The Conversation -- May 20, 2025
Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus? -- Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in a Senate hearing Tuesday
Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country. -- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department has flagrantly violated residents' Constitutional rights to petition for writs of habeas corpus, responding
Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people. If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason.... Habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea. -- Sen. Hassan, responding ~~~
Steve Benen of MSNBC: "... Noem is ... a college graduate with a degree in political science; she served several years as a state legislator; she served several more years as an elected member of Congress; she was twice elected to serve as the governor of her home state; and she's now leading ... a department that's currently in the process of seizing people in the United States. If anyone should have a rudimentary understanding of what habeas corpus is, it's the secretary of homeland security.... As part of the same congressional hearing, Noem also proceeded to argue that Donald Trump has the constitutional authority to suspend habeas corpus, but that was wrong, too: The Constitution includes this provision as a constitutional power in Article I [that is, it is a Congressional prerogative (with strict limitations)]. In a healthier political environment, a fiasco such as this one would lead to credible discussion about whether Noem should be forced to resign in embarrassment." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See his commentary below. ~~~
~~~ Michael Gold of the New York Times: "Ms. Noem's answer, which echoed the Trump administration's expansive view of presidential power, flipped the legal right on its head, turning a constitutional shield against unlawful detention into broad presidential authority." ~~~
~~~ Marie: A real president wants his advisors and Cabinet to be more knowledgeable than he is, especially within the parameters of their own responsibilities. We do not have a real president.
"Trump's Deference to Putin Stunned European Leaders." Barak Ravid & Dave Lawler of Axios: "Ukrainian President Zelensky and five other European leaders joined a conference call with ... [Donald] Trump immediately after his call with Vladimir Putin on Monday hoping to hear that Putin had agreed to a ceasefire -- or the U.S. would impose penalties on him for refusing to do so. Instead, Trump said Putin had agreed to negotiate, stressed the U.S. wouldn't be involved in those negotiations, and pushed back against the idea of imposing sanctions on Putin at the current time, two sources who were on the call and a third source briefed on the call told Axios.... Trump gave the impression he was getting closer to withdrawing from the issue altogether. Some leaders on the call seemed 'surprised' or 'shocked,' the sources said.... Leaders on the call seemed surprised that Trump seemed relatively content with what he heard from Putin, and presented it as a new development, even though the Russian leader did not seem to have changed his position at all, the sources said."
All the Best People. Andrew Duehren of the New York Times: "Billy Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri whom ... [Donald] Trump has tapped to lead the Internal Revenue Service, encouraged people to claim a tax credit that the I.R.S. has said does not exist.... Mr. Long's effort [for which he was paid] to promote the tax credit, along with his peddling of a separate, fraud-ridden pandemic-era tax break, will be under close scrutiny on Tuesday when he appears before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing. After leaving Congress in 2023, Mr. Long, who had no background in tax, began working with a web of entities that made questionable promises to taxpayers of large I.R.S. refunds, according to his financial disclosure and previous reporting by The New York Times.... The I.R.S., responding to a request from Senate Democrats, told lawmakers..., 'We can confirm that these tax credits do not exist.'... 'Taxpayers who claim credits that don't exist are subject to penalties and possible examination. Furthermore, promoters of these credits may be subject to civil or criminal penalties.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump doesn't pick the Worst Possible Candidates by accident. He is mocking the very notion of government for the people.
Adam Taylor & Martine Powers of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration has devised plans to spend up to $250 million earmarked for foreign assistance to fund instead the removal and return of people from active conflict zones, including 700,000 Ukrainian and Haitian migrants who fled to the United States amid extreme, ongoing violence back home, according to draft internal documents reviewed by The Washington Post.... In addition to Ukrainians and Haitians, the draft documents also mention Afghans, Palestinians, Libyans, Sudanese, Syrians and Yemenis, saying they, too, could be targeted as part of the voluntary deportation program. The U.N.-affiliated migration office does not support the return of people to any of those places, the draft documents say.... Critics of the proposal, including former government officials, said it is inhumane and counter to long-held U.S. ideals for the Trump administration to push people seeking refuge to return to countries where they are at risk of being killed. They also raised questions about whether such a plan represents a misuse of foreign aid funds designated primarily to support refugees and their resettlement."
