The Commentariat -- June 12, 2020
Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here. "Two of the nation's most populous states, Texas and Florida, both reported this week their highest daily totals of new coronavirus infections, a concerning sign as all 50 states move to ease social distancing restrictions and allow more businesses to reopen. The nation's most populous state, California, hit a new daily high last week, when it recorded 3,593 new cases, a record it nearly matched ... again this week. The rise in cases helps explain why the nation continues to record more than 20,000 new cases a day even as some of the original hot spots, including New York, have seen dramatic declines." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here.
The C.D.C. Revolts. Sort of. Lena Sun & Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials on Friday urged organizers of large gatherings that involve shouting, chanting or singing to 'strongly encourage' attendees use cloth face coverings to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus. The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes after more than a week of national protests against police brutality where many attendees and police did not wear masks. It also coincides with President Trump's plans to hit the campaign trail next week and to accept his party's nomination in Jacksonville, Fla. later this summer. The Republican National Committee has indicated it does not want to require participants to wear masks for the speech.... A similar recommendation for using cloth face coverings in settings that involve shouting, chanting, or singing, including choirs, was removed from the agency's guidance for reopening houses of worship two weeks ago after weeks of debate between the White House and the CDC.... CDC Director Robert Redfield began the agency's first full-fledged briefing in more than three months, saying he recognizes that Americans are eager to return to normal activities. But it's important for them to remember 'this situation is unprecedented and that the pandemic has not ended,' he said." The article is free to nonsubscribers.
Kudlow Said It, So It's Wrong. Quint Forgey of Politico: "The White House's top economic advisers on Friday shrugged off concerns of a potential 'second wave' of the coronavirus, reflecting ... Donald Trump's eagerness to continue reopening broad swaths of the country even as cases of Covid-19 are spiking in more than a dozen states. 'There is no emergency. There is no second wave. I don't know where that got started on Wall Street,' Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told 'Fox & Friends.' Kudlow previously claimed in late February that the federal government had 'contained' the threat of a domestic coronavirus outbreak 'pretty close to airtight' -- an assessment which proved to be direly wrong.... Kudlow ... said he had spoken with top public health officials 'at some length' Thursday evening. 'They are saying there is no second spike. Let me repeat that. There is no second spike,' he said."
Joshua Partlow, et al., of the Washington Post: Donald Trump's "company ... was already suffering from a tarnished brand before the novel coronavirus hit. The fresh wave of political anger directed toward Trump complicates an already difficult recovery for the company. Interviews with current and former Trump Organization employees and tenants, and emails obtained by The Washington Post, show the pandemic in particular has rattled operations at the company. With thousands of Trump's hotel rooms empty, the company laid off or furloughed more than 2,800 employees and scoured for even the smallest savings. It eliminated flowers, chocolates and newspapers at its New York hotel and turned off lights in common areas in its Chicago hotel to save on electricity.... After this story published Friday... , [Eric Trump] ... accused The Post of trying to harass the president and the company."
Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "Former national security adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book will include descriptions of President Trump's 'inconsistent, scattershot decision-making' driven by 'reelection calculations' rather than national security, according to a news release from the book's publisher.... 'What Bolton saw astonished him: a president for whom getting reelected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation,' the news release said.... 'Trump's Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy -- and Bolton documents exactly what those were, and attempts by him and others in the Administration to raise alarms about them,' the Simon & Schuster news release states." ~~~
~~~ Kyle Cheney & Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump repeatedly endangered national security -- and committed a series of potentially impeachable offenses -- to boost his reelection prospects, former national security adviser John Bolton argues in a forthcoming White House memoir. Bolton writes that the House should have broadened its impeachment inquiry to other areas of his foreign policy.... Despite his swipe at the House, Bolton famously refused to cooperate with House investigators as they pursued allegations that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his Democratic adversaries."
