The Ledes

Thursday, July 3, 2025

CNBC: “Job growth proved better than expected in June, as the labor market showed surprising resilience and likely taking a July interest rate cut off the table. Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 147,000 for the month, higher than the estimate for 110,000 and just above the upwardly revised 144,000 in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. April’s tally also saw a small upward revision, now at 158,000 following an 11,000 increase.... Though the jobless rates fell [to 4.1%], it was due largely to a decrease in those working or looking for jobs.”

Washington Post: “A warehouse storing fireworks in Northern California exploded on Tuesday, leaving seven people missing and two injured as explosions continued into Wednesday evening, officials said. Dramatic video footage captured by KCRA 3 News, a Sacramento broadcaster, showed smoke pouring from the building’s roof before a massive explosion created a fireball that seemed to engulf much of the warehouse, accompanied by an echoing boom. Hundreds of fireworks appeared to be going off and were sparkling within the smoke. Photos of the aftermath showed multiple destroyed buildings and a large area covered in gray ash.” ~~~

The Wires
powered by Surfing Waves
The Ledes

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

New York Times: “The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, who emerged from the backwoods of Louisiana to become a television evangelist with global reach, preaching about an eternal struggle between good and evil and warning of the temptations of the flesh, a theme that played out in his own life in a sex scandal, died on July 1. He was 90.” ~~~

     ~~~ For another sort of obituary, see Akhilleus' commentary near the end of yesterday's thread.

Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

INAUGURATION 2029

Commencement ceremonies are joyous occasions, and Steve Carell made sure that was true this past weekend (mid-June) at Northwestern's commencement:

~~~ Carell's entire commencement speech was hilarious. The audio and video here isn't great, but I laughed till I cried.

CNN did a live telecast Saturday night (June 7) of the Broadway play "Good Night, and Good Luck," written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, about legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow's effort to hold to account Sen. Joe McCarthy, "the junior senator from Wisconsin." Clooney plays Murrow. Here's Murrow himself with his famous take on McCarthy & McCarthyism, brief remarks that especially resonate today: ~~~

     ~~~ This article lists ways you still can watch the play. 

New York Times: “The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The multiyear agreement 'will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,' the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement encompasses material from NYT Cooking, The Times’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports. This is The Times’s first licensing arrangement with a focus on generative A.I. technology. In 2023, The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without any kind of compensation. OpenAI and Microsoft have rejected those accusations.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have no idea what this means for "the Amazon customer experience." Does it mean that if I don't have a NYT subscription but do have Amazon Prime I can read NYT content? And where, exactly, would I find that content? I don't know. I don't know.

Washington Post reporters asked three AI image generators what a beautiful woman looks like. "The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a 'beautiful woman,' all three tools generated thin women, without exception.... Her body looks like Barbie — slim hips, impossible waist, round breasts.... Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging. More than a third of the images had medium skin tones. But only nine percent had dark skin tones. Asked to show 'normal women,' the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin.... However bias originates, The Post’s analysis found that popular image tools struggle to render realistic images of women outside the Western ideal." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The reporters seem to think they are calling out the AI programs for being unrealistic. But there's a lot about the "beautiful women" images they miss. I find these omissions remarkably sexist. For one thing, the reporters seem to think AI is a magical "thing" that self-generates. It isn't. It's programmed. It's programmed by boys, many of them incels who have little or no experience or insights beyond comic books and Internet porn of how to gauge female "beauty." As a result, the AI-generated women look like cartoons; that is, a lot like an air-brushed photo of Kristi Noem: globs of every kind of dark eye makeup, Scandinavian nose, Botox lips, slathered-on skin concealer/toner/etc. makeup, long dark hair and the aforementioned impossible Barbie body shape, including huge, round plastic breasts. 

New York Times: “George Clooney’s Broadway debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' has been one of the sensations of the 2024-25 theater season, breaking box office records and drawing packed houses of audiences eager to see the popular movie star in a timely drama about the importance of an independent press. Now the play will become much more widely available: CNN is planning a live broadcast of the penultimate performance, on June 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The performance will be preceded and followed by coverage of, and discussion about, the show and the state of journalism.”

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. -- Magna Carta ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties. It is one of just seven such documents from that date still in existence.... A 710-year-old version of Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.... First issued in 1215, it put into writing a set of concessions won by rebellious barons from a recalcitrant King John of England — or Bad King John, as he became known in folklore. He later revoked the charter, but his son, Henry III, issued amended versions, the last one in 1225, and Henry’s son, Edward I, in turn confirmed the 1225 version in 1297 and again in 1300.”

NPR lists all of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners. Poynter lists the prizes awarded in journalism as well as the finalists in these categories.

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Constant Comments

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. — Anonymous

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolvesEdward R. Murrow

Publisher & Editor: Marie Burns

I have a Bluesky account now. The URL is https://bsky.app/profile/marie-burns.bsky.social . When Reality Chex goes down, check my Bluesky page for whatever info I am able to report on the status of Reality Chex. If you can't access the URL, I found that I could Google Bluesky and ask for Marie Burns. Google will include links to accounts for people whose names are, at least in part, Maria Burns, so you'll have to tell Google you looking only for Marie.

Tuesday
Oct112022

October 12, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Dave Collins of the AP: "The conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay $965 million to people who suffered from his false claim that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax, a jury in Connecticut decided Wednesday. The verdict is the second big judgment against the Infowars host over his relentless promotion of the lie that the 2012 massacre never happened, and that the grieving families seen in news coverage were actors hired as part of a plot to take away people's guns. It came in a lawsuit filed by the relatives of five children and three educators killed in the mass shooting, plus an FBI agent who was among the first responders to the scene. A Texas jury in August awarded nearly $50 million to the parents of another slain child.... Jones wasn't there, but live video from the court played on a split screen on his Infowars show."

** David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Biden declared on Wednesday that the overwhelming challenge for the United States in the coming years would be 'outcompeting China and restraining Russia' while focusing on restoring a damaged democracy at home. In his 48-page nationalsecurity strategy, which every new administration is required to issue, Mr. Biden made clear that over the long term he was more worried about China's moves to 'layer authoritarian governance with a revisionist foreign policy' than he was about a declining, battered Russia."

Annie Grayer, et al., of CNN: "The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol will treat its Thursday hearing as a closing argument ahead of the November midterms, which will seek to hammer home that ... Donald Trump remains a clear and present danger to democracy, particularly in the context of the upcoming 2024 presidential election, multiple sources tell CNN. Although there will not be witnesses appearing in-person on Thursday, sources say, the hearing will feature new testimony and evidence that the committee has uncovered." ~~~

~~~ Carol Leonnig & Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "The probably final public hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is expected to highlight newly obtained Secret Service records showing how ... Donald Trump was repeatedly alerted to brewing violence that day, and he still sought to stoke the conflict, according to three people briefed on the records. The committee plans to share in Thursday's hearing new video footage and internal Secret Service emails that appear to corroborate parts of the most startling inside accounts of that day, said the people briefed.... After being alerted to violence erupting at the Capitol when he returned to the White House, Trump tweeted criticism of Vice President Mike Pence for not blocking the certification of the election, whipping up supporters who had already trampled over security barricades and were battling police to break into the halls of Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Which gives me another reason to wonder why Kevin McCarthy had the audacity to try to get away with this line of B.S. ~~~

     ~~~ Zachary Cohen of CNN (Oct. 10): "During a private meeting last summer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told two police officers who defended the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the mother of a third who died after the riot, that ... Donald Trump had no idea his supporters were carrying out the attack, according to newly obtained audio of the conversation. Testimony to the House Select Committee on January 6 revealed that Trump watched television for hours as the rioters engaged in a brutal fight with law enforcement.... 'I'm just telling you from my phone call, I don't know that he did know that,' McCarthy said during the June 2021 meeting about Trump's knowledge of the fighting, according to audio secretly recorded by [former D.C. police officer Michael] Fanone...."

Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "A federal judge has denied a request by ... Donald Trump to pause proceedings in a defamation case brought against him in 2019 by an author who said he raped her in a department store dressing room decades ago. The decision clears the way for Trump, who denies the claim, to be deposed as scheduled next week. In the lawsuit brought against Trump by former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, Trump recently won a temporary reprieve from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which sent the case to the appeals court in D.C. to resolve whether Trump was a federal employee as defined by the law when he publicly rebutted Carroll's story.... In [his] decision Wednesday, [U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan] said depositions of Trump and Carroll are essentially all that remains for the parties to complete the pretrial discovery process." The AP's report is here.

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "In the emerging history of how a small group of lawyers aided ... Donald J. Trump's attempt to stay in power despite losing the 2020 election, Kenneth Chesebro has received far less attention than others like Rudolph W. Giuliani and John Eastman. But documents show that Mr. Chesebro played a central part in developing the idea of having Trump supporters pretend to be electors from states won by Joseph R. Biden Jr., then claiming that Vice President Mike Pence had the power to cite the purported existence of rival slates to delay counting or to discard real Electoral College votes for Mr. Biden on Jan. 6, 2021. On Wednesday, several dozen prominent legal figures submitted an ethics complaint to the Supreme Court of New York's attorney grievance committee, calling Mr. Chesebro 'the apparent mastermind behind key aspects of the fake elector ploy' and accusing him of conspiring 'with Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Eastman and others to subvert our democracy.'... The complaint against Mr. Chesebro did not explicitly call for him to lose his license but asked for an investigation and 'appropriate sanctions.'"

The F.B.I. Gave Her No R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Michael Levenson of the New York Times: An FBI "file, as previously reported by Rolling Stone, reveals that the Federal Bureau of Investigation monitored ... [Aretha Franklin] for years, collecting intelligence from sources on her involvement in the civil rights movement and what it suspected were her links to Black Panthers, Communists and those it deemed 'Black extremists.'"

Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "Federal regulators on Wednesday broadened access to updated coronavirus booster shots to include children as young as 5, hoping to bolster protection against the now-dominant version of the virus. The revised shot developed by Pfizer-BioNTech previously had been cleared for those 12 and older, while Moderna's updated booster was available only to those 18 and older. The action by the Food and Drug Administration will expand access to Pfizer's shot to children as young as 5, and to Moderna's shot to children 6 and older."

Georgia Senate Race. David Moye of the Huffington Post: "Herschel Walker apparently has decided the best way to counter the reports that he paid for at least one former partner's abortion is to tell bizarre anecdotes about bulls who get multiple cows pregnant. During a rally on Tuesday with Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R) and Florida Senator Rick Scott (R), the Georgia Senate candidate wrapped up his speech with ... [a story] about a bull who got three different cows pregnant. Although the story's point was apparently about how the United States is the best country in the world, audience members are forgiven if they related it to recent reports that he fathered numerous kids out of wedlock while publicly criticizing 'absent fathers.' Here's the anecdote in all its glory[.]" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I urge you to read the text of Hershel's little parable. Article includes video. What Walker was trying to convey was the adage, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." But what's on his mind is pregnant cows & how they can mess up a fellow, even to the point of emasculating him. So that's how it came out. I suppose someone once may have told him a story of this nature to discourage him from getting any more women pregnant, but Hershel didn't quite grasp the storyteller's meaning.

Florida. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "A federal watchdog is investigating whether Florida improperly tapped coronavirus aid to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard, part of a widening government inquiry into states that put their pandemic dollars toward controversial immigration crackdowns. The inspector general for the Treasury Department confirmed its new interest in a letter sent last week to Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and other members of Congress who had expressed concern that the spending approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) 'violates federal law.'"