Marie: I meant to link the column Tom Friedman of the New York Times wrote on which Lawrence O'Donnell based his first segment last night. What O'Donnell pulled from Friedman's column was this: "Joe Biden -- even at his most inarticulate and even with his voice weakened by age -- has more gut commitment to and understanding of what America at its best means to the world, and who our real friends are and must always be, than every member of the Trump administration combined." Generally speaking, Friedman probably gets more wrong than he gets right, but this is one of the places where he got it right.
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David Gilmore of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump has called for a 'major investigation' into Bruce Springsteen [the] night after the rock legend delivered a scathing critique of the president during his UK tour. In a Truth Social post late Sunday night, Trump accused Springsteen of having been paid by former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for a campaign performance and endorsement -- without offering any evidence. Trump also floated similar claims about Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and ... Bono, all of whom publicly supported Harris or the Democrats during the 2024 election." Gilmore publishes two Trump posts, both of which required extended employment of the Caps Lock feature. (Also linked yesterday.)
Trump Is One Tough Negotiator! Erica Green & Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: Donald "Trump on Monday backed off his demand that Russia declare an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, instead endorsing President Vladimir V. Putin's call for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. After a two-hour phone call with Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump said the Russian leader had agreed to 'immediately' start direct negotiations with Ukraine toward a cease-fire and a broader peace deal to end the war. He said the conditions would be negotiated directly between the warring countries 'because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of.' It was a shift from Mr. Trump's recent threats of more pressure on Russia.... Mr. Trump also appeared enthusiastic to surrender his mediating role to a higher power: the pope. In his statement, Mr. Trump said the Vatican had expressed interest in hosting the upcoming negotiations, and urged: 'Let the process begin!'... The lack of any meaningful breakthrough ... shows how Mr. Trump's belief in his personal charisma and negotiating acumen has so far run up against deep divisions and complex political motivations guiding Russia and Ukraine." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, I remember way last year when Trump promised he would secure a Ukraine/Russia peace agreement on "Day One" (or before!) of his administration, implying he could do so easily because he "knew things" about Putin & Zelensky. Now he's acceding to more Putin demands AND handing off the negotiating job to the Pope. ~~~
~~~ Trump Appears Feeble. Sam Kiley of the Independent: "The call, the White House hoped, would show how much influence the US president had in the Kremlin.... Instead it showed that it is, again, Putin who pulls the strings.... Trump has consistently adopted Russian negotiating platforms against Ukraine. He has also supported the Kremlin in United Nations votes and frequently blamed Ukraine for the Russian invasion of its neighbour. He has doggedly pursued efforts to improve Russia's economic prospects and he has used the Russian invasion to gouge a minerals deal out of Kyiv in payment for future arms support. He has also ruled out US involvement in any security force for Ukraine, even if a peace deal is one day struck. The US president has begun to understand that he's appearing feeble.... Talks are likely to get underway at the Vatican. They will lead nowhere."
Trump the Chump and His Amazing Flying Machine. Eric Lipton, et al., of the New York Times: "The story of how the Trump administration decided that it would accept a free luxury Boeing 747-8 from Qatar to serve as Air Force One involved weeks of secret coordination between Washington and Doha. The Pentagon and the White House's military office swung into action, and Mr. Trump's Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff, played a key role.... It remains unclear exactly how a plan that Pentagon officials and others inside the administration initially assumed would involve buying the plane from Qatar morphed into a proposed gift by the Middle Eastern nation.... At no point, Pentagon officials said, did the Air Force propose that the plane be donated." This story reports what the NYT knows about the deal. ~~~
~~~ Alex Marquardt, et al., of CNN: "The Trump administration first approached Qatar to inquire about acquiring a Boeing 747 that could be used as Air Force One by ... Donald Trump, four sources familiar with the discussions told CNN. That's contrary to the narrative from the president that Qatar reached out and offered the jet as a 'gift' to him.... [One] source recalled that the initial discussions were about leasing the plane, rather than buying it outright. But Trump has repeatedly described the potential deal as a 'gesture' or 'contribution' from Qatar's royal family. A 'GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE,' he wrote on his social media site Truth Social." Rachel Maddow pointed out last night that Trump is going to want to know the identities of the "senior White House official" and others sources who leaked the seamy particulars to the press.