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: While it's tempting to scream at Bolton, "Why didn't you say this stuff when it mattered?" the truth is that there are hundreds of knowledgeable people in the administration & Congress who decided to keep their heads down. They're all traitors to the Constitution & democratic principles. Bolton's voice would have made little difference: what? one or two more GOP senators voting for impeachment? ~~~
~~~ It Was About the Money. Jada Yuan of the Washington Post: "When Melania Trump stayed behind in New York after her husband' presidential inauguration, she said it was because she didn't want to interrupt their then-10-year-old son Barron's school year. News stories at the time concentrated on an apparent frostiness between the first couple and on the exorbitant taxpayer costs to protect Melania and Barron away from Washington.Those stories are true, but Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan reveals in a new book that the first lady was also using her delayed arrival to the White House as leverage for renegotiating her prenuptial agreement with President Trump." ~~~
~~~ The Non-denial Denial. Brett Samuels of the Hill: "'Yet another book about Mrs. Trump with false information and sources. This book belongs in the fiction genre,' Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's chief of staff, said in a statement. The statement did not address any specific claims in the book."
All the Best People, Ctd. Em Steck, et al., of CNN: "The White House's nominee for a top position at the Pentagon has a history of making Islamophobic and inflammatory remarks against prominent Democratic politicians, including falsely calling former President Barack Obama a Muslim.Retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, a frequent guest on Fox News and ardent defender of ... Donald Trump, was nominated to become the under secretary of defense for policy. If confirmed by the Senate, Tata would become the third highest official in the Pentagon overseeing the Defense Department's policy shop.... In several tweets from 2018, Tata said that Islam was the 'most oppressive violent religion I know of' and claimed Obama was a 'terrorist leader' who did more to harm the US 'and help Islamic countries than any president in history.' Following the publication of this story, Tata deleted several of his tweets, screenshots of which were captured by CNN's KFile."
Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court panel appeared inclined on Friday to permit a trial judge to complete his review of the Justice Department's attempt to drop a criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, as all thre judges asked skeptical questions about a request that they intervene and order the case dismissed. The nearly two hours of oral arguments, conducted by telephone because of the coronavirus pandemic and live-streamed over YouTube, were the latest step in an extraordinary and politically charged case against Mr. Flynn. He had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about his conversations in 2016 with the Russian ambassador before Attorney General William P. Barr decided last month to try to drop the case, a highly unusual intervention.... If the appeals court panel permits [the] process to play out, the Justice Department will have to respond to a scathing brief [former federal judge John] Gleeson submitted this week to Judge [Emmet] Sullivan that portrayed Mr. Barr's decision as a 'gross abuse' of power." An AP story is here. A Politico story is here.
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Fred Imbert & Yun Li of CNBC: "Stocks suffered their biggest one-day pull-back in three months on Thursday as traders grew concerned about the number of coronavirus cases increasing in some states that are reopening up from lockdowns. Shares that have surged recently on hopes for a smooth reopening of the economy led the declines. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 1,861.82 points, or 6.9%, to close at 25,128.17. The S&P 500 slid 5.9% to 3,002.10 while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.3%. to end the day at 9,492.73. The major averages posted their worst day since March 16, when they all dropped more than 11%. The S&P 500 also logged in its first three-day losing streak since early March."
Mike Stobbe of the AP: "Cases [of Covid-19] are rising in nearly half the states, according to an Associated Press analysis, a worrying trend that could intensify as people return to work and venture out during the summer. In Arizona, hospitals have been told to prepare for the worst. Texas has more hospitalized COVID-19 patients than at any time before. And the governor of North Carolina said recent jumps caused him to rethink plans to reopen schools or businesses. There is no single reason for the surges. In some cases, more testing has revealed more cases. In others, local outbreaks are big enough to push statewide tallies higher. But experts think at least some are due to lifting stay-at-home orders, school and business closures, and other restrictions put in place during the spring to stem the virus's spread."
