December 13, 2021
Marie: I just watched President Biden speaking off the cuff to reporters about the tornadoes & FEMA's reponse & so forth. Three things struck me: (1) his compassion for those affected by the tornadoes; (2) his knowledge about minutia on a number of related topics; (3) Donald Trump lobbing rolls of paper towels at Puerto Rican hurricane victims. How any single person, including Marjorie Traitor Greene, could prefer to Trump to Biden really is beyond me. Here's video of Biden's remarks. Drop in anywhere and you'll see what I mean.
The New York Times' live updates of developments re: the tornadoes that devastated parts of four U.S. states are here: "After grimly fluctuating death tolls since Friday's devastating swarm of tornadoes, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said on Monday that there were 64 confirmed deaths in the state, though he expected that number to rise as crews continued to search through the ruins." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of developments stemming from the tornadoes are here: "President Biden will travel to Kentucky on Wednesday to assess the impact after a string of tornadoes killed at least 64 there and at least 13 people in numerous other states."
Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "None of the military personnel involved in a botched drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed 10 civilians will face any kind of punishment after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III approved recommendations from two top commanders, a senior Pentagon official said. The Pentagon acknowledged in September that the last U.S. drone strike before American troops withdrew from Afghanistan was a tragic mistake that killed the civilians, including seven children, after initially saying it had been necessary to prevent an Islamic State attack on troops. A subsequent high-level investigation into the episode found no violations of law but stopped short of fully exonerating those involved, saying that was 'commander business.'"
David Leonhardt of the New York Times: "... American politics today ... may ... be in the midst of a radical shift away from the democratic rules and traditions that have guided the country for a very long time. An anti-democratic movement, inspired by Donald Trump but much larger than him, is making significant progress.... The movement has encountered surprisingly little opposition.... The main battlegrounds are swing states where Republicans control the state legislature, like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin."
** Greg Sargent of the Washington Post:"In his new book, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows offers up a version of Donald Trump's conduct on Jan. 6 that is almost comically sanitized.... In a passage that would embarrass a North Korea disinformation specialist, Meadows writes that the mob assault left Trump 'mortified.' The House select committee examining Jan. 6 has just released its report recommending contempt charges against Meadows for defying its subpoena. It blows a big hole in Meadows's pleasing little propaganda piece.... The report reads like a blueprint for a coup -- not just for the attempt that just happened, but also for a future one." ~~~
~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "What we currently understand about the White House's effort [to flip the presidential election results] is that it was largely focused on the finalization of the electoral vote. On Jan. 6, that culminated with Trump's attempts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence into rejecting the submitted votes from several states.... This effort sat on the foundation of months of false claims from Trump about voter fraud and operated in parallel with efforts by Trump and his allies to get institutional buy-in on those assertions. His consideration of overhauling the leadership at the Justice Department to put pressure on Georgia, his call to officials in that state, his embrace of debunked allegations from there and elsewhere.... At the same time, there was an enormous and robust economy for other nonsense and conspiratorial thinking outside of the administration.... Then there was the violence on Jan. 6, an occurrence that was entirely a function of Trump's claims about the election and his calls for people to show up in Washington on that day." ~~~
~~~ Luke Broadwater of the New York Times has more on the House committee report laying out "its case for a contempt of Congress charge against Mark Meadows..., presenting evidence of Mr. Meadows's deep involvement in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election." A Politico report is linked below.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Monday are here.
Julie Bosman, et al., of the New York Times: "As the coronavirus pandemic approaches the end of a second year, the United States stands on the cusp of surpassing 800,000 deaths from the virus, and no group has suffered more than older Americans.... Seventy-five percent of people who have died of the virus in the United States -- or about 600,000 of the nearly 800,000 who have perished so far -- have been 65 or older. One in 100 older Americans has died from the virus. For people younger than 65, that ratio is closer to 1 in 1,400."
Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The number of active-duty U.S. military personnel declining to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by their prescribed deadlines is as high as 40,000, with new Army data showing that, days ahead of its cutoff, 3 percent of soldiers either have rejected President Biden's mandate or sought a long-shot exemption. While overall the vast majority of service members are fully vaccinated, military analysts have characterized the number of refusals and holdouts as a troubling indicator in a rigid, top-down culture where decision-making often is predicated on the understanding that the troops will do as they are told. It also suggests the nation's divisive politics have influenced a small but significant segment of the Defense Department, historically an apolitical institution."