Texas. McKenna Oxenden of the New York Times: "A former rookie San Antonio police officer was arrested and charged Tuesday night in the shooting of a teenager who had been eating in a McDonald's parking lot and is now on life support. The former officer, James Brennand, who was fired from the San Antonio Police Department on Oct. 2 because of the shooting, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault...."

~~~~~~~~~~

In Case You're Under the Misimpression that Biden Doesn't Know What's Happening

Biden: Supremes Have Become an "Advocacy Group." Allie Malloy & Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Tuesday ... [said,] 'I view this off-year election as one of the most important elections that I've been engaged in because a lot can change because the institutions have changed. The Supreme Court is more an advocacy group these days than it is an even handed' court... [Biden made the remark during] a virtual fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware."

If the Carrot Doesn't Work, Get out the Stick. Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden will re-evaluate the relationship with Saudi Arabia after it teamed up with Russia to cut oil production in a move that bolstered President Vladimir V. Putin's government and could raise gasoline prices in the United States just before midterm elections, a White House official said on Tuesday.... [John] Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, signaled openness to retaliatory measures proposed by Democratic congressional leaders who were outraged by the oil production cut announced last week by OPEC Plus, the international cartel. Among other things, leading Democrats have proposed curbing security cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including arms sales, and stripping OPEC members of their legal immunity so they can be sued for violations of U.S. antitrust laws." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

Stephanie Kirchgaessner & Julian Borger of the Guardian: "Joe Biden said there 'will be consequences' for Saudi Arabia after its decision last week to side with Vladimir Putin and cut oil production. 'There's going to be some consequences for what they've done, with Russia,' the US president said in an interview on CNN. 'I'm not going to get into what I'd consider and what I have in mind. But there will be -- there will be consequences.' The remarks signalled a dramatic abandonment of Biden's recent attempts to seek a rapprochement with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and casts doubt on the future of the US-Saudi security relationship."

Eilen Sullivan & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "The Biden administration is considering a humanitarian parole program for Venezuelans who have been fleeing political instability and poverty in large numbers, according to two administration officials familiar with the proposed plan, which the administration hopes will discourage Venezuelans from crossing the southwestern border illegally. If implemented, the program for Venezuelans would be similar to a humanitarian program offered to Ukrainians, which allows a family member or sponsor in the United States to apply on behalf of the refugee and commit to providing them with financial assistance while they're in the country." A Reuters story is here.

Another Trumpity-Doo-Dah-Day

Trump's Save America Me PAC. Isaac Stanley-Becker & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's political operation has spent more money since he left office on lawyers representing the former president and a pair of nonprofits staffed by former Cabinet members than it has on Republican congressional campaigns, according to a review of financial filings. Trump's leadership PAC, Save America, has blitzed supporters in recent days with fundraising solicitations that focus on next month's high-stakes contest for control of Congress. 'It is IMPERATIVE that we win BIG in November,' blared an email last week. The group has contributed about $8.4 million so far directly to Republican campaigns and committees, while devoting $7 million to Trump's lawyers and another $2 million to the nonprofits, which employ former members of his administration, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Legal fees are expected to climb, Trump advisers say, as he employs a growing retinue of lawyers to fend off federal, state and county-level investigations." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Unfortunately, I'd guess that many of the Trumpbots don't care. They think the DOJ is unfa-a-a-rly picking on the Lord & Master.

Perry Stein & Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to deny a petition from Donald Trump's attorneys in the Mar-a-Lago search case, arguing that allowing an outside arbiter to review the classified documents seized from the former president's Florida residence would 'irreparably injure' the government and that Trump has no 'plausible' claims of ownership over these sensitive government materials. Trump's legal team last week made a technical and narrow petition to the court, asking the justices to reconsider a portion of an appeals court ruling that granted the Justice Department's request to keep the classified documents separate from a review of seized material being conducted by the outside expert, known as a special master." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) CNN's report is here.

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: A Trump lawyer, "M. Evan Corcoran, met [new Trump lawyer Christina] Bobb at the president's residence and private club in Florida and asked her to sign a statement for the [Justice D]epartment that the Trump legal team had conducted a 'diligent search' of Mar-a-Lago and found only a few files that had not been returned to the government. Ms. Bobb ... was being asked to take a step that neither Mr. Trump nor other members of the legal team were willing to take -- so she looked before leaping. 'Wait a minute -- I don't know you,' Ms. Bobb replied to Mr. Corcoran's request, according to a person to whom she later recounted the episode. She later complained that she did not have a full grasp of what was going on around her when she signed the document, according to two people who have heard her account. Ms. Bobb, who relentlessly promoted falsehoods about the 2020 election as an on-air host for the far-right One America News Network, eventually signed her name. But she insisted on adding a written caveat before giving it to a senior Justice Department official on June 3: 'The above statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.' Her sworn statement, hedged or not, was shown to be flatly false.... And prosecutors are now investigating whether her actions constitute obstruction of justice or if she committed other crimes." The article goes into Bobb's participation in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election & her over-the-top enthusiasm for election-denying. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The National Archives, without naming former President Trump, pushed back Tuesday on claims he made over the weekend that other past presidents had mishandled their White House records with the help of the agency. Trump had previously claimed ... President Obama had mishandled his own records but expanded that claim during rallies in Arizona and New Mexico to include several prior presidents.... At one point Trump even claimed, without evidence, that records from President George H.W. Bush's administration were stored in a Chinese restaurant and a bowling alley 'with no security and a broken front door.' The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) said Tuesday that while records are transported to presidents' libraries, any temporary storage has 'met strict archival and security standards, and have been managed and staffed exclusively by NARA employees.' It added that any insinuations that records were stored in substandard conditions 'are false and misleading.' At another point during the rallies, Trump also accused former President Clinton of losing nuclear codes and keeping classified recordings in his sock. While Clinton did store some tapes in his sock drawer while serving as president, he did not leave office with the recordings in tow." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

A Massive Docudump. Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "The Secret Service has handed congressional investigators more than 1 million electronic communications sent by agents in the lead-up to and during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to two sources.... While the communications do not include text messages, they do include emails and other electronic messages, according to a Secret Service spokesperson. The communications may shed light on lingering questions, including contact agents may have had with rioters, their efforts to protect then-Vice President Mike Pence and what occurred inside ... Donald Trump's car when Trump allegedly ordered Secret Service agents to take him to the Capitol." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Whether or not Democrats hold the House (and the signs remain that they will not), the committee by law will cease to exist in only a little more than two months. Its only Republican members -- Cheney & Kinsinger -- will have lost their day jobs (although it occurs to me the committee could hire them as consultants). So there's probably a reason the Secret Service just couldn't get around to finding a million+ documents to thumb through until recently. ~~~

~~~ ** The January 6 committee is holding what might be its last public hearing tomorrow, Thursday, at 1 pm ET.

