time on primary," he said. "Waste all of your time on caucus.'... 'Freedom is on the ballot, and our democracy is on the ballot,' Ms. Harris said. 'This is about standing for the kind of country we want to live in.'" ~~~

Trump Is Still a Whiney Baby. Somehow it all works out somehow. People say, how do you do it, sir? How do you do it? I get two questions. If you had it to do again, would you do it? Because, you know, in history, they say the president that was treated the worst was Abraham Lincoln. But he had the Civil War, you know. So he had a little Civil War going, Abraham Lincoln. And Jackson was treated very badly, and a couple of others were treated. Andrew Jackson, he was treated very badly and a few others, and I haven't seen the new list. But if I'm not number one over Abraham Lincoln, I will be very disappointed because I don't believe any presidents ever been. And they do that because their policies can't work. This is the only way. -- Donald Trump, Nevada, Saturday

Being shot dead is fairly "bad treatment," too. -- Marie

Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump doesn't respond well to women who challenge, question or mock him. They bring out the worst in him. Nikki Haley is doing all three and has turned the Republican nomination contest into something worth watching.... [Haley] seems to relish the opportunity to torment him.... After Haley took the stage on [New Hampshire] primary night before the president and declared that the race was 'far from over,' he responded by belittling her with a huffy, angry and at times incoherent victory speech.... [Trump] doesn't like strong and persistent women, is especially bothered by those who don't pay him utmost respect and deference. He lashes out -- and sometimes pays a price." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: My new, charitable attitude toward Trump voters is that many are not bad people. They are either lazy or fearful. They are diminished people. They live with a long list of fears: real ones and the imaginary ones the right-wing media have drummed up. They know they don't have the ability to handle the things they fear: trade wars with China, real wars with North Korea or wherever; Mexican drug dealers raping their daughters and murdering their wives. And so forth. As a result, they have decided that democracy -- where you have to use some sense in choosing your elected representatives -- is too damned hard. So they've chosen to go with a dictator, someone who has promised that only he can fix it. Alas, there is overwhelming evidence that the would-be dictator's assurances are hollow and that he knows as little as they do about problem-solving and conflict resolution. And, as Balz lays out, his inability to deal with half the world -- the female half -- is a good indicator of his essential weakness. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's another woman, whom Balz doesn't mention, who got the best of Trump: ~~~

~~~ Maria Cramer & Kate Christobek of the New York Times: Donald Trump and attorney Roberta Kramer "are both shrewd, competitive power players in their respective realms, and unusually deft at using the press. They rely on their own outsize confidence to achieve their aims, making their showdowns occasionally charged -- and tinged with drama. She has represented major corporations and won the groundbreaking 2013 Supreme Court case that granted same-sex married couples federal recognition for the first time. She has said that, as a lawyer, 'I really am like a dog with a bone' -- never letting go once her teeth are engaged.... During the [second E. Jean Carroll] trial, it appeared that Ms. Kaplan had gotten to Mr. Trump. He shook his head in court repeatedly and scoffed during her direct examination of Ms. Carroll.... He delivered tirades at a news conference during the trial. She never raised her voice in court but was quick to play clips of that news conference to the jury.... When Ms. Kaplan said [in her closing argument] that Mr. Trump acted like the rules and laws didn't apply to him, Mr. Trump stood up and walked out of the courtroom." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What the writers never mention is that Trump wins -- when he does -- he does so by relying on bluster, lies & bullying. There is nothing righteous about him. Kaplan, on the other hand, wins by channeling facts into disciplined arguments. Her clients may not always be righteous, either, but she uses cunning to frame their cases. Intelligence doesn't always win over stupid, but intelligence has a better chance. ~~~

~~~ Occasionally, Bullying Is Costly. Joyce Vance has some thoughts about the E. Jean Carroll case, and her essay is worth reading. Here's just one conclusion she drew: "In closing, [Roberta] Kaplan referred to the posts and comments about Carroll that Trump continued to make during the trial, noting that Trump made his 'most reprehensible statement of all last Thursday.' Trump tore into Carroll after saying these words: 'I'll say it again, a thousand times.'... The out-of-court statement was a confession that he would continue to defame Carroll. He left the jury with little choice other than to award damages, in an amount like $83.3 million, designed to get Trump's attention. Absent this kind of behavior, damages might have looked more like they did in the first case, where Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million. It's this kind of promise by a defendant that can convince a jury to smack him with punitive damages. Kaplan told the jurors that Trump's comments meant he'd continue to harm Carroll 'unless you make it stop.' That message seems to have found its target."