How to Piss off Trumplethinskin, Part 1. Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The country's top military official apologized on Thursday for taking part in President Trump's walk across Lafayette Square for a photo op after the authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear the area of peaceful protesters. 'I should not have been there,' Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a prerecorded video commencement address to National Defense University. 'My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.... As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from,' General Milley said. He said he had been angry about 'the senseless and brutal killing of George Floyd' and repeated his opposition to Mr. Trump's suggestions that federal troops be deployed nationwide to quell protests.... General Milley called on the military to address issues of systemic racism in the armed forces, where 43 percent of the enlisted troops are people of color but only a tiny handful are in the ranks of senior leadership.... His first public remarks since Mr. Trump's photo op, in which federal authorities attacked peaceful protesters so that the president could hold up a Bible in front of St. John's Church, are certain to anger the White House, where Mr. Trump has spent the days since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis taking increasingly tougher stances against the growing movement for change across the country.... The back and forth between Mr. Trump and the Pentagon in recent days is evidence of the deepest civil-military divide since the Vietnam War -- except this time, military leaders, after halting steps in the beginning, are now positioning themselves firmly with those calling for change." A CNN story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Courtney Kube & Carol Lee of NBC News: "The Pentagon's top general [Mark Milley] discussed resigning amid criticism over his participation in ... Donald Trump's controversial photo op at a Washington church, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. [The evening of Trump's infamous Bible-hoisting photo-op], Milley spent hours looking at social media and reading news articles and saw dozens of people criticizing him for being at the photo op and walking around the city in his combat uniform, according to ... defense officials. He stayed up much of the night reading social media. He also reached out to confidantes, asking them for advice and discussing whether he should resign, the officials said." ~~~
~~~ Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post: "This will be the backdrop for Trump's visit Saturday to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he will deliver a commencement address to 1,105 graduating cadets. Milley is not expected to accompany the president -- nor is Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, a West Point graduate who also has clashed with the president over his handling of the protests.... Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the superintendent at West Point, said in an interview Thursday that he is honored by Trump's visit.... Amid last week's unrest, Williams, the first black officer to command West Point in its 218-year history, implored all students and faculty to commit themselves to eradicating racism and building cohesion in their community through kindness and compassion." ~~~
~~~ Fred Kaplan of Slate: "Trump is scheduled to give a commencement address this Saturday to the graduating cadets at West Point. Rather than delivering it remotely, as various leaders have done for other military academies, Trump -- against the wishes of West Point's leaders -- demanded that the Army cadets return to campus, isolate themselves for two weeks, and then, during the ceremony itself, sit in tight formation, ignoring CDC guidelines on social distancing. Of the 1,100 graduating cadets, 17 have tested positive for the coronavirus. The whole business, which seems designed to provide footage of Trump speaking before the newest flock of military officers for his reelection campaign, has sparked quiet resentment from many in the Army." ~~~
~~~ Hundreds of West Point Alumni in Medium, to West Point's Class of 2020: "Today, our Constitutional aspirations remain unfulfilled. The abhorrent murder of George Floyd has inspired millions to protest police brutality and the persistence of racism. Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests. Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience. Politicization of the Armed Forces puts at risk the bond of trust between the American military and American society.... We are concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to Duty, Honor, Country. Their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military."
How to Piss off Trumplethinskin, Part 2. Connor O'Brien of Politico: "The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved legislation that would give the Pentagon three years to rename installations and other military assets named for Confederate leaders. The measure was part of the overall $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which also includes provisions to block the military from using force against protesters. The committee approved the legislation in a 25-2 vote Wednesday in a closed markup. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) aims to pass the bill before the July Fourth holiday. During markup, the panel adopted an amendment from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) by voice vote to require the Pentagon to rename bases named that honor Confederate generals.... The panel also approved an amendment from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) that would restrict funding for the use of military force against protesters.... Despite its approval by the committee, Inhofe signaled his consternation with the provision.... It's a rare showing of unity against ... Donald Trump, who on Wednesday tweeted that he 'will not even consider' renaming bases such as Fort Bragg, Fort Hood or Fort Benning.... The White House pledged that Trump would veto legislation to rename the bases, which makes the NDAA more of a dogfight between lawmakers and Trump than anticipated." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "A pair of senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus introduced legislation on Thursday that would remove the remaining Confederate statues from the Capitol following nationwide protests against police brutality and racial profiling. The bill from Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) came a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for removing Confederate statues from the Capitol complex. There are 11 statues of people who served in the Confederacy, either as officials or soldiers, displayed in the Capitol complex. Some, such as Jefferson Davis, who served as president of the Confederate States, are located just steps from the House chamber."