Matthew Barakat of the AP: "A Russian analyst who played a major role in the creation of a flawed dossier about ... Donald Trump fabricated one of his own sources and concealed the identity of another when interviewed by the FBI, prosecutors said Tuesday. The allegations were aired during opening statements in the trial of Igor Danchenko, who is indicted on five counts of making false statements to the FBI. The FBI interviewed Danchenko on multiple occasions in 2017 as it tried to corroborate allegations in what became known as the 'Steele dossier.'" ~~~

~~~ Marshall Cohen of CNN: "Shortly before the 2016 election, the FBI offered retired British spy Christopher Steele 'up to $1 million' to prove the explosive allegations in his dossier about Donald Trump, a senior FBI analyst testified Tuesday. The cash offer was made during an overseas October 2016 meeting between Steele and several top FBI officials who were trying to corroborate Steele's claims that the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia to win the election. FBI supervisory analyst Brian Auten testified that Steele never got the money because he could not 'prove the allegations.' Auten also said Steele refused to provide the names of any of his sources during that meeting, and that Steele didn't give the FBI anything during that meeting that corroborated the claims in his explosive dossier. Auten was testifying at the criminal trial of Igor Danchenko, a primary source for Steele's dossier, who is being prosecuted by special counsel John Durham."


How to Play the GOP Racist Card Game. Michelle Goldberg
of the New York Times: "The right-winger starts with a bigoted provocation and, when criticized, defaults to aggrieved claims of persecution and accusations of oversensitivity. He revels in the power he's amassed even as he poses as a victim.... Insinuating rhetoric lets Republicans speak to antisemites and then take umbrage when other people notice. The umbrage itself then becomes part of the political message: Those people won't let you say anything anymore! Usually, this performance depends on language with at least a shred of ambiguity, allowing the speaker to adopt a posture of put-upon faux naïveté." ~~~

     ~~~ Anna Merlan of Vice: "Fox News recently aired a two-part interview between Tucker Carlson and Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Motherboard has obtained portions of the interview that were edited out of the final broadcast. These include numerous antisemitic sentiments from Ye, a strange and lengthy digression about 'fake children' he claimed were planted in his house to manipulate his own children, and a statement that he's vaccinated against COVID-19.... In the version of the interview that made it to air, Ye described what he said was pressure not to support Donald Trump when the latter was a candidate.... A simple statement of fact from Ye -- 'I was vaccinated' -- was edited out...; Carlson has repeatedly used his show to air false and dangerous claims aimed at discouraging his viewers from getting vaccinated. The other footage that didn't air specifically includes numerous asides about Jewish people." ~~~

     ~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: Tucker Carlson "wants his viewers to hear that their sense of victimization is valid and that Black Lives Matter is about their own subjugation, not the systemic constraints of race. He wants to present Candace Owens and Ye, Black celebrities, as the faces of such messages.... Carlson [also] went to great lengths to reinforce for his viewers last week just how levelheaded Ye ... actually was." strong> MB: Which of course required leaving a lot of the interview on the proverbial cutting room floor.

** Star Wars. Yes, NASA Can Save Earth from an Asteroid Hit. Sarah Scoles of the New York Times: "NASA took aim at an asteroid last month, and on Tuesday, the space agency announced that its planned 14,000 mile-per-hour collision with an object named Dimorphos made even more of a bull's-eye shot than expected. That winning strike was the first of its kind. 'We conducted humanity's first planetary defense test,' said Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, during a news conference, 'and we showed the world that NASA is serious as a defender of this planet.' In November 2021, NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, mission, shooting a refrigerator-size spacecraft toward a small asteroid." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A BBC story is here.

November Elections

Georgia Senate. Annie Linskey & Alice Crites of the Washington Post: "The mother of one of Herschel Walker's children had to repeatedly press the former football star who is now the Republican Senate nominee in Georgia for funds to pay for a 2009 abortion that she said he wanted her to have, according to the woman and a person she confided in at the time.... The woman, who lived in the Atlanta area at the time, said she became pregnant when she was unemployed and had less than $600 in her bank account."

Beyond the Beltway

California/Texas. Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times: "Eric Kay, a former Los Angeles Angels employee, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison on Tuesday for having provided drugs to the pitcher Tyler Skaggs that led to his overdose death in Texas. Kay, 48, who was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means in Fort Worth, had faced at least 20 years in prison after being convicted in February of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury."

California. Jill Cowan & Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "The Los Angeles City Council chamber became a raucous floor for protest on Tuesday, as an hourslong cavalcade of speakers furiously demanded that three Latino council members immediately resign over a secretly recorded private discussion that involved racist insults and slurs.... A white council member whose Black child was the target of racist comments tearfully told his colleagues how he and his husband were both 'raw and angry and heartbroken and sick.' President Biden on Tuesday called for the departure of the three council members in the nation's second-largest city. 'He believes they should all resign,' Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said.... By Monday night, [Ron] Herrera had resigned from the labor federation and [Nury] Martinez had relinquished her leadership post on the City Council, although she resisted calls for her to leave the Council entirely. [Gil] Cedillo and [Kevin] de León also have resisted calls for them to step down from their council seats." A related Guardian report is here.

Maryland. Amanda Holpuch of the New York Times: "Baltimore prosecutors on Tuesday dropped the charges against Adnan Syed, who was released last month after he spent 23 years in prison fighting a murder conviction that was chronicled in the hit podcast 'Serial,' officials said. Marilyn J. Mosby, the state's attorney for Baltimore City, said that she had instructed her office to dismiss the charges against Mr. Syed on Tuesday morning after he was cleared by DNA testing. Mr. Syed, 41, had been serving a life sentence for the strangling death of Hae Min Lee, 18.... Questions about the fairness of the trial received widespread attention in 2014 after the debut of the podcast 'Serial,' which examined the case in detail, but it wasn't until last month that a judge vacated Mr. Syed's conviction. Prosecutors said in a hearing on Sept. 19 that an investigation had revealed problems with key evidence that was used to convict Mr. Syed, as well as the possibility of 'alternative suspects.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) NPR's story is here.

Texas. The Scapegoat. Robin Stein & Alexander Cardia of the New York Times: "After the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, in May, a simple account of the police response took hold: A school police chief [-- Pete Arredondo --] misread the threat and scores of officers from over a dozen federal, state and local agencies, following his command, idly stood by, waiting for equipment and SWAT teams while children trapped in classrooms with the gunman called 911 for help. This shocking scene was described by the agency leading the criminal investigation of the mass shooting, the Texas Department of Public Safety.... But an analysis of footage by The New York Times ... shows high-ranking officers, experienced state troopers, police academy instructors -- even federal SWAT specialists -- came to the same conclusions and were detoured by the same delays the school police chief has been condemned for causing.... Claims by Mr. McCraw that Mr. Arredondo stymied 360 officers with flawed orders or misinformation are not supported by the available footage, which shows little evidence that commands were issued by the school chief, let alone widely communicated. The available footage shows the D.P.S. timeline -- which [DPS director Steven] McCraw told lawmakers was corroborated by 'frame-by-frame' video analysis -- miscast Mr. Arredondo's role and omitted actions, and inaction, by other officers, especially D.P.S. troopers and federal agents, who were involved earlier or more centrally than it notes."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Wednesday are here: "NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said sending more air defense systems to Ukraine is a 'top priority' as the alliance's defense ministers gather in Brussels. Ukraine's call for more military aid is on the agenda Wednesday as defense officials from nearly 50 countries also convene [in Brussels], with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin set to join both meetings.... The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine is relying on generators after losing all external power for the second time in days, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday. The U.N. nuclear watchdog is trying to establish a security zone at the site, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which Russian forces control."

