The Conversation -- November 12, 2024

This is the last time I will stand here at Arlington as commander in chief. It’s been the greatest honor of my life, to lead you, to serve you, to care for you, to defend you, just as you defended us generation after generation after generation. -- President Biden, at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden urged Americans to take a moment to honor those who serve in the military and their families on Monday, using the backdrop of Arlington National Cemetery to observe Veterans Day one last time as the country's commander in chief.... As president, Mr. Biden spent considerable effort trying to increase benefits and services for veterans and their families. He helped push through the PACT Act, which provides care for veterans who suffered the consequences of toxic fumes from so-called burn pits while deployed overseas. The president also directed his administration to speed up the delivery of benefits, expand access to doctors and confront high rates of suicide among veterans. Jill Biden ... spent much of the past four years focused on helping military families economically.... Now, with Mr. Trump elected to a second term, some of Mr. Biden's policies with regard to veterans and the military may be reversed." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is the last time in the near future that a U.S. President will honor the service of those who sacrificed for the greater good.

"I Call Him 'Little Marco.' He's a Very Nasty Guy." -- Donald Trump, 2016. Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: :... Donald J. Trump is expected to name Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as his secretary of state, three people familiar with his thinking said on Monday.... Mr. Trump could still change his mind at the last minute, the people said, but appeared to have settled on Mr. Rubio, whom he also considered when choosing his running mate this year. Mr. Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010, and has staked out a position as a foreign policy hawk, taking hard lines on China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba in particular. He initially found himself at odds with those Republicans who were more skeptical about interventions abroad, but he has also echoed Mr. Trump more recently on issues like Russia's war against Ukraine, saying that the conflict has reached a stalemate and 'needs to be brought to a conclusion.'" NPR's report is here.

Maggie Haberman & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has chosen Representative Michael Waltz of Florida to be his national security adviser, two people familiar with the decision said on Monday, turning to a former Green Beret who has taken a tough line on China to oversee foreign and national security policy in the White House. Mr. Waltz is the second Republican House member to be selected by Mr. Trump for a high-level job in his next administration, after his choice of Representative Elise Stefanik of New York for ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Waltz, 50, has been a member of the Armed Services, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees in the House and would join the Trump administration as it addresses Russia's war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East and confronts an increasingly aggressive China. His wife, Julia Nesheiwat, was homeland security adviser in the first Trump administration." ~~~

~~~ Marie: Oh, I forgot this about Elise Stefanik: ~~~

~~~ Mike Lillis & Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "President-elect Trump's nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations sets the stage for one of the organization's most vocal and combative critics to have a powerful seat at its table. Stefanik, 40, the fourth-ranking House Republican and a devoted Trump loyalist, has little foreign policy experience. But she has built a reputation over the last year as a leading champion of Israel, in part by repeatedly hammering the U.N. for its reproach of the country's military response to last year's attacks by Hamas. In September, she accused the organization of being infected by 'antisemitic rot.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Kaitlin Collins of CNN: "... Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to two people familiar with the selection. Noem will be tapped to take over the agency as two key immigration hardliners -- Stephen Miller and Tom Homan -- are slated to serve in senior roles, signaling Trump is serious about his promise to crack down on his immigration pledges. With his selection of Noem, Trump is ensuring a loyalist will head an agency he prioritizes and that is key to his domestic agenda. The department saw an immense amount of turmoil the last time Trump was in office. Then, DHS had five different leaders, only two of whom were Senate-confirmed. The agency has a $60 billion budget and hundreds of thousands of employees." MB: I suppose Kristi the Puppy Killer will be fine with shooting asylum-seekers crossing the Rio Grande.

Cruelty Is of the Essence of the Scheme. Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump is signaling with his staffing decisions his intention to carry out a campaign promise of widespread deportations of undocumented immigrants and tightening of measures that allow some of them to stay in the country legally. Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner and adviser to Mr. Trump, is taking over policy planning for the transition and is expected to be named deputy chief of staff in his administration, people briefed on the matter said on Monday. And late Sunday, Mr. Trump announced on social media that Thomas Homan, the acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency during Mr. Trump's first term, would be his 'border czar.' It remains to be seen how broad Mr. Miller's portfolio will be, but it is expected to be vast and to far exceed what the eventual title will convey...."

