January 19, 2022
Afternoon Update:
New York Times staff are live-updating Wednesday's Senate proceedings.
President Biden will hold a press conference, scheduled for 4:00 pm ET, marking the end of his first year in office.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Oath Keepers planning to violently subvert the 2020 election stockpiled 30 days of supplies and a cache of rifles and ammunition just outside of Washington, D.C., prosecutors alleged in a late-night court filing. In a memo seeking the pretrial detention of Oath Keeper Ed Vallejo -- one of 11 members of the group charged last week with seditious conspiracy to violently prevent Joe Biden from taking office -- prosecutors provided new details about the weapons stockpile Oath Keepers had assembled at a Comfort Inn in nearby Arlington, Va.... Prosecutors say Vallejo is too dangerous to be released pending trial, noting that he continued to profess support for the violent attack on the Capitol even last month, just days before his arrest." Read on. These nitwits are as scary-crazy as you thought they were.
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here.
Michigan. Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "The University of Michigan said Wednesday that it had agreed to pay $490 million to more than 1,000 people who had accused a doctor who worked with football players and other students of sexual abuse. The agreement, among the largest ever by an American university to settle allegations of sexual abuse, was reached this week and made public on Wednesday morning, more than three years after a former student wrote to Michigan's athletic director and reported misconduct that dated to the 1970s. That former student, and, eventually, scores of others, said that Dr. Robert E. Anderson had molested them during physical examinations, many of which were required to participate in athletic programs at Michigan."
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Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "The White House believes Russia could launch an invasion of Ukraine at any moment, press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday, warning that an 'extremely dangerous situation' is building along the Ukrainian border. 'We believe we're now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine. I would say that's more stark than we have been,' Psaki said during her daily press briefing." ~~~
~~~ Michael Crowley & Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "Seeking to head off a potential assault on Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will meet with Russia's foreign minister on Friday as the two sides explore whether there is still a diplomatic path to avoiding a conflict in Eastern Europe. The talks will try to break a deadlock that was thrown into sharp relief last week when a series of three negotiating sessions between Russia and the West ended in an impasse. The thorniest issue was Russia's demand that NATO pledge not to expand eastward, a condition that the United States and Western Europe have rejected. The White House said on Tuesday that Mr. Blinken would 'urge Russia to take immediate steps to de-escalate.'" ~~~
~~~ Vladimir Isachenkov of the AP: "Russia is a sending an unspecified number of troops from the country's far east to Belarus for major war games, officials said Tuesday, a deployment that will further beef up Russian military presence near Ukraine amid Western fears of a planned invasion."
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "... on Tuesday, for the first time, evidence emerged in court papers that prosecutors have posed questions to at least one Jan. 6 defendant that were 'focused on establishing an organized conspiracy' involving [Donald] Trump and his allies to 'disrupt' the work of Congress. The papers were filed by a defense lawyer in the case of Brandon Straka, a former hair stylist who founded a group called the Walk Away Foundation, which seeks to persuade Democratic voters to leave the party. On the day before the Capitol was stormed, Mr. Straka spoke at a pro-Trump rally in Washington with prominent right-wing figures like the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Mr. Straka was also at the Capitol on Jan. 6. In October, he pleaded guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, admitting, among other things, that he had urged a crowd outside the building to wrest a riot shield away from a police officer.... Mr. Straka had met with prosecutors earlier this month as part of his plea agreement and had been 'cooperative' in answering their questions.... Straka's lawyer, Bilal Essayli..., said [in his own sentencing memo to the court] that during Mr. Straka's interview with prosecutors, 'the government was focused on establishing an organized conspiracy between defendant, President Donald J. Trump, and allies of the former president to disrupt the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.' Mr. Straka 'answered all questions truthfully and denied the existence of any such plot,' Mr. Essayli's memo said."
Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The Jan. 6 select committee is on the verge of obtaining several pages of Donald Trump's White House records that the former president has tried to shield from congressional investigators. In a new court filing, the Justice Department said the National Archives -- which houses Trump's White House files -- planned to release four pages of records to the House on Wednesday evening despite Trump's pending request at the Supreme Court to block the handover of those and other records." The four pages are not specifically covered by any court orders.