Matthew Champion of Vice: "Elon Musk spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin before tweeting a proposal to end the war in Ukraine that would have seen territory permanently ceded to Russia, it has been claimed. In a mailout sent to Eurasia Group subscribers, Ian Bremmer wrote that Tesla CEO Musk told him that Putin was 'prepared to negotiate,' but only if Crimea remained Russian, if Ukraine accepted a form of permanent neutrality, and Ukraine recognised Russia's annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. According to Bremmer, Musk said Putin told him these goals would be accomplished 'no matter what,' including the potential of a nuclear strike if Ukraine invaded Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Bremmer wrote that Musk told him that 'everything needed to be done to avoid that outcome.'" Musk denies he spoke to Putin. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)


Iran. Farnaz Fassihi & Jane Arraf
of the New York Times: "Defying a lethal crackdown in cities across Iran, protesters demanding the ouster of Iran's Islamic Republic have driven their uprising into a fourth week, with workers from the country's vital oil sector going on strike this week and activists calling for further work stoppages and protests on Wednesday. Despite efforts by Iran's security forces, including the feared plainclothes Basij militias, to crush the protests, they have only widened. Some have turned into chaotic street battles, with the security forces opening fire and protesters fighting back and refusing to give ground, according to witnesses, rights groups and videos of the clashes on social media."

U.K. Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "King Charles III's coronation, the first for Britain in more than 70 years, has been set for May 6 and may be a somewhat less extravagant affair than his mother's coronation in 1953. Buckingham Palace announced in a statement Tuesday that the ceremony will be 'rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry' but will also 'reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future.'... In keeping with tradition dating back to 1066, the ceremony is scheduled to take place at London's Westminster Abbey. Charles would be the 40th sovereign to be crowned there.... Camilla is set to be crowned Queen Consort alongside her husband." The BBC's story is here.

Monday
Oct102022

October 11, 2022

Afternoon Update:

If the Carrot Doesn't Work, Get out the Stick. Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden will re-evaluate the relationship with Saudi Arabia after it teamed up with Russia to cut oil production in a move that bolstered President Vladimir V. Putin's government and could raise gasoline prices in the United States just before midterm elections, a White House official said on Tuesday.... [John] Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, signaled openness to retaliatory measures proposed by Democratic congressional leaders who were outraged by the oil production cut announced last week by OPEC Plus, the international cartel. Among other things, leading Democrats have proposed curbing security cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including arms sales, and stripping OPEC members of their legal immunity so they can be sued for violations of U.S. antitrust laws."

Trump's Save America Me PAC. Isaac Stanley-Becker & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: “Donald Trump's political operation has spent more money since he left office on lawyers representing the former president and a pair of nonprofits staffed by former Cabinet members than it has on Republican congressional campaigns, according to a review of financial filings. Trump's leadership PAC, Save America, has blitzed supporters in recent days with fundraising solicitations that focus on next month's high-stakes contest for control of Congress. 'It is IMPERATIVE that we win BIG in November,' blared an email last week. The group has contributed about $8.4 million so far directly to Republican campaigns and committees, while devoting $7 million to Trump's lawyers and another $2 million to the nonprofits, which employ former members of his administration, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Legal fees are expected to climb, Trump advisers say, as he employs a growing retinue of lawyers to fend off federal, state and county-level investigations." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Unfortunately, I'd guess that many of the Trumpbots don't care. They think the DOJ is unfa-a-a-rly picking on the Lord & Master.

Perry Stein & Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to deny a petition from Donald Trump's attorneys in the Mar-a-Lago search case, arguing that allowing an outside arbiter to review the classified documents seized from the former president's Florida residence would 'irreparably injure' the government and that Trump has no 'plausible' claims of ownership over these sensitive government materials. Trump's legal team last week made a technical and narrow petition to the court, asking the justices to reconsider a portion of an appeals court ruling that granted the Justice Department's request to keep the classified documents separate from a review of seized material being conducted by the outside expert, known as a special master."

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: A Trump lawyer, "M. Evan Corcoran, met [new Trump lawyer Christina] Bobb at the president's residence and private club in Florida and asked her to sign a statement for the [Justice D]epartment that the Trump legal team had conducted a 'diligent search' of Mar-a-Lago and found only a few files that had not been returned to the government. Ms. Bobb ... was being asked to take a step that neither Mr. Trump nor other members of the legal team were willing to take -- so she looked before leaping. 'Wait a minute -- I don't know you,' Ms. Bobb replied to Mr. Corcoran's request, according to a person to whom she later recounted the episode. She later complained that she did not have a full grasp of what was going on around her when she signed the document, according to two people who have heard her account. Ms. Bobb, who relentlessly promoted falsehoods about the 2020 election as an on-air host for the far-right One America News Network, eventually signed her name. But she insisted on adding a written caveat before giving it to a senior Justice Department official on June 3: 'The above statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.' Her sworn statement, hedged or not, was shown to be flatly false.... And prosecutors are now investigating whether her actions constitute obstruction of justice or if she committed other crimes." The article goes into Bobb's participation in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election & her over-the-top enthusiasm for election-denying.

Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "The National Archives, without naming former President Trump, pushed back Tuesday on claims he made over the weekend that other past presidents had mishandled their White House records with the help of the agency. Trump had previously claimed ... President Obama had mishandled his own records but expanded that claim during rallies in Arizona and New Mexico to include several prior presidents.... At one point Trump even claimed, without evidence, that records from President George H.W. Bush's administration were stored in a Chinese restaurant and a bowling alley 'with no security and a broken front door.' The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) said Tuesday that while records are transported to presidents' libraries, any temporary storage has 'met strict archival and security standards, and have been managed and staffed exclusively by NARA employees.' It added that any insinuations that records were stored in substandard conditions 'are false and misleading.' At another point during the rallies, Trump also accused former President Clinton of losing nuclear codes and keeping classified recordings in his sock. While Clinton did store some tapes in his sock drawer while serving as president, he did not leave office with the recordings in tow."