Benjamin Mueller of the New York Times: "A new Covid-19 pill from Merck has raised hopes that it could transform the landscape of treatment options for Americans at high risk of severe disease at a time when the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is driving a surge of cases in highly vaccinated European countries. But two weeks after a Food and Drug Administration expert committee narrowly voted to recommend authorizing the drug, known as molnupiravir, the F.D.A. is still weighing Merck's application. Among the biggest questions facing regulators is whether the drug, in the course of wreaking havoc on the virus's genes, also has the potential to cause mutations in human DNA. Scientists are especially worried about pregnant women, they said, because the drug could affect a fetus's dividing cells, theoretically causing birth defects. Members of the F.D.A. expert committee expressed those same concerns during a public meeting on Nov. 30." Emphasis added.
Juliet Macur of the New York Times: "Hundreds of female gymnasts who were sexually abused by Lawrence G. Nassar, the former team doctor of the national gymnastics team, have agreed to a $380 million settlement with U.S.A. Gymnastics and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, ending the latest dark chapter in one of the biggest molestation cases in sports history. The settlement, announced on Monday during U.S.A. Gymnastics' bankruptcy proceedings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, is among the largest ever for a sexual abuse case. The funds would compensate more than 500 gymnasts -- including Olympic gold medalists like Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman -- who were abused by Nassar or someone else in the sport."
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John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The Group of Seven leading industrial democracies warned Russia on Sunday of 'massive consequences' and 'severe cost' if it launches an attack on Ukraine, a day before President Biden's top diplomat for Europe travels to Kyiv and Moscow to address the high-stakes standoff. The joint statement from G-7 ministers meeting in [Liverpool, England,] said they are united in their opposition to Russia's military buildup near the border of Ukraine and called on the Kremlin to de-escalate. The statement ... is the latest effort by the Biden administration to rally international support for Ukraine as U.S. intelligence finds that the Kremlin has planned out a potential multifront offensive in Ukraine involving up to 175,000 troops. Russia has denied having any such plans." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Dave Philipps, et al., of the New York Times: "A single top secret American strike cell launched tens of thousands of bombs and missiles against the Islamic State in Syria, but in the process of hammering a vicious enemy, the shadowy force sidestepped safeguards and repeatedly killed civilians, according to multiple current and former military and intelligence officials.... People who worked with the strike cell say in the rush to destroy enemies, it circumvented rules imposed to protect noncombatants, and alarmed its partners in the military and the C.I.A. by killing people who had no role in the conflict: farmers trying to harvest, children in the street, families fleeing fighting, and villagers sheltering in buildings. [The strike cell, called] Talon Anvil, was small -- at times fewer than 20 people operating from anonymous rooms cluttered with flat screens -- but it played an outsize role in the 112,000 bombs and missiles launched against the Islamic State, in part because it embraced a loose interpretation of the military's rules of engagement." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham on Sunday continued his criticisms of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for adopting a bipartisan deal that allowed Democrats to raise the debt ceiling. Graham, who has become one of ... Donald Trump's most vocal defenders, argued that someone who did not have a good working relationship with Trump could not be an effective Republican leader." MB: If Lindsey did not have so much power to do harm to this country, I would feel sorry for him. He's pathetic.
Kyle Cheney & Nicholas Wu of Politico: "Mark Meadows indicated in a Jan. 5 email that the National Guard was on standby to 'protect pro Trump people,' according to an email obtained by the House committee investigating the Capitol riot and described in a public document Sunday night. The context for the message is unclear, but it comes amid intense scrutiny of the Guard's slow response to violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and conflicting timelines about their response from the Pentagon and National Guard leadership. The description of the message is part of a 51-page document released Sunday by the select panel a day before it is set to vote to hold Meadows in contempt of Congress. The full House is expected to vote to hold Meadows ... in criminal contempt of Congress on Tuesday. In other messages described by the committee, Meadows appears to have asked members of Congress to help connect Trump with state lawmakers. 'POTUS wants to chat with them,' Meadows said, according to documents ... described publicly Sunday evening." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Thanks to Ken W. for the link. I'm with Ken's wife, who keeps wondering why clowns like Meadows aren't in jail. In fact, I suspect that one of the two big reasons Meadows decided not to cooperate with the committee (the first being fear of Trump) is that his lawyer sat him down & said, "You know you broke the law 6 ways, don't you?"