Oliver Milman of the Guardian: "Donald Trump has picked Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).... Trump, who oversaw the rollback of more than 100 environmental rules when he last was US president, said that Zeldin was a 'true fighter for America First policies' and that 'he will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet'.... Zeldin, who has a score of just 14% from the League of Conservation Voters on his votes on environmental issues in his 15 years in Congress, is expected to oversee an overhaul of the EPA that will rival anything seen since its foundation in 1970."

Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times: "Susie Wiles, the next White House chief of staff, privately told a group of Republican donors on Monday that ... Donald J. Trump would move on his first day in office to reinstate several executive orders from Mr. Trump's first term that President Biden had revoked, according to two people in the room.... It is common for presidents to immediately issue a series of executive orders upon taking office, and Ms. Wiles did not specify which orders from Mr. Trump's first term would be reinstated."

Ken Dilanian, et al., of NBC News: "FBI Director Christopher Wray and Donald Trump's team are planning for the possibility that the president-elect will replace Wray during the new administration, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.... Replacing might not mean firing. Wray could resign if he was told Trump wants him gone, as is widely expected. Trump campaigned in part on the idea of cleaning house at an FBI he has claimed is full of politically motivated and corrupt executives. He has frequently criticized Wray...."

Tara Suter of the Hill: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on [Xitter] Monday that ... 'Donald Trump and his transition team are already breaking the law.'... 'I would know because I wrote the law. Incoming presidents are required to prevent conflicts of interest and sign an ethics agreement.'... Warren was responding to a report from CNN on Saturday that said a conflict of interest pledge included in the Presidential Transition Act was, in part, keeping multiple transition agreements from being submitted by the president-elect's team to the Biden administration."

Marie: As I read about these potential appointments, I can't help but wonder what would drive a person to accept one of them. Any intelligent person would realize that s/he is in for a series of bashings & beratings, eventually culminating in public humiliation. They seem to want to get dumped in a tweet while sitting on a toilet suffering from diarrhea. Look at Little Marco: He already knows what it's like to have Trump belittle him. He is about to give up a good job for a very temporary, unsatisfying one. Just the thought of having to regularly think up new, fake compliments to feed Trump's ego makes me shudder. Yet that is the future these people have planned for themselves. Very wacky.

David Nasaw, in a New York Times op-ed: "So sorry, Elon Musk, but the bromance is not going to last. I know the president-elect put you on the phone with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine the night after the election. And I know that in Donald Trump's victory speech..., he celebrated your super-genius as only he could, in a disjointed, discombobulated, wildly overextended paean and declaration of love. 'Oh, let me tell you, we have a new star,' he said. 'A star is born, Elon.' Yet therein lies your problem, Mr. Musk. There's room for only one star, one genius in the Trump White House.... He is not going to share his victory and center stage with anyone. And why should he? What more would you have to offer, having spent in excess of $100 million to help secure his election?"

Some People Are Realistic. Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "Women are seeking out abortion medication in higher-than-usual numbers ahead of a Donald Trump presidency that they fear could severely curtail access to reproductive care." Iati cites a prescriber and a supplier of abortion pills as well as an abortion information site that have received extraordinarily high traffic since the election results were announced. "Reproductive-health organizations and companies also said demand for emergency contraceptive -- or 'morning after' -- pills and long-lasting birth control, like intrauterine devices and vasectomies, has increased.... Planned Parenthood said that on Wednesday, vasectomy appointments scheduled increased by 1,200 percent and IUD appointments scheduled rose more than 760 percent compared with the previous day.... Trump has repeatedly shifted positions on abortion, calling himself 'the most pro-life president in history' but promising to veto a federal ban on the procedure."