** Star Wars. Yes, NASA Can Save Earth from an Asteroid Hit. Sarah Scoles of the New York Times: "NASA took aim at an asteroid last month, and on Tuesday, the space agency announced that its planned 14,000 mile-per-hour collision with an object named Dimorphos made even more of a bull's-eye shot than expected. That winning strike was the first of its kind. 'We conducted humanity's first planetary defense test,' said Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, during a news conference, 'and we showed the world that NASA is serious as a defender of this planet.' In November 2021, NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, mission, shooting a refrigerator-size spacecraft toward a small asteroid."

Maryland Amanda Holpuch of the New York Times: "Baltimore prosecutors on Tuesday dropped the charges against Adnan Syed, who was released last month after he spent 23 years in prison fighting a murder conviction that was chronicled in the hit podcast 'Serial,' officials said. Marilyn J. Mosby, the state's attorney for Baltimore City, said that she had instructed her office to dismiss the charges against Mr. Syed on Tuesday morning after he was cleared by DNA testing. Mr. Syed, 41, had been serving a life sentence for the strangling death of Hae Min Lee, 18.... Questions about the fairness of the trial received widespread attention in 2014 after the debut of the podcast 'Serial,' which examined the case in detail, but it wasn't until last month that a judge vacated Mr. Syed's conviction. Prosecutors said in a hearing on Sept. 19 that an investigation had revealed problems with key evidence that was used to convict Mr. Syed, as well as the possibility of 'alternative suspects.'"

Matthew Champion of Vice: "Elon Musk spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin before tweeting a proposal to end the war in Ukraine that would have seen territory permanently ceded to Russia, it has been claimed. In a mailout sent to Eurasia Group subscribers, Ian Bremmer wrote that Tesla CEO Musk told him that Putin was 'prepared to negotiate,' but only if Crimea remained Russian, if Ukraine accepted a form of permanent neutrality, and Ukraine recognised Russia's annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. According to Bremmer, Musk said Putin told him these goals would be accomplished 'no matter what,' including the potential of a nuclear strike if Ukraine invaded Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Bremmer wrote that Musk told him that 'everything needed to be done to avoid that outcome.'" Musk denies he spoke to Putin.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kristen Holmes & Jeremy Herb of CNN: An "email exchange between GSA officials and [Trump aide Beau] Harrison is one of more than 100 pages of emails and documents newly released by the GSA that debunk claims from Trump and his allies that the government agency is to blame for packing the boxes containing classified documents that were later recovered by the FBI during the search of his Mar-a-Lago resort in August.... In an interview on Fox News on August 12, four days after the FBI search, former Trump defense official Kash Patel claimed the GSA was responsible for the documents being at Trump's Florida home.... 'They [GSA personnel] packed them,' Trump said in an interview with Sean Hannity on September 23.... In emails throughout 2021, however, career officials at the GSA outlined to Trump's aides what could and could not be included in the shipments GSA would send to Florida -- underscoring that the federal agency was relying on Trump's aides to assess the contents being shipped.... 'If the item is considered property of the Former President then it should not be shipped using Transition Funds. If the item is considered property of the Federal Government then it should go to NARA or GSA,' [GSA transition director] Kathy Geisler wrote in an email and attached the guidance on gifts." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So not only does another Trump lie bite the dust, but I'm inferring Trump may have appropriated government funds to steal federal documents (tho the CNN article doesn't firmly establish that). Usually when bank robbers steal the cash, they whisk it away in their own getaway car; it appears Trump used the government's own dime to pay for the getaway transportation.

Marc Caputo of NBC News: "Christina Bobb, the attorney who signed a letter certifying that all sensitive records in ... Donald Trump's possession had been returned to the government, spoke to federal investigators Friday..., according to three sources familiar with the matter. The certification statement, signed June 3 by Bobb, indicated that Trump ... no longer had possession of a host of documents with classification markings at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, according to the three sources.... Bobb, who was Trump's custodian of record at the time, did not draft the statement.... Instead, Trump's lead lawyer in the case at the time, Evan Corcoran, drafted it and told her to sign it, Bobb told investigators.... Bobb also spoke to investigators about Trump legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who she said did not help draft the statement but was minimally involved in discussions about the records.... Before Bobb signed the document, she insisted [twice that] it be rewritten with a disclaimer that said she was certifying Trump had no more records 'based upon the information that has been provided to me.'..." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So Miss Bibbidy-Bobb, Esq., ratted out the guy who told her to say Trump had returned all the classified docs. Now, is that guy going to rat out the guy who told him to say Trump had returned all the docs? Who would be Trump.

They should give me immediately back everything that they've taken from me, because it's mine. It's mine.... Likewise, under the Presidential Record Act, everything should come back.... [The Archives] lose documents, they plant documents. "Let's see, is there a book on nuclear destruction or the building of a nuclear weapon cheaply? Let's put that book in with Trump." No, they plant documents. -- Donald Trump, in a speech Sunday

IOW, a public confession/proof of intent. -- Marie Burns, not a lawyer ~~~

~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's latest riff on his decision to keep government documents at his residence at Mar-a-Lago is chock full of ridiculousness and false equivalency to a degree remarkable even by his standards. Appearing at a rally in Arizona on Sunday, Trump repeatedly compared his retention of presidential records to the actions of his predecessors. Except most of the examples he cited involved those presidents setting up presidential libraries. (And his other arguments were almost complete non sequiturs.) MB: Hard to tell if he's crazy, lying or both. I'd guess both. (Also linked yesterday.)

Sara Murray & Zachary Cohen of CNN: "An Atlanta-area prosecutor investigating Donald Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn the 2020 election has secured cooperation from former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.... Prosecutors have called for [Hutchinson's former boss, Chief of Staff Mark] Meadows to testify before the special grand jury, but they are still working to secure his testimony." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

November Elections

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Victory for the election deniers in any state would, in combination with any version of the independent state legislature theory [if endorsed by the confederate Supremes], put the United States on the glide path to an acutely felt constitutional crisis. We may face a situation where the voters of Nevada or Wisconsin want Joe Biden (or another Democrat) for president, but state officials and lawmakers want Trump, and have the power to make it so. One of the more ominous developments of the last few years is the way that conservatives have rejected the language of American democracy, saying instead that the United States is a 'republic and not a democracy,' in a direct lift from Robert Welch, founder of the John Birch Society.... [Election deniers] see Donald Trump as their sovereign as much as their president, and they hope to make him a kind of king."

Nevada Secretary of State. Ed Pilkington of the Guardian: "The head of a US coalition of election deniers standing for secretary of state positions in key battleground states has made the most explicit threat yet that they will use their powers, should they win in November, to subvert democracy and force a return of Donald Trump to the White House. Jim Marchant, who is running in the midterms as the Republican candidate for secretary of state in Nevada, has vowed publicly that he and his fellow coalition members will strive to make Trump president again. Speaking at a Make America Great Again rally in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday night, he repeated the lie that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from Trump. Marchant said he had investigated what he described as the 'rigged election' and had discovered 'horrifying' irregularities. He provided no details -- an official review of the 2020 count in Nevada, which Joe Biden won by 34,000 votes, found no evidence of mass fraud." ~~~