Colby Itkowitz & John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Trump praised the use of tear gas and other force to disperse Minneapolis protesters, calling it a 'beautiful scene' and describing the National Guard's actions 'like a knife cutting butter.' 'I'll never forget. You saw the scene on that road ... they were lined up. Man, they just walked straight. And yes, there was some tear gas and probably some other things,' Trump said in opening remarks at a roundtable on policing and race. 'And the crowd dispersed and they went through. By the end of that evening, and it was a short evening, everything was fine.'... He defended police officers.... 'We have to respect our police. We have to take care of our police. They're protecting us. And if they're allowed to do their job, they'll do a great job,' Trump said.... Trump's campaign released an ad Wednesday focused on his self-proclaimed credentials as a law-and-order president while seeking to cast Biden as overly supportive of those who have protested Floyd's death." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: The President* of the United States has described as a "beautiful scene" an army of armored U.S. police & National Guardsmen lobbing tear gas at U.S. citizens peacefully protesting the police (alleged) murder of an American citizen. And Mitt Romney was the only Republican Member of Congress who voted to remove this brutal tyrant from office. ~~~
~~~ Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "... Donald Trump warned against [falsely] labeling 'tens of millions of decent Americans as racist or bigots' on Thursday during an event promoted as discussing 'justice disparities' in Dallas, Texas.... On Thursday, Trump repeatedly lauded police forces and described those who used excessive force as 'bad apples.' And instead of speaking about police violence against black people, Trump decried officers who are targeted in the line of duty. He also suggested his attempts at racial reconciliation would go 'quickly and easily.'... The President also confirmed during his remarks that the White House is finalizing an executive order on policing standards in the wake of national outcry over [George] Floyd's death at the hands of police officers in Minnesota. Trump said the order 'will encourage police departments nationwide to meet the most current, professional standards for the use of force, including tactics for de-escalation.' Explaining what standards of force the executive order would call for, Trump said it 'means force, but force with compassion.'... He is expected to attend a multimillion dollar reelection fundraiser." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McC: We must leave it to our imaginations to picture what Trump thinks "force with compassion" looks like. As for Trump's "quickly & easily" resolving 400 years of racial injustice, well, great, git 'er done, Donald. As we know, only you can fix it. Idiot. ~~~
~~~ Also from Vazquez's report: Trump has "continued to stand by his inflammatory rhetoric, which has often stoked racial tensions. In an interview with Fox News after the roundtable, Trump defended his use of the phrase 'when the looting starts, the shooting starts,' which, when he tweeted it last month, Twitter flagged for 'glorifying violence.' In a clip of the interview released Thursday night, Harris Faulkner, a black journalist with Fox News, asked the President where he thought the phrase came from. 'I think Philadelphia, the mayor of Philadelphia,' the President said. 'No,' Faulkner answered. 'It comes from 1967. I was about 18 months old at the time,' she said. 'It was from the chief of police in Miami. He was cracking down, and he meant what he said. And he said, "I don't even care if it makes it look like brutality, I'm going to crack down. When the looting starts, the shooting starts." That frightened a lot of people when you tweeted that.' 'Well, it also comes from a very tough mayor,' Trump said, referring to former Philadelphia Mayor and Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo, a statue of whom was removed from its post in the city last week." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Even worse, Donald, you ignorant bigot. From a NYT report June 3: "The city of Philadelphia took a step to heal a notable scar from its past early Wednesday morning by quietly removing the statue of the former mayor Frank Rizzo..., long criticized as a symbol of racism and division..., who took a confrontational approach to black and gay people as police commissioner in the 1960s and '70s." Rizzo urged the residents of the City of Brotherly Love to "vote white." I suppose that in Trump's mind, suggesting Rizzo was a racist would be "falsely labeling" the "very tough mayor." ~~~
~~~ Todd Gillman & Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News: "... Donald Trump heads to Dallas on Thursday for a discussion on race and policing that excludes the three top law enforcement officials in the county -- a police chief, sheriff and district attorney who all are black. The police chief of Glenn Heights, a town of 11,000 south of Dallas, will be part of the discussion." Mrs. McC: The Glenn Heights chief is Vernell Dooley, and he is black. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Thursday extended hi feud with the mayor of Seattle and governor of Washington after the pair mocked his threats to intervene in a police-free 'autonomous zone' set up in the city by protesters this week. Drawing former Vice President Joe Biden into the dispute, Trump urged his presumptive general election rival in a tweet to 'tell his Radical Left BOSSES that they are heading in the wrong direction' and 'tell them to get out of Seattle now.' Gov. Jay Inslee, he added, 'is looking "the fool". LAW & ORDER!' The back-and-forth began Wednesday night, when Trump charged in a tweet that the protesters who'd taken over several city blocks in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood were tantamount to 'domestic terrorists,' faulting what he characterized as the city's 'radical left' Democratic leadership for the situation. Days earlier, demonstrators there protesting police brutality and racism declared control over the area after forcing police to vacate one of their precincts in the neighborhood, newly dubbed the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.'"