More Realists. Patricia Cohen of the New York Times: "Deep uncertainty about the Trump administration's policies on trade, technology, Ukraine, climate change and more is expected to chill investment and hamstring [European economic] growth. The launch of a possible tariff war by the United States, the biggest trading partner and closest ally of the European Union and Britain, would hammer major industries like automobiles, pharmaceuticals and machinery. And the need to raise military spending because of doubts about America's guarantees in Europe would further strain national budgets and increase deficits. In addition, the president-elect's more confrontational attitude toward China could pressure Europe to pick sides or face retribution. 'Europe's worst economic nightmare has come true,' said Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at the Dutch bank ING. The developments, he warned, could push the eurozone into 'a full-blown recession' next year. With political turmoil in Germany and France, Europe's two largest economies, this latest blow could hardly come at a worse time." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As for me, I spent the day yesterday planning ahead: I looked for and purchased a refrigerator, a stove and a dishwasher goats and seed potatoes (see yesterday's Comments for context).

David Edwards of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump's reelection was credited for emboldening a group of people waving Nazi flags in Michigan over the weekend.... According to [a WLNS report], 'many people' were seen displaying flags with swastikas on Saturday night as the Fowlerville Community Theater performed the 'Diary of Anne Frank.' The same group was also seen outside the American Legion Post in Howell.... Witness Alex Sutfill told WLNS, 'They were sticking their arms up and yelling hail Hitler and Hail Trump and everything like that."

⭐ Emily Brooks of the Hill: "Republicans are projected to keep control of the House of Representatives, handing the party total control of Washington with former President Trump back in the White House in January." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Ledes

New York Times: Married to each other for 54 years, two Democratic Missouri poll workers died together in an Election-Day flood.

New York Times: "Law enforcement officials have captured a man who was wanted for murder in rural Tennessee, ending a multistate manhunt in a bizarre case involving a suspicious emergency call, a false identity and a fake bear attack. Sheriff Tommy J. Jones II of Monroe County, Tenn., announced on Sunday that Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, had been taken into custody in Columbia, S.C., more than three weeks after police found a dead body near a bridge on the Cherohala Skyway.... Mr. Hamlett faces first-degree murder charges related to the death of Steven Douglas Lloyd, 34, of Knoxville, Tenn.... Mr. Lloyd's body was discovered by the police as they responded to a 911 call made on Oct. 18. The caller, who had identified himself as Brandon Kristopher Andrade, told the dispatcher that he had been chased off a cliff by a bear, leaving him injured and partially submerged in the water. When the police arrived at the scene, they found a deceased man with the ID of Mr. Andrade. But the injuries on the body, the sheriff's office said, weren't consistent with a bear attack or a fall. And neither the deceased man nor the 911 caller, they determined, were Mr. Andrade. It was a case of stolen identity, and Mr. Andrade's name had been used on multiple occasions in other fraudulent schemes."

The Conversation -- November 11, 2024

⭐ Emily Brooks of the Hill: "Republicans are projected to keep control of the House of Representatives, handing the party total control of Washington with former President Trump back in the White House in January."

Marie: Oh, I forgot this about Elise Stefanik: ~~~

~~~ Mike Lillis & Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "President-elect Trump's nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations sets the stage for one of the organization's most vocal and combative critics to have a powerful seat at its table. Stefanik, 40, the fourth-ranking House Republican and a devoted Trump loyalist, has little foreign policy experience. But she has built a reputation over the last year as a leading champion of Israel, in part by repeatedly hammering the U.N. for its reproach of the country's military response to last year's attacks by Hamas. In September, she accused the organization of being infected by 'antisemitic rot.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

So It Begins. Adios, Advice and Consent Clause. Perhaps Trump plans to snip away at the Constitution clause-by-clause. Sunday's casualty? Not a clause, but a prepositional phrase that gives the Senate power to control presidential appointments: "... and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate...." Just correcting Article II, which gives Trump "the right to do whatever I want." ~~~

~~~ Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump and his allies signaled Sunday that they will try to call the shots in the Republican-led Senate, pushing the candidacy of Sen. Rick Scott (Florida) for GOP leader and demanding that Republicans allow Trump to make appointments to his administration and the courts without Senate approval.... Writing on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said: 'Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.' Within minutes, [Sen.] Rick Scott [R-Fla.] vowed to fulfill Trump's request if he becomes Senate Republican leader, writing on X: '100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.' Top Trump allies -- including billionaire CEO Elon Musk -- and a number of far-right influencers have quickly lined up behind Scott's bid. 'Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!' Musk posted Sunday." ~~~