Poor Rudy. Nolan McCaskill of the Messenger: "... Rudy Giuliani reported income near the federal poverty level for 2023, according to financial statements filed Friday. The documents were filed Friday afternoon in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. In a financial affairs statement, Giuliani said he made $18,480 in gross income between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 21, the day he filed for bankruptcy. The federal poverty level for last year was $14,580 for individuals, according to the Department of Health and Human Services." ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "If Rudy wasn't such an irredeemably repugnant figure, it would be a little sad -- the guy could have lived the rest of his life getting no-work money from the Blue Lives Matter lecture circuit and mainlining Johnny Walker Black, but instead decided to ruin his life for a fascist grifter, and without even getting any actual power out of the deal." ~~~

     ~~~ Kelly Rissman of the Independent: "Donald Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani has listed a claim against the one-term president over unpaid legal fees in a new bankruptcy filing. The ex-New York City mayor includes a 'possible claim for unpaid legal fees against Donald J Trump.' in the 26 January filing, which states that the amount is 'undetermined.'... The New York Times wrote in August 2023 that 'Mr Trump has never explicitly told Mr Giuliani why he is effectively stiffing him, but the former president has pointed out that he lost the cases related to the election.'"

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. ~~~

Instead of "former president"
they could go with
"court adjudicated rapist."

— hmmm889 (@hmmm889) January 27, 2024

     ~~~ Both tweets via Mediaite.

Marie: BTW, Peter Baker of the New York Times, whom we discussed in yesterday's Comments, appeared on MSNBC Saturday to discuss his article about the "two different worlds" Democrats & Republicans live in. His commentary was even worse, if possible, than his written report. He said that Democrats have one view of the world and Republicans have another view, without so much as a hint that one of those views is reality-based and one is bonkers.

The Conversation -- January 27, 2024

Octogenarian Power!
80-Year-Old Bests Top U.S. Elderly Misogynist
And She's Not His "Type"

This is a great victory for every woman who stands up when she's been knocked down and a huge defeat for every bully who has tried to keep a woman down. -- E. Jean Carroll, in a statement thanking her lawyers ~~~

~~~ Benjamin Weiser, et. al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump was ordered by a Manhattan jury on Friday to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her in 2019 after she accused him of a decades-old rape, attacks he continued in social media posts, at news conferences and even in the midst of the trial itself. Ms. Carroll's lawyers had argued that a large award was necessary to stop Mr. Trump from continuing to attack her. After less than three hours of deliberation, the jury responded by awarding Ms. Carroll $65 million in punitive damages, finding that Mr. Trump had acted with malice. On one recent day, he made more than 40 derisive posts about Ms. Carroll on his Truth Social website.... In addition to the $65 million, jurors awarded Ms. Carroll $18.3 million in compensatory damages for her suffering." The AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ Following are a few excerpts from the New York Times liveblog, also linked yesterday: ~~~

Benjamin Weiser & Maria Cramer: "Donald J. Trump walked out of the courtroom on Friday as lawyers trying the defamation case brought against him by E. Jean Carroll made their final pitches to a nine-member jury.... Roberta A. Kaplan, the lawyer for Ms. Carroll, told jurors ... that Mr. Trump has normalized behavior by people on social media who, because of his actions, thought it was acceptable to attack Ms. Carroll. Soon after, Mr. Trump, in an unusual breach of courtroom decorum, stood up and walked out, though Ms. Kaplan continued as if nothing unusual had happened. Mr. Trump returned to the courtroom more than an hour after he left, around 11:15 a.m., just before his lawyer, Alina Habba, began her closing arguments.... Trump appeared frustrated before the proceedings even began, shaking his head repeatedly. When Ms. Kaplan began describing last May's verdict that found Trump had sexually abused Carroll, he grew more frustrated -- scoffing, muttering and shaking his head. ~~~

~~~ "In her argument, Ms. Kaplan focused on the harm she said Mr. Trump inflicted on her client and her reputation, saying that the trial is about 'getting him to stop once and for all.' She emphasized that the only way to do so was to cost him as much money as possible."