** Luke Broadwater & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol on Tuesday subpoenaed Rudolph W. Giuliani and other members of the legal team that pursued a set of conspiracy-filled lawsuits on behalf of ... Donald J. Trump in which they made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. In addition to Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer and a ringleader of the group, the panel subpoenaed three others who played central roles in his effort to use the courts, state legislatures and Congress to try to overturn his defeat. Jenna Ellis drafted a memo on how Mr. Trump could invalidate the election results by exploiting an obscure law. Sidney Powell, a lawyer who worked on many of the lawsuits with Mr. Giuliani, ran an organization that raised millions of dollars based on false claims that election machines were rigged. Boris Epshteyn pursued allegations of election fraud in Nevada and Arizona and is said to have participated in a call with Mr. Trump on the morning of Jan. 6, 'during which options were discussed to delay the certification of election results,' the committee said." ~~~
~~~ CNN's story is here: "'The four individuals we've subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the committee, said in a statement Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ The Committee's press release is here. The page includes links to the letters the Committee wrote to Giuliani & the other individuals subpoenaed Tuesday. MB: I'm hoping the parking lot in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping will be available on a hot day in July to serve as the venue for Giuliani's public testimony before the committee. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Jamie Gangel, et al., of CNN: "The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has subpoenaed and obtained records of phone numbers associated with one of ... Donald Trump's children, Eric Trump, as well as Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr., sources tell CNN. It appears to be the first time the select committee has issued a subpoena that targeted a member of the Trump family, in what marks a significant escalation of the investigation into Trump's role in the January 6 insurrection. The decision to subpoena communication records involving the Trump family underscores the aggressive tack the committee is taking as it races to complete its investigation while battling Trump in court over access to documents from his administration.... These records provide the committee with logs that show incoming and outgoing calls, including the date, time and length of calls. The records also show a log of text messages, but not the substance or content of the messages."
New York State Attorney General: "New York Attorney General Letitia James [Tuesday] took legal action to compel Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump to appear for sworn testimony as part of the office's ongoing civil investigation into the Trump Organization's financial dealings." This is the lede to a press release from James' office. The release spells out in some detail the Trump Organization's financial dealings which the AG is investigating. MB: I'll put up a news story when one becomes available. ~~~
~~~ Marie: As contributor Patrick pointed out months ago, no lending institution would grant a loan on the basis of the loan applicant's statement of valuation. The purpose of a civil lawsuit is to right or alleviate some harm caused by the defendant. So we were wondering what harm the Trump Crime Family caused here. The press release partially answers this question: "The evidence to date indicates that banks and other financial institutions relied on Mr. Trump's financial statements in considering whether to grant Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization access to credit and coverage ... and to comply with covenants on existing loans.... Evidence indicates that ... appraisal[s] commissioned by the Trump Organization and submitted to the IRS substantially overstated the value of ... land donation[s]... [The false appraisals] resulted in several million dollars of benefit to Mr. Trump." ~~~
~~~ Update. Jonah Bromwich, et al., of the New York Times: "The New York State attorney general, Letitia James, accused Donald J. Trump's family business late Tuesday of repeatedly misrepresenting the value of its assets to bolster its bottom line, saying in court papers that the company had engaged in 'fraudulent or misleading' practices.... The filing marked the first time that the attorney general's office leveled such specific accusations against the former president's company.... The filing outlined what Ms. James's office termed misleading statements about the value of six Trump properties, as well as the 'Trump brand.'" The AP's story is here.