Thank You for Your Service. William Wan & Hannah Natanson of the Washington Post: "The president had called federal employees 'crooked' and 'dishonest,' and his deputies had vowed to purge them from government and make them suffer.... When Trump took office in January, 2.4 million people worked for the federal government, making it America's largest employer. In four months, Trump and a chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk have hacked off chunks of government in the name of efficiency, with tactics rarely seen in public or private industry. The cuts so far represent just 6 percent of the federal workforce, but they have effectively wiped out entire departments and agencies....
"Some have found themselves fired, rehired, then let go again. Many have been ridiculed as 'lazy' and 'corrupt.' They've been locked out of offices by police, fired for political 'disloyalty,' and told to check their email to see if they still draw a paycheck. In interviews, more than 30 former and current federal workers told The Washington Post that the chaos and mass firings had left them feeling devalued, demoralized and scared for themselves and the country. Many described problems they'd never experienced before: insomnia, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts.... In a 2023 recording surfaced by ProPublica, Trump budget director Russell Vought said, 'We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains.' Vought, who was giving a private speech for a pro-Trump think tank, concluded: 'We want to put them in trauma.'"
Now They're Arresting the Opposition. Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "The Justice Department charged a New Jersey congresswoman with assaulting federal agents during a clash outside a Newark immigration detention center and dropped a trespass charge against the city's mayor that arose from the same episode, the department said Monday. Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, disclosed the move in a post on X, saying that the congresswoman, LaMonica McIver, had been charged 'for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement' when she visited the detention center with two other Democratic members of Congress from New Jersey on May 9.... Ms. Habba also announced that she had dismissed a misdemeanor charge for trespass against Ras J. Baraka, the Democratic mayor of Newark, whose arrest had precipitated the flare-up with federal agents after he sought to join the lawmakers on their tour of the detention center but was denied entry. She said she had dismissed the charge 'for the sake of moving forward.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Arresting a Congresswoman attempting to fulfill her Constitutional duties is a consequential matter. You don't post about it on X. Unless you don't know WTF you're doing. ~~~
~~~ Madison Fernandez, et al., of Politico: "The charge is an extraordinary stress-test for the separation of powers at a time in which ... Donald Trump is seeking to maximize executive branch dominance. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week warned against federal law enforcement targeting the Democratic members and called arrests a 'red line.' House Democratic leadership in a statement slammed the charge as 'extreme, morally bankrupt and lacks any basis in law or fact.'... The Justice Department's senior leadership made clear Monday evening that they endorse the highly unusual decision to charge a sitting member of Congress with assaulting a police officer. 'I echo what [Habba] has made clear: assaults on federal law enforcement will not be tolerated,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on X. 'This Administration will always protect those who work tirelessly to keep America safe.'"
~~~ Marie: Really, Blanched Toad? How does your colleague Russell Vought's promise "to put them in trauma" fit into your claim? (See report by Wan & Natanson, linked above.) ~~~
~~~ But let's say a citizen was shot dead while invading the Capitol and attempting to get to to members of Congress in order to overturn legitimate presidential election results. ~~~
~~~ Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's administration is set to pay nearly $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt to settle a lawsuit brought by the estate of the Trump supporter who was fatally shot by police when she tried to storm the House Speaker's Lobby during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to two people familiar with the matter.... Lawyers for both sides told a judge this month that they had reached a settlement in principle, reversing the Justice Department's earlier opposition in the case, which had been set for trial in July 2026. No final deal had been signed.... Two people briefed on the matter said the Justice Department has agreed in principle to pay just under $5 million to Babbitt's family." The CBS News story is here.
Sara Tenenbaum of CBS News Chicago: "The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's office Monday to inform him they've opened an investigation into the city's hiring practices. The letter, dated Monday, accuses the City of Chicago of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in its hiring practices for state and local government employees. The letter says Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the investigation be opened based on information 'suggesting that you have made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race.' The DOJ letter was a lightning-fast reaction to comments made by Mayor Johnson on Sunday at the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn. The mayor talked at the church about the number of Black officials in his administration.... Title VII of the Civil Rights act prevents employment discrimination, but there are major exceptions to it. These include hiring at churches, and political appointments -- like Johnson's senior staff whom he listed Sunday. 'They would not be employees under Title VII, so even if it were true that he was going out of his way to hire people of a particular race, that would not violate the law,' said Carolyn Shapiro of the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Shapiro said the DOJ assumption that since Johnson's senior staff is mostly Black, there is discrimination at play, is a leap."