~~~ Marie: Here's something I didn't know about Minden, Nevada, that helps explain why Trump & his allies chose the small town of Minden (pop. 3,000) to hold a rally where 5,000 Trumpbots showed up: ~~~

~~~ Sam Metz of the AP: "A red siren perched atop a small town's volunteer fire department sounds every night at 6 p.m., sending a piercing noise echoing through the ranches and towns of northern Nevada's Carson Valley including Dresslerville -- a community governed by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. To Serrell Smokey, the tribe's chairman, the sound is a reminder of racism and violence inflicted upon Native Americans -- a 'living piece of historical trauma' with an enduring legacy. He requested officials in the town of Minden silence the region's last remaining siren last summer.... Minden is one of what experts believe were thousands of American communities where discriminatory 'sundown' laws were in effect, either through formal ordinances or unwritten rules enforced with intimidation and injury. The town siren has blared since 1921. Until 1974, it served as a warning to non-white people that they were required to leave town before the sun faded behind the rugged mountaintops of the Carson range.... [Washoe] elders remember seeing law enforcement jailing Native Americans and residents attacking non-white people." Minden is fighting a state law,signed in June, to silence sundown sirens. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have a house across the street from the town's firehouse. I cannot think of any circumstance in which I would welcome their siren's going off every evening -- for life! -- for no other reason than to celebrate the remembrance of some event, glorious or ignominious. But then I'm not a rabid racist who will endure pain & inconvenience just to stick it to people whose lands my forebears have appropriated.

Ohio Senate. Jonathan Weisman & Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "In a sometimes heated, often personal debate, the two candidates vying for the seat of the retiring Senator Rob Portman -- Representative Tim Ryan and the investor J.D. Vance -- each took turns accusing the other of being elite and out of touch, while claiming the mantle of working-class defender. Here are six takeaways from the one and only Ohio Senate debate."

Pennsylvania Governor. Katie Glueck of of the New York Times: "Four years after the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue..., Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, has rattled a diverse swath of the state's Jewish community.... The race between Mr. Mastriano, a state senator, and his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro -- a Jewish day school alum ... -- has also centered to an extraordinary degree on Mr. Shapiro's religion. Mr. Mastriano, who promotes Christian power and disdains the separation of church and state, has repeatedly lashed Mr. Shapiro for attending and sending his children to what Mr. Mastriano calls a 'privileged, exclusive, elite' school, suggesting to one audience that it evinced Mr. Shapiro's 'disdain for people like us.'... Mr. Mastriano has also spread the lie that George Soros, a Holocaust survivor and liberal billionaire often vilified on the right, was a Nazi collaborator. And Mr. Mastriano has baselessly accused Mr. Shapiro of holding a 'real grudge' against the Roman Catholic Church. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course I can't speak to Mastriano's personal opinions, but I can speak from personal experience that the type of remarks he is willing to make in public may only hint of the deep animus "people like him" holds toward Jews. I grew up in the midst of this type of prejudice, and it was widespread -- and incomprehensible to me. I imagine there are communities where this is still true.

Beyond the Beltway

California. Shawn Hubler & Jill Cowan of the New York Times: "The president of the Los Angeles City Council stepped down from her powerful leadership role on Monday after a leaked audio recording revealed racist and disparaging remarks that she had made about the Black child of a white council member, and about Indigenous immigrants in the city's Koreatown neighborhood." This is an update of a story linked earlier yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ The story has a second major update. New Lede: "The head of one of Los Angeles County's most powerful labor organizations resigned on Monday night amid a nationwide furor over a leaked audio recording that revealed his involvement in a racist and disparaging conversation with two members of the Los Angeles City Council and the council president. The official, Ron Herrera, resigned at a meeting of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor's executive board.... His resignation came hours after the City Council president, Nury Martinez, had stepped down from her leadership role Monday morning amid fallout from remarks she had made about the Black child of a white fellow council member and about Indigenous immigrants in the city's Koreatown neighborhood." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I hope more than a few people notice that Democrats resign in disgrace (as they should) when they make disgusting racist remarks, even when they think those remarks are private. Republicans, on the other hand, shout racist remarks at public rallies, and their base cheers while fellow Republicans continue to support them & deflect questions about the the remarks.

Florida. There Is No Joy in Gainesville. AP: "Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse faced pointed questions and loud protests Monday during his first visit to the University of Florida as the lone finalist for the school's presidency. Sasse, a Republican in his second Senate term, has drawn criticism from some at the school in Gainesville, Florida, for his stance on same-sex marriage and other LBGTQ issues. Others question his qualifications to run such a sprawling school with more than 50,000 students. The separate meetings Monday were with students, faculty and staff on campus. During those sessions, the Gainesville Sun reported about 1,000 people yelling 'Hey, hey, ho, ho, Ben Sasse has got to go' gathered and disrupted at least one of the meetings."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukraine said on Tuesday that it had shot down several Russian cruise missiles, hours before leaders of the Group of 7 nations planned to hold an emergency virtual meeting to discuss Russia's broad aerial assault across Ukraine that killed at least 19 people on Monday. The Russian strikes, in retaliation for an attack on a bridge linking Russia and occupied Crimea, did not appear to seriously damage the Ukrainian military's ability to wage war, analysts said. Moscow's goal seemed instead to be to knock out critical infrastructure, plunging cities into darkness and depriving Ukrainians of light and heat as winter approaches." ~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Tuesday are here: "Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine early Tuesday, including in the capital, Kyiv, a day after strikes killed 19 people and injured more than 100, emergency services said.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to address an emergency virtual meeting of the Group of Seven nations Tuesday.... A meeting of NATO defense ministers will also discuss Ukraine's pleas for weapons later this week.... Vladimir Putin will meet International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. The U.N. watchdog is seeking a buffer zone at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, which Russian forces control." ~~~

     ~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Tuesday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.

Emily Rauhala, et al., of the Washington Post: "The string of strikes against Ukrainian cities and key infrastructure on Monday galvanized long-standing calls from the government to its allies for more sophisticated air defense systems and longer-range weapons. The Russian attacks appeared to signal a significant escalation, raising pressure on the United States and other European countries that have been slow to provide Ukrainian forces with the most advanced weapons systems. While a chorus of U.S. and European leaders condemned the attacks and declared their continued support for Ukraine, it was not clear that they would accelerate or expand their deliveries." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Maegan Vazquez & Sam Fossum of CNN: "President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday after a deluge of Russian missiles targeted cities across Ukraine, condemning the strikes and pledging continued US security assistance 'including advanced air defense systems.'... The White House did not specify which air defense systems Biden discussed with Zelensky, but the United States previously committed to providing Ukraine with National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems. NASAMS would be capable of engaging Russian cruise missiles."

News Lede

New York Times: "Angela Lansbury, a formidable actress who captivated Hollywood in her youth, became a Broadway musical sensation in middle age and then drew millions of fans as a widowed mystery writer on the long-running television series 'Murder, She Wrote,' died on Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 96.... Ms. Lansbury was the winner of five Tony Awards for her starring performances on the New York stage, from 'Mame' in 1966 to 'Blithe Spirit' in 2009, when she was 83, a testament to her extraordinary stamina.... The English-born daughter of an Irish actress, she was just 18 when she landed her first movie role, as Charles Boyer's cheeky Cockney servant in the thriller 'Gaslight' (1944), a precocious debut that brought her a contract with MGM and an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress."

Sunday
Oct092022

October 10, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Marc Caputo of NBC News: "Christina Bobb, the attorney who signed a letter certifying that all sensitive records in ... Donald Trump's possession had been returned to the government, spoke to federal investigators Friday..., according to three sources familiar with the matter. The certification statement, signed June 3 by Bobb, indicated that Trump ... no longer had possession of a host of documents with classification markings at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, according to the three sources.... Bobb, who was Trump's custodian of record at the time, did not draft the statement.... Instead, Trump's lead lawyer in the case at the time, Evan Corcoran, drafted it and told her to sign it, Bobb told investigators.... Bobb also spoke to investigators about Trump legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who she said did not help draft the statement but was minimally involved in discussions about the records.... Before Bobb signed the document, she insisted [twice that] it be rewritten with a disclaimer that said she was certifying Trump had no more records 'based upon the information that has been provided to me.'..." ~~~

They should give me immediately back everything that they've taken from me, because it's mine. I';s mine.... Likewise, under the Presidential Record Act, everything should come back.... [The Archives] lose documents, they plant documents. "Let's see, is there a book on nuclear destruction or the building of a nuclear weapon cheaply? Let's put that book in with Trump." No, they plant documents. -- Donald Trump, in a speech Sunday

IOW, a confession/proof of intent. -- Marie Burns, not a lawyer ~~~

~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's latest riff on his decision to keep government documents at his residence at Mar-a-Lago is chock full of ridiculousness and false equivalency to a degree remarkable even by his standards. Appearing at a rally in Arizona on Sunday, Trump repeatedly compared his retention of presidential records to the actions of his predecessors. Except most of the examples he cited involved those presidents setting up presidential libraries. (And his other arguments were almost complete non sequiturs.) He cited Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton having their presidential records moved to warehouses as their libraries were being built. But that's how the process works. And even if there were evidence that the records were handled improperly during those moves -- which there isn't -- they were in the custody of the National Archives...." Blake runs down some of Trump's assertions. MB: Hard to tell if he's crazy, lying or both. I'd guess both.

Sara Murray & Zachary Cohen of CNN: "An Atlanta-area prosecutor investigating Donald Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn the 2020 election has secured cooperation from former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.... Prosecutors have called for [Hutchinson's former boss, Chief of Staff Mark] Meadows to testify before the special grand jury, but they are still working to secure his testimony."

California. Shawn Hubler & Jill Cowan of the New York Times: "The president of the Los Angeles City Council stepped down from her powerful leadership role on Monday after a leaked audio recording revealed racist and disparaging remarks that she had made about the Black child of a white council member, and about Indigenous immigrants in the city's Koreatown neighborhood." This is an update of a story linked earlier today.

Pennsylvania. Katie Glueck of of the New York Times: "Four years after the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue..., Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, has rattled a diverse swath of the state's Jewish community.... The race between Mr. Mastriano, a state senator, and his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro -- a Jewish day school alum ... -- has also centered to an extraordinary degree on Mr. Shapiro's religion. Mr. Mastriano, who promotes Christian power and disdains the separation of church and state, has repeatedly lashed Mr. Shapiro for attending and sending his children to what Mr. Mastriano calls a 'privileged, exclusive, elite' school, suggesting to one audience that it evinced Mr. Shapiro's 'disdain for people like us.'... Mr. Mastriano has also spread the lie that George Soros, a Holocaust survivor and liberal billionaire often vilified on the right, was a Nazi collaborator. And Mr. Mastriano has baselessly accused Mr. Shapiro of holding a 'real grudge' against the Roman Catholic Church." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course I can't speak to Mastriano's personal opinions, but I can speak from personal experience that the type of remarks he is willing to make in public may only hint of the deep animus "people like him" holds toward Jews. I grew up in the midst of this type of prejudice, and it was widespread -- and incomprehensible to me. I imagine there are communities where this is still true.

Ukraine, et al. Emily Rauhala, et al., of the Washington Post: “The string of strikes against Ukrainian cities and key infrastructure on Monday galvanized long-standing calls from the government to its allies for more sophisticated air defense systems and longer-range weapons. The Russian attacks appeared to signal a significant escalation, raising pressure on the United States and other European countries that have been slow to provide Ukrainian forces with the most advanced weapons systems. While a chorus of U.S. and European leaders condemned the attacks and declared their continued support for Ukraine, it was not clear that they would accelerate or expand their deliveries."