If the Senate cannot protect the right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, then the Senate rules must be reformed. -- Sen. Chuck Schumer, on the Senate floor Tuesday ~~~
~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Democrats pushed forward on Tuesday with what appeared to be a futile bid to enact voting rights protections over Republican opposition, taking up legislation that they said was urgently needed to counter widespread balloting suppression efforts and laying out a plan to try to steer it around G.O.P. obstruction. Using a procedural shortcut, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, avoided a Republican blockade that has stalled the legislation for months to force it to the floor. But Democrats were far short of the votes needed to win its passage over Republican opposition, and lacked the votes needed in their own party to change Senate rules and enact it unilaterally." ~~~
~~~ Good for Emily's List. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "One of the largest contributors to Senator Kyrsten Sinema's political rise announced on Tuesday that it would cut off its financial support if the senator continues to refuse to change the Senate's filibuster rules to allow for passage of far-reaching voting rights legislation. Emily's List, the largest funder of female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, made the extraordinary announcement as the Senate barreled toward votes this week on a bill to reverse restrictions on voting passed by a number of Republican-led state legislatures." ~~~
~~~ Ellie Silverman of the Washington Post: "Twenty-eight people were arrested outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday as a group of college students, faith leaders and civil rights organizers on a hunger strike demanded that the Senate pass federal voting rights legislation."
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The City of Boston, which refused to let a private group raise a Christian flag in front of its City Hall, seemed to be headed for a loss after a Supreme Court argument on Tuesday. Justices across the ideological spectrum, noting that the city had approved many similar requests from organizations seeking to celebrate their backgrounds or to promote causes like gay pride, seemed ready to rule that the city had violated the free speech rights of Camp Constitution, which says it seeks 'to enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage.' The group's application said it sought to raise a 'Christian flag' for one hour at an event that would include 'short speeches by some local clergy focusing on Boston's history.' The flag bore the Latin cross.... Justice Elena Kagan said the city had made an understandable mistake in relying on the part of the First Amendment that prohibits government establishment of religion when it should have been focusing on its free speech clause. Putting a permanent cross on the roof of City Hall would violate the establishment clause, she said, but banning a religious group from conveying its message in a transient setting open to lots of speakers violates the amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech."
Presidential Election 2024. Jake Tapper of CNN: "Around three dozen former Trump administration officials, disillusioned with their former boss and concerned about his impact on the GOP and the nation, held a conference call last Monday to discuss efforts to fend off his efforts to, in their view, erode the democratic process, several participants told CNN. The only items the group seemed to agree upon in its first meeting, however, were that they're not sure what their way forward should be, and that they are way behind the efforts of ... Donald Trump and his allies to set the stage for 2022, 2024, and beyond. The highest-ranking participant was former White House chief of staff and retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, who told CNN that because of a prior commitment he was only able to 'monitor' about 10 minutes of the call, which lasted about an hour." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ian Duncan & Lori Aratani of the Washington Post: "Wireless companies AT&T and Verizon said Tuesday they would limit the rollout of new high-speed 5G networks near airports, a step the Federal Aviation Administration said should avert possible flight disruptions and much of the potential for interference with airplane safety technology. Airlines had begun preparing employees for a wave of disruptions tied to the rollout, while some international operators canceled flights to the United States. Tuesday's deal marked another temporary fix in a dispute that has put different parts of the federal government at loggerheads, while leaving two of the nation's major industries at odds. The White House helped broker the deal, which President Biden said would still enable 90 percent of new wireless towers to launch as planned."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here: "The Biden administration, facing calls from public health experts to distribute high-quality masks to the American public, will announce on Wednesday that it is making 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks available, free of charge, at community health centers and retail pharmacies across the United States. The move, which officials are calling the 'largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history,' comes just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance to acknowledge that cloth masks do not offer as much protection as surgical masks or respirators.... According to the C.D.C.'s new description of masks, well-fitting respirators, including N95s, offer the highest level of protection. Wednesday was also the formal launch day for covidtests.gov, the administration's new website enabling Americans to order at-home coronavirus tests free of charge. The site was quietly rolled out on Tuesday."
Sheryl Stolberg & Lola Fadulu of the New York Times: "The Biden administration's new website allowing people to order up to four free at-home coronavirus tests quietly went live on Tuesday -- a day in advance of its formal launch -- and demand already appeared to be significant. A combined total of more than 1 million visitors were on the home page and the ordering page of covidtests.gov at one point Tuesday evening -- more than 40 times as many as were on the government site with the next highest traffic, the U.S. Postal Service's package-tracking page, according to analytics.usa.gov, which monitors traffic on participating federal websites. At a White House news conference on Tuesday, President Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the official launch would take place on Wednesday morning, but that the site had begun taking orders during what she described as a 'beta testing phase' conducted by the U.S. Digital Service, the government's technology support division." ~~~
~~~ Update. Marie: I tried out covidtests.gov at 8:35 am ET. I've ordered zillions of things online. This was the easiest order I ever placed. The page came up right away (to my surprise), and I didn't have to enter much more than my name, mailing address & email address.