Ellen Mitchell of the Hill: "Defense Secretary Mark Esper late Thursday announced an 'After Action Review' of the National Guard's controversial role in nationwide protests last week. The Pentagon chief named Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy to lead the review, which is due by July 30 and will look at the Guard's 'recent efforts in support of law enforcement to address civil unrest,' specifically in the past two weeks, according to a Defense Department statement. In the statement, Esper said the Guard 'has performed professionally and capably in support of law enforcement in cities across the United States.' Lawmakers are pressing for answers on the use of military forces in the protests sparked by the May 25 death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd...." Mrs. McC: Sounds as if Esper has predetermined the conclusions of the "review."
Pete Muntean & Gregory Wallace of CNN: "... several aircraft -- both piloted and unpiloted -- that CNN has been able to track [were] flying [in highly-restricted airspace] over protests in Washington, [as well as in] Minneapolis and Las Vegas. Government watchdogs fear the planes were used to track protesters and perhaps capture cell phone data. The government's use of surveillance planes to watch over those protesting the police killing of George Floyd has captured the attention of nearly three dozen Democrats in Congress who want to know whether the planes -- typically equipped wit live video cameras and heat sensors -- were used for 'surveilling of Americans engaged in peaceful protests.'In a June 9 letter to the heads of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection and the National Guard, lawmakers demanded an end to the practice "immediately and permanently" and called the use of aircraft above protests a 'deep and profound' breach of Americans' First and Fourth Amendment rights."
"Just Trying Not to Die." Sheryl Stolberg & Noah Weiland of the New York Times: "Coronavirus infections were spiking in 21 states on Wednesday, and cases in the United States topped two million -- but Washington had other business.... The coronavirus may not be done with the nation, but the nation's capital appears to be done with the coronavirus. As the pandemic's grim numbers continue to climb -- more than 112,000 dead as of Wednesday and warnings from Arizona that its hospitals could be full by next month -- Mr. Trump and lawmakers in both parties are exhibiting a short attention span.... 'You guys with all your masks, you look very different than you used to,' [Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows] said [to reporters on Capitol Hill], not wearing one himself. 'We're just trying not to die,' replied Jake Sherman, a reporter for Politico." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Illinois. Chicago's Finest. Shia Capos of Politico: "As many as 13 Chicago police officers broke into Rep. Bobby Rush's Chicago campaign offices to lounge on chairs, drink coffee and make popcorn while looters vandalized nearby businesses in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Rush and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Thursday. The two Illinois Democrats stood together at a news conference to call out the actions, which took place at the end of May. While they spoke, images of officers 'in repose,' as Rush said, were flashed on a screen.... Rush [said]: 'They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn -- my popcorn -- in my microwave while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sight and within their reach.'... Rush's campaign office, which has been closed since the primary in March, is in a strip mall that was looted over the weekend of May 30-31. Rush said his staff noticed someone had broken into the offices when they entered on Monday, June 1. Then they looked at the surveillance video, which showed officers sitting on chairs and one even taking a nap. Lightfoot said the offices had been looted earlier in the weekend and that officers came in and out afterward over a period of four hours in the early hours of June 1."
Kentucky. Rebekah Riess & Theresa Waldrop of CNN: "The Louisville, Kentucky, metro council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance called 'Breonna's Law' on Thursday, banning no-knock search warrants in wake of Breonna Taylor's death. Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot eight times by Louisville police after officers forced their way inside her home and exchanged shots with her boyfriend in an attempted drug sting in March. The officers had a no-knock warrant. The council voted 26-0 in favor of the ordinance Thursday evening, tweeted that he plans to sign it 'as soon as it hits my desk.'"
New York. NBC 4 New York: "The 75-year-old man hospitalized after he was pushed by a police officer during a peaceful protest last week in Buffalo, New York, suffered a brain injury as a result of the incident, his lawyer revealed Thursday. Kelly Zarcone said her client, activist Martin Gugino, 'is starting physical therapy,' which Zarcone called 'a step in the right direction.'" Mrs. McC: Of course that didn't stop Donald Trump, who -- rather than showing concern for Gugino's well-being -- suggested Gugino was a provocateur who play-acted his fall.