Cramer: "Roberta Kaplan describes the relentlessness of Trump's attacks. 'The truly shocking part is that false denials and attacks have continued during this trial,' she says. She notes that Trump held a press conference last week 'while you were sitting in this jury box' and lied about Carroll. She plays a clip of the press conference and shows a post he put on Truth Social, his website, where he said he would keep denying her claims."

Kate Christobek: "Trump grew visibly frustrated during the closing statement by E. Jean Carroll's lawyer Shawn Crowley. He shook his head vigorously when Crowley told the jury 'there are ways to lawfully respond to an allegation -- you could say nothing.'... When Crowley made a comment about how Trump's legal team wants the jury to believe he is the victim here, Trump mouthed the word 'true.'"

Maggie Haberman: "It's hard to express how angry Trump is going to be about [the verdict]"

Maria Cramer: "Judge Kaplan tells the jurors that they are free of his order to maintain their anonymity. But, he said, 'my advice to you is that you never disclose you were on this jury.'"

Michael Gold: "Donald Trump just posted on Truth Social, calling the verdict 'absolutely ridiculous.' He said he plans to appeal, and again accused Carroll's suit of being a 'Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party.' He adds, 'They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Adam Klasfeld of the Messenger: "A federal judge threatened Donald Trump's attorney Alina Habba with jail time on Friday, after the former president's lawyer kept contesting a ruling after it had been issued. 'You are on the verge of spending some time in the lockup,' senior U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan warned. 'Sit down.' The bombshell remark came moments before the start of closing arguments in Trump's second trial in a case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~ Marie: I just hope the court forces Trump to take the $83.3MM out of his own piggybank and doesn't let him get away with collecting the cash from contributors. I'm pretty impressed that Joe Biden can get to anonymous jury members and "direct" them to order Donald Trump to pay millions of dollars to Carroll. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Susanne Craig, who won a Pulitzer for her work on a New York Times series on Donald Trump's finances, said on MSNBC Friday night that as far as she knew, Trump would be required to pay Carroll with his own money, and could not use money collected from donors. Craig said she was still checking this, but was fairly sure that was the case. Trump is, however, paying a substantial portion of his legal fees with outside contributions.

Ana Marie Cox, in a CNN opinion piece: "The $83.3 million verdict handed down in E. Jean Carroll's defamation case against ... Donald Trump on Friday is ... a vindication of Carroll --and a statement in favor of every survivor who ever questioned whether what happened to them was 'bad enough' to count as sexual assault.... I am disappointed that the mechanism of justice here was a civil court and not a criminal one.... I'd like to have at least a single instance where I could drop 'accused' and 'alleged' from my descriptions of the president's repeated predatory behavior. What's more..., I am doubtful of the Carroll verdict's ability to change [the' minds [of the Trumpist right].... I fear the upshot of an additional application of a slap-dash veneer of martyrdom upon the Trump brand." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As much as civil suits can do, the verdict also was a vindication of the American ideal of equal justice under the law. That ideal will always be aspirational at best. But when it works, as it did here, we can collectively grasp that flimsy thread of hope, even knowing it will not hold all of us. Violently attacking a woman in a Bergdorf's dressing room wasn't enough for Trump; he had to smear her again and again; he had to goad his sick surrogates to verbally abuse and threaten her again and again. But soon, we hope, he will have to pay a price for his grotesque lifetime of bullying.