John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request to block a federal mask mandate for air travel. The emergency application was filed by a father on behalf of himself and his 4-year-old autistic son, both of whom claim to be medically incapable of wearing masks for extended periods. Their request was filed to Justice Neil Gorsuch, who handles emergency applications arising in several Western states, and he referred the matter to the full court. The justices denied the request without comment or noted dissent." MB: Which goes to show that the conservoSupremes are reasonable people frequent flyers. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ GorSuch-a-Dick. Nina Totenberg of NPR: Supreme Court Justice Sonia "Sotomayor has diabetes, a condition that puts her at high risk for serious illness, or even death, from COVID-19. She has been the only justice to wear a mask on the bench since last fall when, amid a marked decline in COVID-19 cases, the justices resumed in-person arguments for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Now, though, the situation had changed with the omicron surge, and according to court sources, Sotomayor did not feel safe in close proximity to people who were unmasked. Chief Justice John Roberts, understanding that, in some form asked the other justices to mask up. They all did. Except [Neil] Gorsuch, who, as it happens, sits next to Sotomayor on the bench. His continued refusal since then has also meant that Sotomayor has not attended the justices' weekly conference in person, joining instead by telephone." Sotomayor is not the only justice who doesn't like Gorsuch.
Beyond the Beltway
Arkansas. Lawsuit: Detainees Treated for Covid-19 with Horse Dewormer. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Detainees at an Arkansas jail who had Covid-19 were unknowingly treated by the detention center's doctor with ivermectin, a drug that health officials have continually said is dangerous and should not be used to treat or prevent a coronavirus infection, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of four detainees. The four men ... say in the lawsuit that after testing positive for the coronavirus in August, they were taken to the 'quarantine block' of the Washington County Detention Center and given a 'cocktail of drugs' twice a day by Dr. Robert Karas, who runs Karas Correctional Health, the jail's health provider. The complaint, filed this month in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, says that the men took the drugs -- which Dr. Karas told them consisted of vitamins, antibiotics and steroids -- unaware that they were actually ingesting ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug commonly used for livestock that the Food and Drug Administration has warned should not be taken for Covid-19." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Florida. Anthony Izaguirre of the AP: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposal to reshape the state's congressional map and carve up districts held by Black Democrats, as the Republican takes the unusual step of inserting himself into the redistricting process. The proposed congressional map, submitted Sunday on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signaled the governor's priorities as the state moves to redraw political maps in the coming months. Governors typically do not submit map proposals but can veto district plans after they pass in the statehouse. DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has largely shaped the legislative agenda in the Republican-controlled statehouse this year.... 'From what I can tell, the governor rolled out his own maps, unrequested, on Martin Luther King Day that will probably end up leaving less African-American representation in Congress,' Democratic state Rep. Evan Jenne told reporters." MB: A guest on MSNBC said DeSantis had the gall to invoke Dr. King in his bid for a redistricting map that would cut the number of Black representatives. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ DeSantis Wants Brown Shirts to Control Elections. Lori Rozsa & Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post: "A plan by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would establish a special police force to oversee state elections -- the first of its kind in the nation -- and while his fellow Republicans have reacted tepidly, voting rights advocates fear that it will become law and be used to intimidate voters. The proposed Office of Election Crimes and Security would be part of the Department of State, which answers to the governor. DeSantis is asking the GOP-controlled legislature to allocate nearly $6 million to hire 52 people to 'investigate, detect, apprehend, and arrest anyone for an alleged violation' of election laws. They would be stationed at unspecified 'field offices throughout the state' and act on tips from 'government officials or any other person.'... Unlike many past elections, the 2020 general election in Florida had few problems. The governor touted it as 'the gold standard.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Sam Levine of the Guardian: "The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, has proposed the formation of a large and unprecedented state agency to investigate election crimes -- in a state where there is little evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election or otherwise." ~~~
~~~ Brendan Farrington of the AP: "A bill pushed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that would prohibit public schools and private businesses from making white people feel 'discomfort' when they teach students or train employees about discrimination in the nation's past received its first approval Tuesday. The Senate Education Committee approved the bill that takes aim at critical race theory -- though it doesn't mention it explicitly -- on party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. Democrats argued the bill isn't needed, would lead to frivolous lawsuits and said it would amount to censorship in schools. They asked, without success, for real-life examples of teachers or businesses telling students or employees that they are racist because of their race." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Aw, thanks for the memories, Ron, though they bring me such "discomfort." You remind me of those happy days when our plump, pink & jolly second-grade teacher Mrs. Woosley enthusiastically taught us white kiddies to sing "Swanee River," the racist state song, using (probably an imaginary) extra-racist Negro dialect, even though our school songbook contained standard English lyrics:
All de world am sad and dreary,
Eb-rywhere I roam;
Oh, darkeys, how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home!