Ohio. Might Be the "Colored Population's" Own Fault. Laura Bischoff of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News: "During a hearing on whether to declare racism a public health crisis, state Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, asked if 'the colored population' is hit harder by the coronavirus because perhaps they don't wash their hands as well as other groups. Huffman, an emergency room physician, asked a witness before the Senate Health Committee on Tuesday why COVID-19 is hitting African Americans harder than white people. 'My point is I understand African Americans have a higher incidence of chronic conditions and it makes them more susceptible to death from COVID. But why it doesn't make them more susceptible to just get COVID. Could it just be that African Americans or the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups or wear a mask or do not socially distance themselves? That could be the explanation of the higher incidence?' he said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Jennifer Hansler of CNN: "... Donald Trump on Thursday authorized sanctions and additional visa restrictions against International Criminal Court personnel -- the latest attempt by the administration to strong-arm the international body out of an investigation into a potential war crimes by US military and intelligence officials. Under the new executive order, any individuals who 'have directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any United States personnel without the consent of the United States' or have attempted the same against a US ally without that country's consent may be subject to sanctions. The latest move comes months after the ICC authorized a probe into alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by US and Afghan forces as well as alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Taliban. It also follows a push by the court's Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to investigate potential crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians -- a prospect about which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said they were 'gravely concerned.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~
~~~ Jacopo Barrigazzi of Politico: "Donald Trump's decision to authorize sanctions against the International Criminal Court is 'a matter of serious concern,' the EU's top diplomat said.... This 'is a matter of serious concern, as you can understand, because we as the European Union are steadfast supporters of the International Criminal Court,' Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, said in an online press conference after a virtual meeting with foreign affairs ministers from the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine)."
Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection used emergency funding meant for [humanitarian aid to] migrant families and children to pay for dirt bikes, canine supplies, computer equipment and other enforcement related-expenditures, according to a report published Thursday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.... The supplemental bill included a line item for about $112 million in 'consumables and medical care,' but CBP used some of the money to pay for enforcement-related hardware and expenses that were not authorized, according to the GAO...."
Presidential Race
Rebecca Shabad & Marianna Sotomayor of NBC News: "Joe Biden said Wednesday night that his greatest concern is whether everyone's votes will be counted in November as he warned that ... Donald Trump may try to 'steal' the presidential election. In an interview on Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show,' host Trevor Noah asked the former vice president what the plan is to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote without being in a line that's six hours long, as many people in Georgia experienced during Tuesday's primary.... Biden noted that the president has repeatedly cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in ballots even though Trump himself took advantage of the process to vote in Florida earlier this year. 'This is a guy who said all mail-in ballots are fraudulent, voting by mail, while he sits behind the desk in the Oval Office and writes his mail-in ballot to vote in the primary,' he said.... He then spoke about the former high-ranking military officials who criticized Trump for how aggressively he responded last week to protests over George Floyd's death, using the National Guard to force peaceful demonstrators from outside the White House. 'I am absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch,' Biden said if Trump loses the election and refuses to leave." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: As crazy as this sounds, it would not surprise me if Trump tried to foment treason among the armed forces & Second-Amendment militia by urging them to take up arms against those who would "escort him from the White House." If so, some would certainly answer the call.
King Covid Will Not Pay the Peasants. Kathryn Watson & Nicole Sganga of CBS News: "Trump supporters who attend his first rally since the coronavirus pandemic began must agree not to sue if they contract COVID-19. The president is set to hold his first rally since March next week at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an arena that seats more than 19,000 people. The president has emphasized he wants his rallies full of people and has made his distaste for masks clear. 'By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,' the campaign website says on the RSVP page for the rally. 'By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury.' Tulsa's mayor says the city is still working on details for the rally, which would violate the Centers for Disease Control's social distancing guidelines." ~~~
~~~ DeNeen Brown of the Washington Post: "... African Americans across the country have marked [June 19 as a] day of liberation with a holiday known as Juneteenth. President Trump announced Wednesday that he plans to resume holding his political rallies -- in Tulsa on June 19, the celebratory day of Juneteeth. Yet Tulsa is the site of one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history: the 1921 race massacre. The announcement that Trump would hold a political rally on Juneteenth in a city -- where as many as 300 black people were killed by mobs of white people -- shocked some historians.... On June 19, 1865 -- more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in Confederate states -- Maj. General Gordon Granger stood at the Headquarters District of Texas in Galveston and read 'General Order No. 3': 'The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.' Black people who heard the news erupted in celebration." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Don't be shocked, historians. Offending African-Americans is a Trump specialty. ~~~
~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "It's official: President Trump [link fixed] will deliver his Aug. 27 convention speech in Jacksonville, Fla., inside an arena that holds 15,000 people, after his demands for an event without social distancing rules led to a rift with Democratic leaders in North Carolina, where the Republican convention was originally planned. Ronna [Romney] McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, confirmed on Thursday that the speech would take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, a diverse city where the mayor and the governor are both Republican allies of Mr. Trump's. An R.N.C. official would not say what, if any, coronavirus safety precautions would be put in place.... The event for Mr. Trump in Jacksonville ... coincides with one of the darkest days in the city's history. The president will address his supporters on the 60th anniversary of 'Ax Handle Saturday,' when a white mob organized by the Ku Klux Klan attacked mostly black civil rights protesters sitting at the city's whites-only lunch counters. The attackers hid ax handles in the brush at Hemming Park, said Alan Bliss, the executive director of the Jacksonville Historical Society." Emphasis added. A Politico story is here.