~~~~~~~~~~

Donald Trump Thinks Racism Is a Joke. Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post: "... two weeks ago at a rally in North Carolina for Rep. Ted Budd, the MAGA Republican candidate for U.S. Senate..., [Donald] Trump bellowed, 'You know Putin mentioned the n-word. Do you know what the n-word is?' Plenty of people shouted the answer they thought Trump was looking for -- because there is only one answer. Hardly surprised by the response to his purposefully provocative question, Trump jumped in and said, 'No, no, no, it's the "nuclear" word.' Doug Jones, the former Alabama senator who successfully prosecuted two of the Klansmen who bombed Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963, called out Trump's tip of the hood to white supremacists for what it was. 'Folks, no one uses the term "n-word" when talking about nuclear weapons. That term refers to only one thing & Trump used it for a MAGA candidate running for the Senate,' Jones tweeted. 'This is the kind of white nationalist, dog whistle rhetoric that has no place in America.'"

Jennifer Solis of the Nevada Current: "In [a] speech [in rural Nevada] riddled with inaccuracies..., [Donald] Trump said, 'You know the biggest crowd I've ever seen? January 6. And you never hear that.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: (1) The January 6 crowd was not the biggest he'd ever seen. (2) No one in his right mind would boast about the size of a crowd of insurrectionists. ~~~

~~~ Sen./Mr. Potato Head Goes Full Racist. Sarah Swetlik of AL.com: "U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Saturday said Democrats are in favor of 'reparations' because they are 'pro-crime.' Tuberville, R-Ala., made the comments while at a rally held by ... Donald Trump in Nevada. 'They want reparations because they think the people who do the crime are owed that,' Tuberville said as the crowd cheered behind him. 'Bullshit!' he added.... Reparations typically refer to 'financial recompense for African-Americans whose ancestors were slaves and lived through the Jim Crow era,' according to the NAACP." Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ BUT what do Trump's Black friends say? Here's one now. ~~~

~~~ Hannah Getahun of Insider, republiced by Yahoo! News: "Rapper Kanye West faced more accusations of antisemitism on Saturday after posting a rant about Jewish people. In a tweet now removed by Twitter for violating its guidelines, the rapper and fashion designer said he was 'going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.' West defended himself by saying he could not be antisemitic because 'black people are actually Jew [sic].'... West returned to Twitter -- from which he had been on hiatus since Nov. 4, 2020 -- after his Instagram account was restricted amid a week of tirades on the platform. Instagram confirmed to Insider it had restricted West's account.... After photos and videos surfaced of West on Monday wearing a hoodie with the words "White Lives Matter," prominent Republicans like Candace Owens, former congressional candidate Lavern Spicer, and the GOP House Judiciary Committee came to his defense. West, a friend of ... Donald Trump, pulled the stunt as a part of his YZYSZN9 show at Paris Fashion Week. Critics pointed out that the phrase on West's hoodie is tied to white supremacist movements." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Stuart Thompson of the New York Times: "In a statement, a spokeswoman for Twitter said Ye's [i.e., Kanye West's] account was locked for violating Twitter's policies. A spokeswoman for Meta said it places restrictions on [Instagram] accounts that repeatedly break its rules." MB: Oh, and for those of you who just can't keep up, it's not Kanye West anymore; it's "Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West." Okay then. Maybe I'll change my name to the last two letters of my first name, i.e., "Ie," pronounced "Aiyee!"

Teddy Amenabar of the Washington Post consults experts on how to debunk your friends' and families' false claims. For some reason, they seem to advise against telling Uncle Fred at Thanksgiving dinner that he's a certifiable lunatic. Yeah, but especially if you say it calmly, with your best smug, know-it-all expression, that's so satisfying.

Beyond the Beltway

California. Shawn Hubler & Jill Cowan of the New York Times: "The president of the Los Angeles City Council faced widespread calls to resign on Sunday after a leaked audio recording revealed racist and disparaging remarks about the Black child of a white council member and also about Indigenous immigrants in the city's Koreatown neighborhood. The comments, made during a meeting last year with two other council members and a labor official, exposed longstanding racial tensions in the governance of one of the nation's most multicultural cities as well as fault lines among the city's Democrats. In the profanity-laced recording, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times and which was first reported by The Los Angeles Times, the City Council president, Nury Martinez, who is Latina, compared the Black child of a white council member to a 'changuito,' Spanish for little monkey. She also called Oaxacan immigrants living in Koreatown 'short little dark people.'... The recording ... included Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, council members representing parts of the city's East Side, and Ron Herrera, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor."

New York. Michelle Price of the AP: "New York congressman and Republican candidate for governor Lee Zeldin says his family is safe after two strangers were shot outside his Long Island home on Sunday. Zeldin said in a statement that he does not know the identities of the two people who were shot but that they were found under his porch and in the bushes in front of his home in Shirley, New York. The congressman and his wife were not at home at the time of the shooting but their teenage daughters were in the home and heard gunshots and screaming, he said in the statement released by his office.... The Suffolk County Police Department issued a brief statement saying it was investigating the shooting, which appeared to have no connection to Zeldin's family."

Way Beyond

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Monday are here: "Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted of a 'massive strike' across Ukraine at a meeting of his Security Council on Monday. Accusing Ukraine's special services of carrying out an attack on the Crimean Bridge, Putin warned of 'harsh' reprisal: 'Its scale will correspond to the level of threats.' The torrent of attacks -- including in the hear of Kyiv, the first major strikes there in months -- on energy facilities and civilian targets spurred Ukrainian officials to call for a 'resolute response' from allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted Monday that he had an urgent call with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss 'air defense, the need for a tough European and international reaction, as well as increased pressure on the Russian Federation.' Ukraine's prime minister said 11 infrastructure facilities in eight regions and the city of Kyiv were damaged, warning of interruptions to electricity, water and communication -- in addition to attacks on a children's playground, museums and educational institutions. Attacks were reported in key areas including Kharkiv in the northeast, Lviv in the west, and Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro in the center.... Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced that he and Putin agreed to 'deploy a joint regional grouping of troops' in response to the 'aggravated situation' in Ukraine. It's not immediately clear where this grouping would be based."


North Korea. Hyung-Jin Kim
of the AP: "North Korea's recent barrage of missile launches were the simulated use of its tactical battlefield nuclear weapons to 'hit and wipe out' potential South Korean and U.S. targets, state media reported Monday, as its leader Kim Jong Un signaled he would conduct more provocative tests." ~~~

News Ledes

AP: "Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, who put his academic expertise on the Great Depression to work reviving the American economy after the 2007-2008 financial crisis, won the Nobel Prize in economic sciences along with two other U.S.-based economists for their research into the fallout from bank failures. Bernanke was recognized Monday along with Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig. The Nobel panel at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm said the trio's research had shown 'why avoiding bank collapses is vital.'"

New York Times: "Heavy rains and landslides have left at least 22 people dead and 52 missing in a single town in north-central Venezuela, officials said Sunday. The authorities believe that an unknown number of other people in the town, Las Tejerías, remain trapped in their homes by the mud. The Venezuelan armed forces planned to deploy canines and drones to find the missing residents and to deliver food and medicine, one top military officer, Remigio Ceballos, said at the news conference in Las Tejerías, about 40 miles southwest of the capital, Caracas."

Variety: "Nikki Finke, a tenacious journalist who revolutionized entertainment reporting with what became the Hollywood trade website Deadline, died Sunday morning in Boca Raton, Fla. after a prolonged illness. She was 68." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Finke's New York Times obituary is here.