Louisiana Senate Race. Dude! John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Gary Chambers, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate from Louisiana, unveiled a new ad Tuesday in which he is shown smoking marijuana." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Pennsylvania. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "Three Pennsylvania police officers have been charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old girl outside a high school football game in August during which they fired a barrage of bullets after two teenagers began shooting, the authorities said. Officers Devon Smith, Sean Dolan and Brian Devaney of the Police Department in Sharon Hill, a Philadelphia suburb, were each charged with a total of 12 counts, including both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment, Jack Stollsteimer, the district attorney in Delaware County, said in a statement. 'We have now concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that it was, in fact, shots from the officers that struck and killed Fanta Bility and injured three others,' he said."
Puerto Rico. Patricia Mazzei, et al., of the New York Times: "Puerto Rico received approval from a federal judge on Tuesday to leave bankruptcy under the largest public-sector debt restructuring deal in the history of the United States, nearly five years after the financially strapped territory declared it could not repay its creditors. Since Puerto Rico entered bankruptcy, its economic crisis has only been further deepened by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, a series of earthquakes and the coronavirus pandemic. The restructuring plan will reduce the largest portion of the Puerto Rico government's debt -- some $33 billion -- by about 80 percent, to $7.4 billion. The deal will also save the government more than $50 billion in debt payments."
Texas/U.K. Dan Sabbagh of the Guardian: "The British man who took hostages at a Texas synagogue had been under investigation by MI5 as a possible Islamist terrorist threat as recently as 2020, Whitehall sources have acknowledged. British intelligence closed the investigation, however, after officers had concluded Malik Faisal Akram from Blackburn posed no threat, and as a result he was able to travel freely to the US and purchase a gun. It is understood the investigation was 'mid-level' and took place in the second half of 2020 -- but once it had ended Akram was left as a closed subject of interest on MI5's records, and no information of concern appears to have been passed to the US authorities before the synagogue attack."
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Don't forget, today is the day to sign up for free covid testing kits, 4
per family.
Go to: covidtests.gov
Good luck!
Glad Marie remembered Patrick's astute remark about how lenders determine the value of real estate. Yes, there is often a ton of paperwork behind every major lending, every financial, arrangement, but as the Bush Crash should have taught us if we hadn't tumbled to it before the entire system is rife with corruption.
Remember all those bond-rating firms that, for a "consideration," rated large tranches of bundled mortgages AAA, which it turned out weren't worth, ahem!, the paper they were printed on.
Real estate valuation is subject to the same manipulation, because appraisers often appraise properties per the wishes of those who commissioned them.
The IRS, for instance, wants property values determined when a property is "gifted." Often for various reasons, such gifts are subject to "discounts" in value, and I have hear appraisers ask their clients how "aggressive" they want those discounts to be...though I have never heard one suggest the officially determined "discount" would be dependent on how much the client was willing to pay.
In other words, much of the valuation business is an ethical morass and like so much else, becoming more so every day.