Donald Who? Sam Stein & Lachlan Markay of the Daily Beast: "Four months ago, Sen. Thom Tillis put out an ad defending ... Donald Trump from impeachment, boasting about the White House's trade deals, and triumphantly noting that the president would be on the ballot in November. This past week, references to the president were entirely absent from the vulnerable North Carolina Republican's latest campaign spot. In fact, the ad centered on his state's economic pain at the precise moment that Trump's re-election campaign was trying to sell a nascent economic recovery that it dubbed the 'Great American Comeback.' Tillis' change in tone underscores a much larger trend that's taking place among the Senate's most vulnerable Republican members. While many are happy to tout Trump in email and social media fundraising appeals, the president has all but disappeared from the ads they're airing in their home states.... Trump's conspicuous absence from Senate Republican ads tracks internal tactical advice that the National Republican Senatorial Committee relayed to Senate campaigns in April when it told them to avoid publicly defending White House efforts to combat the coronavirus and instead attack China over its complicity in the virus' early spread."
How One Ex-Dubya Official Found Gainful Employment. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A former head of public affairs for the Drug Enforcement Administration who later worked as a producer for TMZ has admitted to a fraud scheme that involved posing as an undercover CIA operative in order to swindle government contractors out of over $4 million. Details of the complex scam carried out by Garrison Courtney, 44, became public Thursday morning as he pleaded guilty to a felony wire fraud charge in Alexandria, Va., before U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady. In the scheme, Courtney informed various businesses that the CIA or other agencies needed to place individuals on the companies’ payroll as part of an undercover operation ... O'Grady explained as he read from an agreed statement of facts in the case. Courtney told the firms the program involved a 'task force' set up by the president, the attorney general and the director of national intelligence, according to the judge. Courtney even drafted fake letters from the attorney general claiming those involved in the operation had legal immunity from prosecution, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alexandria." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Hannah Wiley & Kate Irby of The Fresno Bee: "A Democratic strategist [Adam Parkhomenko] is refusing to disclose communications that could reveal the identity of anonymous Twitter users who criticize Rep. Devin Nunes, arguing in a new court filing that the accounts are clearly satirical expressions of political speech. Nunes, R-Tulare, has sued Twitter and anonymous social media users who run accounts known as Devin Nunes' Cow and Devin Nunes' Mom.... 'No reasonable person would believe that Devin Nunes' cow actually has a Twitter account...' reads the filing in Virginia's Henrico County Circuit Court. 'It is self-evident that cows are domesticated livestock animals and do not have the intelligence, language, or opposable digits needed to operate a Twitter account. Defendant 'Devin Nunes' Mom' likewise posts satirical patronizing, nagging, mothering comments which ostensibly treat Mr. Nunes as a misbehaving child.'" --s
Beyond the Beltway
Australia. Lorena Allam & Calla Wahlquist of the Guardian: "Mining giant BHP Billiton is poised to destroy at least 40 -- and possibly as many as 86 -- significant Aboriginal sites in the central Pilbara to expand its $4.5bn South Flank iron ore mining operation, even though its own reports show it is aware that the traditional owners are deeply opposed to the move.... Under section 18 of the Western Australian Aboriginal Heritage Act, the traditional owners -- in this case the Banjima people -- are unable to lodge objections or to prevent their sacred sites from being damaged." --s
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