Ben Protess & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... while he is waiting for an appellate court to rule, Mr. Trump need not cut Ms. Carroll a check. Yet the former president is still on the hook to pay something -- possibly a sizable sum -- while he waits. Mr. Trump can pay the $83.3 million to the court, which will hold the money while the appeal is pending. This is what he did last year when a jury ordered him to pay Ms. Carroll $5.5 million in a related case. Or, Mr. Trump can try to secure a bond, which will save him from having to pay the full amount up front. A bond might require him to pay a deposit and offer collateral, and would come with interest and fees. It would also require Mr. Trump to find a financial institution willing to lend him a large sum of money at a time when he is in significant legal jeopardy."

MEANWHILE. Sloppy Homework. Adam Klasfeld of the Messenger: "The court-appointed monitor overseeing Donald Trump's businesses told [Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron] on Friday that the former president's financial information has contained 'incomplete' or 'inconsistent' disclosures containing 'errors.' 'I have identified certain deficiencies in the financial information that I have reviewed, including disclosures that are either incomplete, present results inconsistently, and/or contain errors,' former federal judge Barbara Jones, tasked with scrutinizing the former president's business empire, wrote in a 12-page letter. Though she described Trump and his businesses as 'cooperative' with her investigation, Jones added that 'information required to be submitted to me pursuant to the terms of the monitorship order and review protocol has, at times, been lacking in completeness and timeliness.'"

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday paused the permitting process for new liquefied natural gas export facilities in order to analyze their impact on climate change, the economy and national security.... The move could spell trouble for what would be the largest export terminal in the country, a $10 billion proposed project in Louisiana that has drawn scrutiny for its potential environmental impact. Mr. Biden's election-year decision is viewed as a win for climate activists who have pressed the administration to curb fossil fuels at a time when greenhouse gas emissions need to fall rapidly to stave off climate catastrophe." (Also linked yesterday.)

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Speaker Mike Johnson sought on Friday to choke off the last remaining glimmers of hope for a bipartisan immigration compromise to emerge from Congress this year, repeating that a deal under discussion in the Senate would almost certainly be 'dead on arrival' in the Republican-led House.... As the immigration plan teeters, the fate of additional aid for Ukraine also hangs in the balance, with hard-right House Republicans also dug in against it and threatening to depose Mr. Johnson if he seeks to push it through over their objections." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The article has been substantially updated. New Lede: "President Biden fought on Friday to save a bipartisan immigration deal from collapse in Congress, vowing to shut down the border if the plan became law even as the Republican speaker pronounced it dead on arrival in the House. In a written statement that came as Senate negotiators scrambled to finalize a deal that ... Donald J. Trump is pressuring Republicans to oppose, Mr. Biden used his most stringent language yet about the border, declaring it 'broken' and in 'crisis' and promising to halt migration immediately if Congress sends him the proposal." ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's story is here. President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Manu Raju of CNN: "Senate negotiators have agreed to empower the US to significantly restrict illegal migrant crossings at the southern border, according to sources familiar with the matter, a move aimed at ending the migrant surge that has overrun federal authorities over the past several months. The Senate deal, which is expected to be unveiled as soon as next week, would also speed up the asylum process to consider cases within six months -- compared with the current system, under which it could take up to 10 years for asylum seekers."

Presidential Race

Edward-Isaac Dovere & Alayna Treene of CNN: President "Biden has been taunting Donald Trump -- and appearing to relish it -- calling him the 'former president' or saying, 'he's already Herbert Hoover' -- an allusion to Trump's comments that he didn't want an economic crash on his watch because he didn't want to be like the 31st president. Biden greeted Trump's Iowa caucuses victory with a smirking video in which he said, 'You know it's kind of funny: all these Republican candidates in the primary trying to beat Donald Trump, and I'm still the only person to beat Donald Trump.' Biden has been hoping Trump is paying attention. And, people close to Trump tell CNN, he is. 'I do think he's trying to get under his skin, and I think it's the smartest thing the Biden campaign has done yet,' a person close to Trump said. 'It rattles him and takes him off message.'"

Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "A group of Colorado voters laid out its argument to the Supreme Court on Friday for why ... Donald J. Trump should be barred from the state's primary ballot, contending that his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol amounted to an insurrection. In a court filing embedded with photographs of rioters attacking the Capitol and tweets from Mr. Trump, the voters forcefully asserted that Mr. Trump had spurred a brazen attack on democracy, betraying his oath of office. 'As president, Trump swore to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution,' the voters' brief said. It added, 'Instead of peacefully ceding power, Trump intentionally organized and incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol in a desperate effort to prevent the counting of electoral votes cast against him.' Mr. Trump's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to intervene after Colorado's top court declared him ineligible because it found that he had engaged in insurrection in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election leading up to the Capitol riot." The NBC News story is here.

Shane Goldmacher, et al., of the New York Times: The night Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses in a landslide, carrying 98 of 99 counties, "the former president and his usual coterie of top aides were joined by about a dozen Iowa staffers headed for New York, boarding the plane his campaign calls Trump Force One.... Mr. Trump had lost Johnson County, home of the University of Iowa, by a single vote. The regional political director who had overseen the area was not given a seat on the plane. The next morning..., she was informed by a terse email from her supervisor that her contract with the Trump campaign was not being renewed. It was the type of ruthlessness the Trump team had deployed in the prior 14 months: Win -- or else.... How Mr. Trump swept the first two states ... is certainly a tale of cutthroat politics. But that's only part of the story. The former president and his allies had luck and a cunning strategy on their side. They put Mr. Trump's unerring instincts for revving up the Republican base and belittling his opponents to effective use." (Also linked yesterday.)