And swamp creatures like the Pretender are sure to take advantage of a system that invites such behavior and makes it very easy to get away with it.
Good luck, Letitia.
@Ken Winkes: Good points. But according to AG James, the Trump Crime Family did even worse than hiring dodgy/friendly appraisers: "Evidence indicates that over a period of years, Allen Weisselberg misrepresented the source of valuations on Mr. Trump’s financial statements in order to obtain favorable terms for insurance coverage on multiple occasions. Mr. Weisselberg repeatedly represented that the valuations listed in Mr. Trump’s personal financial statements were prepared annually by professional appraisal firms, which was false. With respect to nearly all valuations, the Trump Organization did not retain any professional appraisal firm to prepare the valuations of the Trump Organization’s real estate holdings that appeared in Mr. Trump’s financial statements shown to the underwriter. Rather, the valuations were prepared by Trump Organization staff, contrary to what an underwriter was expressly told and believed.Evidence indicates that over a period of years, Allen Weisselberg ,,, repeatedly represented that the valuations listed in Mr. Trump’s personal financial statements were prepared annually by professional appraisal firms, which was false. With respect to nearly all valuations, the Trump Organization did not retain any professional appraisal firm to prepare the valuations of the Trump Organization’s real estate holdings that appeared in Mr. Trump’s financial statements shown to the underwriter. Rather, the valuations were prepared by Trump Organization staff, contrary to what an underwriter was expressly told and believed."
Looks like the Feds are moving closer into the Trump Family Focus on greed and criminal happenstance otherwise known as getting away with murder. Last night Frontline covered Alex Jones and his followers into the morass that incited conspiracy theories and promoted the sick, bizarre renderings that permeated throughout this country. It's one thing to read about all that but to actually view Jones ranting and raving, pink foam dripping from his mouth, was sickening. He made millions selling his fake medicines and whatnots while promoting evil and I wondered how this could have been sanctioned for as long as long as it did.
But today I'm still thinking about Joe, the Man whose chin is set in stone. I've read that people in West Virginia have reason to savor the past because it's the only state that has fewer people than it had seventy years ago–-that its population had dropped another three per cent in the past decade, extending a decline that began in the nineteen thirties. The loss of population means a loss of federal funding and political power. The state is hurting in every way possible! Someone said that Manchin represents the "wealthy good-old boy's club"–– a generation of Democrats and Republicans who thrived as the economy and the social fabric frayed. "He's been the most powerful lawmaker in W.V. for twenty years and his game is to do what all established politicians do––namely, what's best for him." Guess that sums it up pretty well. But the spectacle of a Democrat from one of America's neediest states laboring to reduce federal assistance is beyond the pale.
Marie's mention of songs our teachers taught us:
C. Vann Woodward, in his 1955 book, "The Strange Career of Jim Crow" described the way that hymns to comity and healing accompanied the in-justices created in the post-Reconstruction South ; "Just as the Negro gained his emancipation and new rights through a falling out between white men, he now stood to lose his rights through the reconciliation of white men."
Come way, come away. come away to Dixie Land.......
I did not check what I wrote about valuation a while back, but I think I was making a point that someone on the lenders' side had to be dirty if they accepted the valuations presented by T*Inc. Lenders do assess the value of collateral, and should not rely on borrowers' valuations. But it appears they did for DiJiT, a well-known fabulator.
On the other side of the ledger, undervaluation for tax purposes, those claims are not available to the public, and the IRS auditors have clearly been tied in knots for decades by DiJiT's legal evasions. The IRS would have to devote hundreds of staff to bring DiJiT to account, and in the past few decades they have been hobbled in their ability to wrestle with well-heeled evaders. Let's hope that OAG is not ensnared by the limitations placed on IRS auditors.
Follow-up to my thoughts above:
One reason why a lender might accept nonsense valuations from a borrower is if there is a third-party guarantor against lender loss, or even a third-party silent partner who is the actual lender, with the lender of record being a pass-through agent.