     ~~~ Anthony Adragna of Politico: Neither of the other two candidates for Majority Leader, John Thune (S.D.) and John Cornyn (Texas), ruled out caving to Trump. "In addition, the president-elect said the Senate should refuse to confirm any further judicial nominations put forth by President Joe Biden in the waning days of this Congress, saying 'Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership.' However, Trump's request is almost certain to fall on deaf ears. Democrats maintain control of the Senate through the end of the year and have made filling judicial vacancies a top priority for the lame duck session."

     ~~~ Marie: Here is a newly-reelected U.S. Senator (Scott) voluntarily ceding the Constitutional rights and duties of the Senate in order to accommodate a MAGAlomaniac, and two other seasoned Senators refusing -- at least publicly -- to rule out abrogating a Constitutional duty. This whole story, BTW, is wrapped up in how the Senate in recent years has rendered recess appointments impossible, so the reporters are able to ignore the underlying issue of Advice & Consent. We shrug at our own peril. If Trump can do this to a powerful elected official, he sure can deprive any one of us of our Constitutional rights.

Mike Ives of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said late Sunday that he had named Thomas D. Homan, a senior immigration official in his last administration, as the 'border czar' in charge of the nation's borders and its maritime and aviation security.... 'I've known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,' Mr. Trump wrote in [a] post. 'Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Guardian: "A Heritage fellow and Project 2025 author, Homan told this summer's Republican national convention in Milwaukee he had 'a message for the millions of illegal aliens who Joe Biden allowed to enter the country in violation of federal law -- start packing, because you're going home.' At a panel on immigration policy in July, Homan said: 'Trump comes back in January, I'll be on his heels coming back, and I will run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen.' Homan was also reported to have accepted an invitation to a white nationalist conference hosted by Nick Fuentes, the Holocaust denier and Hitler admirer who dined with Trump and Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago in 2022." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, the Times article reveals nothing more negative about Homan than that he told CBS News last month that large-scale worksite raids seeking to capture undocumented workers would resume in a Trump administration. Otherwise, Ives reports only Homan's work history, which would suggest he is just another highly-qualified guy worthy of a top job.

CBS/AFP: "... Donald Trump has offered N.Y. Rep. Elise Stefanik [R] the job of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and she has accepted the offer, they told the New York Post Sunday night." MB: This is just another indication of how little Trump thinks of the U.N.

Marie: Here's a wacky idea I love, even though I know it's not gonna happen:~~~

~~~ Jennifer Bahney of Mediaite: "Jamal Simmons, former communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, made a bold suggestion Sunday that shocked the CNN panel discussing Donald Trump's transition to the White House. 'Joe Biden's been a phenomenal president, he's lived up to so many of the promises he's made. There's one promise left that he could fulfill, being a transitional figure,' Simmons said. 'He could resign the presidency in the next 30 days, make Kamala Harris president of the United States -- ... It would absolve her from having to oversee the January 6th transition, right, of her own defeat. And it would make sure, it would dominate the news, at a point where Democrats have to learn, drama and transparency and doing things the public want to see -- this is the time, this is the moment for us to change the entire perspective of how Democrats operate.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: AND it would mess with all the MAGA nitwits who bought 47 merch.

Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.... During the call, which Trump took from his resort in Florida, he advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington's sizable military presence in Europe, said a person familiar with the call.... The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss 'the resolution of Ukraine's war soon.'..." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Oh, yeah? Seems maybe Putin is ignoring Trump: ~~~