Jacob Kornbluh of the Forward: "A new Hebrew book published on Sunday by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid gives a behind-the-scenes look at what is now being revealed as a rocky U.S.-Israel relationship during the Trump administration, but one that led to normalization deals between Israel and the Arab world."
Risa Brooks & Erica De Bruin in the Washington Post's Outlook: "Democracy is most likely to break down through a series of incremental actions that cumulatively undermine the electoral process, resulting in a presidential election that produces an outcome clearly at odds with the voters' will. It is this comparatively quiet but steady subversion, rather than a violent coup or insurrection against a sitting president, that Americans today have to fear most. Five sets of actions fuel this corrosion: limiting participation in elections; controlling election administration; legitimizing and mobilizing social support for methods to obstruct or overturn an election; using political violence to further that end; and politicizing the regular military or National Guard to delegitimize election outcomes. We have identified 18 steps to democratic breakdown and assigned a score of one to three alarm bells for each step, which indicates how big a threat we believe it poses to our democracy now." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Oliver Darcy & Brian Stelter of CNN: "Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, one of the few high-profile news personalities who retained a reputation of integrity as the channel he worked for leaned hard into right-wing and conspiratorial programming, announced Sunday that he is departing the network and joining CNN+ to host a weekday show. Wallace made the stunning announcement of his departure from Fox News at the end of 'Fox News Sunday,' the channel's flagship weekly program that he has moderated since 2003." A New York Times story is here. MB: I don't watch Fox "News," but Wallace's departure must nearly complete the purge of any on-air personalities in touch with reality. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Erik Wemple of the Washington Post: "... the network has found its voice in [Tucker] Carlson..., [whose] extremism -- telling viewers that Democrats 'hate' America; espousing the racist 'replacement theory'; subverting science on the coronavirus -- has emerged as the network's defining ideology, a point of reckoning for colleagues wishing to practice anything approximating journalism.... Every day ... Fox News takes another step toward its destiny as The Tucker Carlson Channel. And in that future, there's no room for journalists.... Good luck, Fox News, trying to find someone to replace Wallace." ~~~
~~~ Any picks for Wallace's replacement? A while back, Matt Gaetz said he was interested in becoming a Fox "News" host, but apparently that didn't work out, so I guess "Gaetz on Government" is out. Kayleigh MacANinny then maybe; she's already working at Fox. Wemple suggests Fox "News" anchor Bret Baier might get the job; that seems likely, if Baier will take it.
Good Grief. Time Magazine names Elon Musk "Person of the Year."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here: "South Africa's president tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, as new cases continue to rise in the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa underwent a coronavirus test on Sunday, when he felt unwell after leaving a state memorial service held for former President F.W. de Klerk, according to a statement from the South African presidency. Since researchers in South Africa first detected the Omicron variant at the end of November, coronavirus cases have surged in the nation."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Russia/Ukraine. Christopher Miller of BuzzFeed News: "Satellite images provided to BuzzFeed News and a slew of social media videos show that new Russian troops and heavy artillery were moved to strategic locations right around [the time of] Biden and Putin's virtual summit.... Tanks and other menacing self-propelled artillery. A Russian Buk surface-to-air missile system like the one that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. Thousands more troops. Those are merely some of the Russian forces and matériel seen in videos posted to social media heading toward the Ukrainian border in the past week alone. Western and Ukrainian intelligence agencies estimate roughly 100,000 troops, along with fighter aircraft and ballistic missiles, are already in place."
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Reader Comments (13)
Another drip from another drip.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/12/meadows-jan-6-national-guard-trump-524133
My wife has asked repeatedly, why aren't these clowns in jail?
Good question.
We haven't heard from Ak for a couple days since he reported his covid diagnosis and treatment. I certainly hope that he is doing OK.