The President's efforts here to take over an organization outside of those bounds, contrary to statute established by Congress and by acts of force and threat using local and federal law enforcement officers, represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better. -- Judge Beryl Howell, opinion, U.S. Institute of Peace v. Jackson ~~~
~~~ Derek Hawkins of the Washington Post: "A federal judge in Washington ruled Monday that the Trump administration exceeded its authority when it dismantled the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent nonprofit created by Congress. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell said the institute, while part of the federal government, was separate from the executive branch; therefore..., Donald Trump lacked power to terminate its board at will. Administration officials and members of billionaire Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service -- aided by local and federal law enforcement agencies --; seized the institute's privately owned headquarters in March and summarily removed its leaders." (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ The Independent's report, by Alex Woodward, recalls DOGE's "armed takeover" of the organization and its building. From the WashPo report, it appears now-former U.S. attorney for D.C. Ed Martin was threatened to criminally charge the employees of the Institute of Peace. Here's Howell's decision, via the courts. (Also linked yesterday.)
Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to cancel temporary protections that have allowed nearly 350,000 Venezuelans to remain in the United States for humanitarian reasons. Trump officials has asked the justices to lift a lower-court order that barred the administration from ending the temporary protected status while litigation over the matter continues. The Biden administration created the protected status for Venezuelans in 2021 and 2023, finding that economic and political turmoil under the regime of President Nicolás Maduro made it too risky to deport migrants back to their home country. Officials approved a third extension of TPS in the waning days of Joe Biden's presidency that would have kept the protections in place through October 2026, but the Trump administration said the program was not in the 'national interest.'" At 12:45 pm ET, this is a developing story. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Abbie VanSickle & Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Monday let the Trump administration, for now, remove protections from nearly 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants who had been allowed to remain in the United States without risk of deportation under a program known as Temporary Protected Status. The court's brief order was unsigned and gave no reasons, which is typical when the justices rule on emergency applications. No vote count was listed, although Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted that she would have denied the administration's request.... Ahilan Arulanantham, a lawyer representing the immigrants challenging the Trump administration, called the court's decision 'truly shocking,' especially that it was announced 'in a two-paragraph order with no reasoning.... This is the largest single action stripping any group of noncitizens of immigration status in modern U.S. history.... The humanitarian and economic impact of the court's decision will be felt immediately, and will reverberate for generations.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: I suggest all of the justices except Jackson take an extended tour of Venezuela for their summer vacation. Heck, it would be fine with me if one of Clarence's ultra-rich buddies paid for the trip. In fact, why not take Trump with them? The NYT reporters explain TPS like so: "The Temporary Protected Status program, enacted by Congress and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, allows migrants from nations that have experienced national disasters, armed conflicts or other extraordinary instabilities to live and work legally in the United States." Trump and his administration -- and now eight Supremes -- imply that the emergency conditions in Venezuela are all fixed. Now Venezuela is a safe haven. Thanks a bit curious. As Rachel Maddow pointed out last night, Trump's own State Department disagrees. Here's its latest travel advisory: "May 12, 2025: ... Do not travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure. All U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately." But, hey, if the Trump & the Supremes say it's okay, they should be happy to pack their bags. Maybe they could leave on that Qatari jet plane.
Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal appeals court has left in place an order requiring the Trump administration to seek the return of a Venezuelan man deported in March from the U.S. to a prison in El Salvador. A panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 Monday to deny the administration's request to block the order a federal judge in Maryland issued after concluding that the man, Daniel Lozano-Camargo, was deported in violation of a legal settlement involving asylum seekers who entered the U.S. as minors.... It's the second time the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit has left in place lower-court orders requiring the Trump administration to facilitate the return of immigrants who were wrongfully sent to El Salvador... in March." The first case was that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Carolina Miranda in a Washington Post op-ed on CECOT the brutal prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has sent immigrants without allowing them due process: "Opened in 2023 and designed to incarcerate top-level gang members, this maxi mum-security detention center has become infamous for its austere conditions -- partly because Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele loves to share slick social media videos about it that show prisoners being frog-marched to warehouse chambers where they reportedly never see the light of day.... The grotesque images that have emerged from CECOT, like the human zoos that preceded it, are about presenting a barely contained savagery, reinforcing the idea that some people don't qualify as fully human.... The display of these men -- in a prison that flouts international standards of incarceration, under a regime where due process can be more rumor than fact -- ... has turned them into props in a propaganda war that visually conflates undocumented immigration with membership in a criminal organization..." This is a gift link. Thanks to laura h. for the link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Read the whole post for the history lesson. Miranda doesn't focus on it, but the major purpose of repeatedly demonizing and incarcerating Hispanic men is to instill fear of them in non-Hispanics. "Otherizing" is not only about controlling one minority; it is also about making sure that the other groups fear them and adopt the otherizing frame-of-mind. It is the opposite of the American "melting pot" ideal; its purpose is to make sure the ingredients in the pot don't mix and improve the stew's flavor.
Mary Jalonick of the AP: "The Senate has confirmed real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of ... Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Charles Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors alleged that he hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation after discovering his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, hiring a prostitute and arranging to have the encounter recorded with a hidden camera and sent to his own sister, the man's wife.... Chris Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time..., called it 'one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes' he ever prosecuted as U.S. attorney.... Kushner was confirmed with the support of one Democrat -- New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Excellent: a criminal pardoned by a criminal who -- according to former French ambassador to the US Gérard Araud -- doesn't even speak French, which is kind of a minimum job requirement. And let me assure you, French is not a language Kushner is going to master with a little help from Berlitz.
Kate Santaliz & Julie Tsirkin of NBC News: "The Senate advanced a major cryptocurrency regulation bill Monday on a bipartisan vote two weeks after every Senate Democrat united to block it. The procedural vote on the GENIUS Act -- which would establish the first regulatory framework for issuers of stablecoins, digital tokens pegged to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar -- was 66-32. Sixteen Democrats voted with the majority of Senate Republicans to advance the bill. Two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Jerry Moran of Kansas, voted against it.... Democratic support to proceed with the legislation was unlocked after a group of bipartisan negotiators -- Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Mark Warner, D-Va.; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md.; and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. -- reached an agreement late last week on an amendment to the bill that addressed key sticking points for Democrats. The amendment, which Democratic negotiators circulated over the weekend and has been obtained by NBC News, includes new changes to consumer protection safeguards and limits on tech companies issuing stablecoins, and it would extend ethics standards to special government employees -- which would temporarily apply to Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur David Sacks."
Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "CBS News faced another shock wave on Monday after its president, Wendy McMahon, abruptly said that she would exit her post, the latest development in an ongoing showdown between the news division and ... [Donald] Trump. Ms. McMahon, whose full title was president of CBS News and Stations, said in a memo that 'it's become clear the company and I do not agree on the path forward.' Tensions between Ms. McMahon and CBS's parent company, Paramount, have simmered for months, a period that Ms. McMahon described in her memo as 'challenging.' Paramount is in talks to settle a $20 billion lawsuit brought by Mr. Trump that accused '60 Minutes' of deceptively editing an interview last year with his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. Many legal experts have called the suit baseless, but Paramount's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has said she favors settling the case. She is seeking the Trump administration's approval for a multibillion-dollar sale of her company to a Hollywood studio, Skydance. The situation prompted the executive producer of '60 Minutes,' Bill Owens, to resign last month, saying he no longer enjoyed his usual journalistic independence. At the time, Ms. McMahon took pains to signal her support for Mr. Owens...." This fits right in with a segment of "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver, embedded late yesterday morning. (Also linked yesterday.)
Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "Former president Joe Biden thanked Americans on Monday for their 'love and support,' a day after it was disclosed he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. 'Cancer touches us all,' Biden wrote on X in his first public comment about the diagnosis. 'Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.' Biden shared a picture of himself seated with former first lady Jill Biden and their cat, Willow." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Naftali Bendavid, et al., of the Washington Post: "... in a reflection of today's harsh political environment and reignited questions over Biden's health during his reelection campaign and his inner circle's handling of the situation, some Republicans and right-wing activists wasted little time asserting, without evidence, that Biden and his circle covered up the diagnosis. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, said the diagnosis was 'very sad, actually' and that he felt 'badly about it' But he also questioned why it wasn't caught earlier.... [Biden's] cancer diagnosis renewed debate about who should receive annual screenings, and at what age, for signs of the disease. Prostate cancer specialists told The Washington Post that it is not unusual for someone Biden's age to skip screening for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which, when elevated, can indicate a higher risk of prostate cancer.... The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which makes medical recommendations about preventive services such as screenings, explicitly recommends against PSA screening in men 70 years and older.... Oncologists specializing in prostate cancer said even aggressive cancers can appear suddenly or without symptoms." ~~~
~~~ Dr. Lawrence Altman in STAT News: "Based on the public record of Biden's medical care and standard medical recommendations, as recently as a year ago there was no reason to perform screening tests for the disease, despite his age, 81 at the time. The diagnosis underscores the fact that cancers can sometimes pop up suddenly, even among recipients of the most sophisticated care doctors can offer." ~~~
~~~ Marie: In yesterday's comments section, I said I was a little mad at Joe Biden for not getting tested. Now I acknowledge I was wrong about that. So I'm back to be mad only at the advisors who told him he was fine and should run for a second term. ~~~
~~~ Reid Epstein & Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "In recent days, prominent Democrats had begun to self-examine their role championing Mr. Biden's re-election bid despite his signs of aging and voters' clear preference for a younger candidate. Now, top Democrats' conversation about Mr. Biden has shifted to well wishes and statements of concern for the former president, whose office said on Sunday that he had a serious form of cancer that has spread to his bones. The grim development has made recriminations about his role in his party's calamitous 2024 loss appear disrespectful, pausing efforts by younger leaders to treat the subject with new honesty.... Mixed in with the prayers were a few whispered uncertainties that reflected a lingering lack of trust in what he and those closest to him say about his health.... [Former Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips, who ran a quixotic primary campaign against Biden in 2024,] argued that this kind of commitment to an individual candidate, rather than what is best for the nation, was destroying trust in American politics -- for both parties. 'If there's one word that just comes out of this whole episode as it relates to Trump world and Biden world, it's the poison of loyalty in democracy,' he said. 'Loyalty to a person rather than a constitution.'" MB: Looks like a gift link. ~~~
~~~ It can't be easy to write jokes about a situation in which a new book reveals details of the decline of a beloved former POTUS who just announced he was suffering from a metastasizing life-threatening illness, but Jon Stewart & team were up to the job: ~~~
~~~ AND here's Lawrence O'Donnell -- not so funny -- contrasting Joe Biden with Donald Trump & Co. Audio only: ~~~
Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "A retired four-star admiral was convicted on Monday of using his position in the Navy to try to steer millions of dollars in contracts to a company that had given him a lucrative job in a bribery scheme, according to court documents. On the fourth day of deliberations in federal court in Washington, a jury found the former admiral, Robert P. Burke, 63, of Coconut Creek, Fla., guilty on four felony counts that included bribery and conspiracy.... He has denied any wrongdoing. With the verdict, Admiral Burke became one of the highest-ranking former U.S. military officers ever convicted of a crime committed while serving in a leadership role. He retired in 2022, having previously risen to the Navy's second-highest-ranking officer. At the time of the bribery scheme, he was commanding naval forces in Europe, Russia and most of Africa.... Timothy C. Parlatore, Admiral Burke's lawyer, said in an interview on Monday that his client planned to appeal his conviction."
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El Salvador. Thomas Graham of the Guardian & Agencies: "The head lawyer of a human rights group representing the families of Venezuelan immigrants imprisoned in El Salvador after being deported from the United States has been arrested. Ruth López, an outspoken critic of President Nayib Bukele, was detained late on Sunday under an order from the prosecutor's office which accused her of 'embezzlement' when she worked for an electoral court a decade ago, the human rights group Cristosal said in a statement.... López runs Cristosal's anti-corruption and justice division and has been a vocal critic of Bukele's sweeping arrests of 85,000 mostly young men without due process under the state of exception that began in 2022. Neither López's family nor her legal team knew where she was taken after police removed her from her home shortly before midnight on Sunday." -48-
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