~~~ Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "The Russian military has assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, as it prepares to begin an assault aimed at reclaiming territory seized by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. A new U.S. assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of Ukraine's east -- its main battlefield priority -- allowing Moscow to press on multiple fronts simultaneously. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ben Davis, in a Guardian op-ed: "Despite the trauma and death of Covid and the isolation of lockdowns, from late 2020 to early 2021, Americans briefly experienced the freedom of social democracy. They had enough liquid money to plan long term and make spending decisions for their own pleasure rather than just to survive. They had the labor protections to look for the jobs they wanted rather than feel stuck in the jobs they had. At the end of Trump's term, the American standard of living and the amount of economic security and freedom Americans had was higher than when it started, and, with the loss of this expanded welfare state, it was worse when Biden left office, despite his real policy wins for workers and unions. This is why voters view Trump as a better shepherd of the economy.... [President] Biden wanted to continue many of these policies, but there wasn't a political pathway. Instead, they quietly expired. To voters, however, the material reality is that when Trump left office, this safety net existed, and by the time of the 2024 election, it had evaporated." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This essay is a good example of burying the lede. But I think Davis is onto something I missed, probably because I took the economic effects of the pandemic too personally. Trump raised my taxes even as Covid lowered my income, so the Trump years were far from a boon for me. But for many working people, as Davis points out, the social safety net enhancements forced upon Republicans by the Covid crisis was a boon. As a number of opinionators have noted, many voters chose Trump at the same time they chose Democrats' policies where that was an option. Davis' theory fits into that picture.

Greta Reich of Politico: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will not allow Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) to participate in Senate orientation this week because he doesn't consider the race to be resolved yet. Though the Associated Press projected Thursday that McCormick defeated Democrat incumbent Bob Casey in Pennsylvania's Senate race, Casey has yet to concede, claiming that there are still thousands of ballots left to be counted. 'With over 100,000 ballots left to be counted in Pennsylvania, the race has not been decided. As is custom, we will invite the winner once the votes are counted,' a spokesperson for Schumer wrote in a statement. As of Sunday at 4:30 p.m., McCormick was ahead by approximately 39,000 votes."

~~~~~~~~~~

Haiti. Frances Robles of the New York Times: "The former United Nations official tapped to lead Haiti through a gang-fueled crisis has been fired by the country's ruling council, following a political power struggle that unfolded amid a wave of kidnappings and killings. The official, Garry Conille, 58, a medical doctor who previously ran UNICEF's Latin America regional office, was hired in late May to serve as interim prime minister of Haiti. He and the country's ruling council are supposed to pave the way for elections next year to choose a new president. Haiti's transitional council named Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, the owner of a chain of dry cleaners and a former candidate for the Haitian Senate, as his replacement, according to an executive order published Sunday afternoon in the country's official gazette, Le Moniteur."

The Conversation -- November 10, 2024

Marie: Here's a wacky idea I love. ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Bahney of Mediaite: "Jamal Simmons, former communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, made a bold suggestion Sunday that shocked the CNN panel discussing Donald Trump's transition to the White House. 'Joe Biden's been a phenomenal president, he's lived up to so many of the promises he's made. There's one promise left that he could fulfill, being a transitional figure,' Simmons said. 'He could resign the presidency in the next 30 days, make Kamala Harris president of the United States -- ... It would absolve her from having to oversee the January 6th transition, right, of her own defeat. And it would make sure, it would dominate the news, at a point where Democrats have to learn, drama and transparency and doing things the public want to see -- this is the time, this is the moment for us to change the entire perspective of how Democrats operate.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: AND it would mess with all the MAGA nitwits who bought 47 merch.

Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.... During the call, which Trump took from his resort in Florida, he advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington's sizable military presence in Europe, said a person familiar with the call.... The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss 'the resolution of Ukraine"s war soon.'..." ~~~