Think our last U.S. president and sowing disorder and chaos that only he has a clue about. Think Putin and Xi sowing the same. Think about Israel sowing disorder and chaos by Talon Anvil....When you are the only one left one their feet in the neighborhood, you're the tallest one on the block.
Along the way of dis-information: when Meadows hands over 6000 pages then clams up, do you think it was all misdirection to waste Nancy Pelosi's precious time? Meadows is just trying to run out the clock. I think there is good reason Madame Speaker is where she is and meadows is where he is. I hope after these last several years Nancy has some fantastic belly laughs with family and friends this holiday season.
Ak: please write in-- your colleagues are worried.
I am also with Ken's wife. So many jails, so little time. I fear that it will all be for naught, that no one will suffer for their crimes. I want to believe in democracy and our government, but where will be in the coming months if no one pays?
Charles Blow on the philosophy of John Calhoun and his own fears for what could happen in this country. He sees our nation on the verge of another civil war as the Calhounian impulse is reborn but dressed in a different garb. It won't be hundreds of millions in combat but rather a different kind of war fought in courts, state houses and ballot boxes.
Obviously so does Sonia who brought up Calhoun in her dissent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/12/opinion/abortion-rights-america.html
Re: Ken's wife: Seems to me she is one smart cookie cuz she's made several zingers in the past. Good to have a mate that can throw those balls over the plate.
Missing a "we" there in above comment...
I grew up and went to college in Murray, KY, very nearby to Mayfield. So far, I have heard no one mention climate change with regard to the huge tornado, and the fact that without universal WiFi, maybe many people had no idea in rural areas how much danger they were in. Biden should trumpet the BBB bill to the hills, as it provides assistance with that. It is a good opportunity, but of course Dems are in line to make sympathetic noises about the destruction and won't toot their own horns. I'm sure KY's august senators have their hands out, despite the nastiness about Hurricane Sandy assistance some years ago. Another thing to trumpet that won't get a peep...
I really don't remember Mayfield's "beautiful historic buildings" damaged or destroyed...too busy doing 6th grade through college in depressing western KY. I have only been back one time since leaving in 1967, and I'm sure it is FULL of trumpies; Dems will want to throw tons of money at them and they won't change their minds one bit. Dems are still going to be evil. Yes, I am bitter.
"Democracy is most likely to break down through a series of incremental actions that cumulatively undermine the electoral process, resulting in a presidential election that produces an outcome clearly at odds with the voters’ will."
That has already happened in many of the state legislatures and House seats. Gerrymandering and voter suppression have long created many outcomes "at odds with the voters' will."
RAS,
A fundamental problem with our electoral process is baked into the Constitution. For presidential elections, the Constitution itself is deliberately anti-democratic, which is why Democrats have often won the popular vote but have "lost" the election. Gore vs. Bush II is only the most egregious instance in our lifetime.
But that gerrymandering and voter suppression that you mention sure don't help.
That we have one political party for whom democracy has long been anathema and now blatantly acting on its urges does have us teetering on the edge of the autocracy.
Scary times.
Jeanne: Yes, I'm worried about Ak, too. I think about him every day since he last wrote.
Thank you all for your concern. I’ve gone downhill some over the last few days. It looks like I’ll be riding this thing for a while longer. It’s been a crazy few days here. The other night we were woken up by weather alerts saying a tornado was on the ground a few miles from here. It was. But the biggest ones were destroying communities about 20 minutes from where we live, and one a little farther west. Tornadoes in December. But there’s no such thing as climate change.
@Akhilleus: I think it was meteorologist Bill Karins who explained why it's not surprising there are such violent tornadoes in December: the temps are higher in December than they used to be. Seems like he's one of those wacky believers in climate change.
P.S. Thanks for dropping us a note. I'm very sorry you're still feeling so sick.
Ak: get better SOON. We miss you.
"may ... be in the midst of a radical shift away from the democratic rules". This perpetuates false equivalence between Republican Fascists and everyone else. Leonhardt uses an unsurpassed platform in a lazy manner; he probably spent most of his effort trying to find where he could place Democrat's actions next to Republican's actions. Community organizing like the left-wing Democrats is in no way like encouraging violence and mayhem like fascist Republicans. Vital, young women versus fat, diabetic, old, mean, men; got it Leonhardt?