I have always assumed Russia played that third party role for DiJiT. No legitimate accountable lending institution could get away with defrauduing their own stakeholders. But for a big kleptocracy, no problem -- or "nyet problyema" -- if it can suborn a chartered financial institution.
The often calamitous cupidity rampant in the financial and lending industries paved the way for crooks like Trump and his family of misanthropic moochers to lead the high life at the expense of others, but there are corrupt bankers and then there are really corrupt bankers.
Given Fatty’s history of terminal deadbeatitis, even the nominally corruptible banks refused to do business with him. One didn’t. In fact, one bank loved “damaged clients” who had no problem with, shall we say, ethically and legally challenging conditions: Deutsche Bank.
In fact, it was Deutsche Bank’s loans ($2 billion over 20 years) that funded the Trump mythology of genius businessman which he used to ride into the White House. Why did DB continue to give money to a crook many in the bank hierarchy deemed an unreasonable risk? We don’t know for sure but there was clearly something in it for both parties.
There was a movie a few years ago called “The International” about a bank involved in countless shady deals around the world, financing wars for profit, helping outlaw nations bust sanctions and fund weapons acquisitions. At the time, I recall a number of critics comparing the bank in the film with the BCCI, colloquially known as the Bank of Crooks and Criminals International. But the BCCI was found out. It has been out of business for 30 years.
Not DB. The corrupt institution in the movie is Deutsche Bank, and one of their best clients is Donald Trump. They’re still in business. Many people, even columnists, apparently, forget that DB was integral to the Nazis. They funded the construction of Auschwitz. American investigators recommended, after Nuremberg, that DB be disbanded. It wasn’t. It would go on to help many more unsavory operators like Putin and Trump.
When Bob Mueller tried to get ahold of DB documentation of its dealings with Trump, the Fat Fascist hit the roof. With good reason.
He has plenty to hide. So do they.
“Good luck, Letitia”, indeed.
Will try this one again. A shorter version.
Agree with Patrick's assessment of the Russian backstop to the Pretender's fortune. The collaboration/collusion did not start with the 2016 election.
And it hasn't ended. I take the Ukraine ruckus as a possible, even likely continuation of it, intended to make Biden appear weak and inept, thus increasing the chances of Pretender's return to power.
Those tough guys stick together.
Bush II had the wrong Evil Axis in mind...
@Patrick: Yeah, I had forgotten all that. What you're suggesting is some sort of broader conspiracy that would have to have involved Trump Crime Family (and employees) and at least one bank loan officer & likely more. If it was a matter of dishing out huge loans to Mr. Bankruptcy at higher-than-warranted risk to the bank, then the potential losers would be bank investors.
If, on the other hand, the crux of the conspiracy involved third-party lenders like some Russian or other Eastern European oligarchs, then the bank's investors would not be at particular risk, unless the authorities suddenly realized that the conspirators were engaged in a big ole international money-laundering scheme.
Of course each of these scenarios -- dodge loans & money-laundering -- is possible, and one or the other or both seem likely to me. What seems unlikely is that any authority will nab Trump on money-laundering. There may be receipts somewhere, but brown paper bags full of rubles seem more likely.
On the good news front, Direct TV has declined to renew its contract with OAN (Onerous Asshole News). This should put a serious dent into this toilet’s profits. It doesn’t mean it has no chance to get to viewers, they are still carried by other systems, but losing Direct TV money will hurt. I’m not sure Direct TV decided against supporting a network that profits off misinformation, lies, and treason, or whether they’ve had it with an outfit that promotes murdering anyone who helped “steal the ‘lection” from the Dear Leader, but whatever it was, good for them.
But oh, look who’s crapping his diaper because his favorite Treason TV is having to look elsewhere to fund its lies: the littlest liar! Yes, none other than Li’l Randy. I think his exact quote was “Waaaaaah!! I’m canceling my Direct TV subscription!”
That’ll show ‘em, Randy!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-14/directv-to-drop-one-america-news-in-blow-to-conservative-channel
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/590044-rand-paul-cancels-directv-subscription-after-it-drops-oan?amp
Class? How many people shit their pants tonight when SCOTUS refused to prevent the National Archives from sharing former WH information and activity logs?