~~~ Oh, yeah? Seems maybe Putin is ignoring Trump: ~~~

~~~ Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "The Russian military has assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, as it prepares to begin an assault aimed at reclaiming territory seized by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. A new U.S. assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of Ukraine's east -- its main battlefield priority -- allowing Moscow to press on multiple fronts simultaneously.

Ben Davis, in a Guardian op-ed: "Despite the trauma and death of Covid and the isolation of lockdowns, from late 2020 to early 2021, Americans briefly experienced the freedom of social democracy. They had enough liquid money to plan long term and make spending decisions for their own pleasure rather than just to survive. They had the labor protections to look for the jobs they wanted rather than feel stuck in the jobs they had. At the end of Trump's term, the American standard of living and the amount of economic security and freedom Americans had was higher than when it started, and, with the loss of this expanded welfare state, it was worse when Biden left office, despite his real policy wins for workers and unions. This is why voters view Trump as a better shepherd of the economy.... [President] Biden wanted to continue many of these policies, but there wasn't a political pathway. Instead, they quietly expired. To voters, however, the material reality is that when Trump left office, this safety net existed, and by the time of the 2024 election, it had evaporated." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This essay is a good example of burying the lede. But I think Davis is onto something I missed, probably because I took the economic effects of the pandemic too personally. Trump raised my taxes even as Covid lowered my income, so the Trump years were far from a boon for me. But for many working people, as Davis points out, the social safety net enhancements forced upon Republicans by the Covid crisis was a boon. As a number of opinionators have noted, many voters chose Trump at the same time they chose Democrats' policies where that was an option. Davis' theory fits into that picture.

~~~~~~~~~~

Marie: The Googles know who I am. Unprompted by any hits I made on YouTube, up popped a "recommended for you" video titled, "It's Time to Move Out." The video cover shows what I guess is supposed to be a ruined American city street, and the content of the video is advising what countries are most amenable to accepting American ex-pats. I'm too old to manage an international move, but maybe you'd like to relocate to someplace like No. 2 choice Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago between Norway & the North Pole. In fairness, I'm sure 24 continuous hours of darkness in Svalbard is more pleasant than 24 hours in a Trump detention camp.

Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "Across the federal government, Trump's election has set off a scramble among political appointees and career bureaucrats alike to lock in [President] Biden's landmark environmental initiatives.... Environmentalists said they expect the [EPA] to take several major actions in the coming weeks touching everything from electric vehicles to toxic chemicals. At the top of the list: Trump-proofing California's transition to EVs. Under the Clean Air Act, California can receive a waiver from the EPA to set tougher vehicle emissions rules than those of the federal government. More than a dozen other states follow California's stricter rules, collectively accounting for about 40 percent of the U.S. auto market. Before Trump takes office, the EPA plans to grant California a waiver to enforce its rule aimed at banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035...."