Kevin Draper of the New York Times:"Vince McMahon, the longtime chairman and former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, resigned from the board of W.W.E.'s parent company on Friday, one day after a former employee accused him of sexual assault and sex trafficking in a lawsuit.... The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, accuses Mr. McMahon of trafficking the employee, Janel Grant, as well as physically and emotionally abusing her. The graphic complaint, which also named John Laurinaitis, a former W.W.E. executive, and the company itself as defendants, says that Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis had once taken turns raping Ms. Grant, among numerous other allegations."

~~~~~~~~~~

The New Civil War

** Matthew Choi & Robert Downen of the Texas Tribune: "From the Texas House to ... Donald Trump, Republicans across the country are rallying behind Gov. Greg Abbott's legal standoff with the federal government at the southern border, intensifying concerns about a constitutional crisis amid an ongoing dispute with the Biden administration. At issue is concertina wire that the Texas National Guard has been using as a barrier between the Rio Grande River and Shelby Park, a 47-acre area in Eagle Pass. In a 5-4 decision earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Biden Administration when it vacated a lower court's ruling that prevented Border Patrol agents from cutting the wire to apprehend people who had crossed the river. On Wednesday -- and as the Texas National Guard and state troopers continued to roll out the wire and prevent federal agents from accessing much of the park -- Abbott continued to publicly challenge the ruling and 'hold the line.' He declared that Texas was under an 'invasion,' giving the state the constitutional right to defend itself and claimed that President Joe Biden's practice of paroling migrants into the country amounted to a refusal to enforce current immigration laws." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ When One Insurrection Is Not Enough. Trump Promotes New Civil War. Tess Owen of Vice News: "In a multi-part social media post shared Thursday night, [Donald] Trump called on 'all willing states' to deploy their national guard forces to Texas 'to prevent the entry of illegals, and to remove them back across the Border.' Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Tucker Carlson on Friday, that so far, ten governors had sent National Guard or other law enforcement resources to assist on the border, and will be 'disappointed' if others do not follow suit. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt told Fox News on Friday that he also 'absolutely' plans to send national guard soldiers to Texas. 'We've already started putting the numbers together,' said Stitt. (Less than 24 hours earlier, Stitt joined Newsmax host Carl Higbie for a casual chat about potential 'force-on-force conflict' breaking out at the border.) Stitt is one of 25 red state governors who have released statements expressing support for Abbott, who is continuing to defy the Supreme Court's ruling earlier this week that found that the federal government, not states, have ultimate jurisdiction over border enforcement."

Digby in Salon: "Donald Trump is having a rolling hissy fit that's escalating by the day. From courtrooms to rallies to incoherent interviews, his behavior is making it clear the pressure is getting to him and he's coming unglued. Ever since he realized that Nikki Haley is not going to be a good little girl and quit the race on his time table, Trump has been beside himself." Digby covers a list of Trump's recent crazy, including calling for civil war: "The putative GOP nominee for president is exhorting Republican governors to send the National Guard to Texas to fight the federal government. It's unclear how this is going to work out but we know now that these Governors are all on board the Trump train and eager to help him exacerbate the problem for his political gain." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you don't think this is serious, I beg to differ. This isn't just saying, "We disagree with the Supreme Court." That's fine. This isn't just idle bluster & saber-rattling. Trump and the GOP governors are openly talking about taking up arms against the United States. Stitt of Oklahoma directly says so. That's treason. That's civil war. ~~~

     ~~~ AND U.S. Civil War II, like Civil War I, is about white supremacy. I watched the film "The Good Shepherd" on Friday. It's a fictional tale about intrigue, corruption & miscalculation within the early CIA and is based very loosely on real characters. One scene speaks to the attitude of Republican governors and their cohort: Joe Pesci plays an American mobster, & Matt Damon, the main character, is a very WASP-y CIA leader:

New York. Azi Paybarah & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Former New York governor Andrew M. Cuomo 'subjected female employees to a hostile work environment' and 'retaliated against employees who spoke out about the harassment,' the Department of Justice announced Friday, after reaching a settlement with the state. The settlement does not require Cuomo to pay anything or admit any wrongdoing, according to his spokesman. The department said its report is based on an investigation it conducted into allegations against Cuomo, who resigned in August 2021 after a state investigation found the third-term Democrat sexually harassed 11 women and oversaw an unlawful attempt to exact retribution against one of his accusers. Cuomo, according to the Justice Department, 'subjected at least thirteen female employees of New York State, including Executive Chamber employees, to a sexually hostile work environment.' The report said he 'repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome, non-consensual sexual contact; ogling; unwelcome sexual comments; gender-based nicknames; comments on their physical appearances; and/or preferential treatment based on their physical appearances.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Saturday in the Israel/Gaza war are here: "An oil tanker is on fire in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by a Houthi missile strike, with military vessels providing assistance to the tanker, U.S. Central Command and the vessel's operator said, adding that no injuries have been reported. Early Saturday, U.S. forces conducted a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile in Yemen that was aimed into the Red Sea and prepared to launch, Centcom added.... A spokesman for Yemen's Houthi militants said the Marlin Luanda tanker was targeted in Friday's strike as part of the group's protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. A fire was still burning on the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker on Saturday, the operator said." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Saturday are here. CNN's live updates are here: "The US and several other nations are pausing funding to the main UN agency in Gaza over allegations its staff were involved in the October 7 attacks. The agency -- UNRWA -- fired several employees over the claims on Friday. Israel has suggested it will seek to ensure that UNRWA will not operate in Gaza after the war. The country's relations with the UN have deteriorated in since the conflict in Gaza began. The UN meanwhile is warning of deteriorating humanitarian access in Gaza, after Israeli protesters blocked a key crossing. The organization says the actions risk exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation."

Patrick Kingsley & Edward Wong of the New York Times: "Top officials from at least 10 different administrations are trying to forge a head-spinning set of deals to end the Gaza war and answer the divisive question of how the territory will be governed after the fighting stops. The narrowest set of major discussions is focused on reaching a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. This would involve the exchange of more than 100 Israeli hostages held by Hamas for a cease-fire and thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. A second track centers on reshaping the Palestinian Authority, the semiautonomous body that administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. American and Arab officials are discussing overhauling the leadership of the authority and having it take control of Gaza after the war ends, assuming power from Israel and Hamas. In a third track, American and Saudi officials are pushing Israel to agree to conditions for the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for Saudi Arabia forging formal ties with Israel for the first time ever."