A Gentleman & a Scoundrel. Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden will host ... Donald J. Trump at the White House on Wednesday, extending a presidential tradition to his onetime rival that Mr. Trump did not offer four years ago after Mr. Biden defeated him.... [Although in 2016, he said he would do so,] Mr. Trump did not seek his predecessor's counsel and spent much of his time in office insulting Mr. Obama and seeking to undo the former president's agenda." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ We've heard about the following before, but just a reminder that Trump is screwing up from way before the get-go. The sphere of this particular failing is hardly surprising. Moreover, this "oversight" is without any doubt a mere speck in the coliseum of corruption that will follow. But it's all hunky dory -- because Supremes. ~~~

~~~ Ken Bensinger of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has not yet submitted a legally required ethics pledge stating that he will avoid conflicts of interest and other ethical concerns while in office, raising concerns that his refusal to do so will hamper the smooth transition to power. Mr. Trump's transition team was required to submit the ethics plan by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act. While the transition team's leadership has privately drafted an ethics code and a conflict-of-interest statement governing its staff, those documents do not include language, required under the law, that explains how Mr. Trump himself will address conflicts of interest during his presidency. Since Mr. Trump created his transition team in August, it has refused to participate in the normal handoff process, which typically begins months before the election. It has missed multiple deadlines for signing required agreements governing the process. That has prevented Mr. Trump's transition team from participating in national security briefings or gaining access to federal agencies to begin the complicated work of preparing to take control of the government on Jan. 20, 2025." (Also linked yesterday.)

⭐ Heather Cox Richardson on Substack: Social media has been flooded today [Saturday] with stories of Trump voters who are shocked to learn that tariffs will raise consumer prices.... There are also stories that voters who chose Trump to lower household expenses are unhappy to discover that their undocumented relatives are in danger of deportation.... Meanwhile, Trump's advisors told Jim VandeHei and MIke Allen of Axios that ... they plan to hit the ground running with tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, deregulation, and increased gas and oil production.... In The New Republic today, Michael Tomasky reinforced that voters chose Trump in 2024 not because of the economy or inflation, or anything else, but because of how they perceived those issues -- which is not the same thing." Read on. Richardson draws a parallel between the way the right-wing media conned the nitwits and the way white supremacists conned the goobers during the decades before and after the Civil War. Thanks to laura h. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Amanda Marcotte of Salon: "Millions of people who desperately want more progressive policies cast their ballots for a man whose agenda is exactly the opposite of what they want.... In state after state, voters backed both Trump and ballot initiatives that advanced and protected progressive goals.... The problem wasn't Democratic policy or messaging. It's ignorance.... When voters have factual information about the candidates, they prefer Democrats.... Increasing numbers of Americans have a media diet that is mostly a bunch of lies, conspiracy theories, irrelevant diatribes and other such bunkum.... When it looked like Project 2025 might hurt him politically, Trump, shameless as usual, said he knew nothing about it.... [But Steve Bannon said the other day,] 'Now that the election is over, I think we can finally say that, yeah, actually, Project 2025 is the agenda.'" Thanks to laura h. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "The voters who put Trump in the White House a second time expect lower prices -- cheaper gas, cheaper groceries and cheaper homes. But nothing in the former president's policy portfolio would deliver any of the above.... And then there is the rest of the agenda.... I'm going to guess that they don't know [what they voted for]. But they'll find out soon enough."

Rachel Maddow says it's up to us to save our democracy from the Dear Leader and his minions. Thanks to RAS for the link: ~~~

Rachel Nostrant & Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "An employee with the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fired after reports that in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, the employee told relief workers in Florida to pass over houses with signs supporting Donald J. Trump, the agency said Saturday.... FEMA said the employee, whose name was not revealed, has now been terminated. It said that it believed this was an isolated incident, which is now under investigation.... In a post on X, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said state officials were seeking answers for what he said were 'partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy.'" A CBS News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Both stories report that FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called the employee's conduct "reprehensible." No, it wasn't reprehensible. It was unlawful and unfair, but it was understandable. FEMA employees obviously are under a lot of pressure during the aftermath of a disaster. And what did Trump do to support them? He told lie after lie, accusing FEMA and its employees of failing to help victims of Hurricanes Helene & Milton. The employee reacted -- badly -- to the false accusations. S/he shouldn't be on the job because s/he can't handle the pressure, but a blanket condemnation is over the top.

Adeel Hassan of the New York Times: "Two founders of a militia group who were plotting a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to shoot at immigrants and the authorities who might try to stop them were convicted on Thursday by a federal jury in Missouri of attempting to murder federal agents, prosecutors said. A jury in Jefferson City, Mo., convicted the men, Jonathan S. O'Dell, 34, of Warsaw, Mo., and Bryan C. Perry, 39, of Clarksville, Tenn., of multiple felony counts. Most of the counts were linked to the men shooting at F.B.I. agents who arrived with a search warrant at Mr. O'Dell's home. Among other charges, Mr. O'Dell and Mr. Perry were also convicted of conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the United States government, prosecutors said. They each face a minimum of 10 years in prison and up to a life sentence. Under federal statutes, neither would be eligible for parole."

~~~~~~~~~~

Netherlands. Jim Tankersley, et al., of the New York Times: "Amsterdam banned demonstrations over the weekend under an emergency order and mobilized additional police officers after what city officials described as antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans during the week. The order prohibited the wearing of face masks or face coverings and stepped up security at Jewish institutions. It also gave police the power to stop and search people. This week's violence unfolded over days around a soccer match on Thursday between Ajax, a Dutch team, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli team.... The tensions had been building up in the city before Thursday's match." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Looks like a blueprint for how Trump, et al., will ban demonstrations in the U.S. Amsterdam is one of the most liberal cities in the world, so banning protests there is a radical move, one that, you know, could begin an "international trend." All the Trumpies have to do is arrange a demonstration in which they attribute violence to the left, then ban protests under an emergency order or martial law or whatever. The Women's March organization is thinking about thinking about doing a "comeback tour." Putting the onus on liberal women sounds kinda perfect, doesn't it?