January 23, 2022
Michael Schwirtz, et al., of the New York Times: "The British government said Saturday that the Kremlin was developing plans to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine -- and had already chosen a potential candidate -- as President Vladimir V. Putin weighs whether to order the Russian forces amassed on Ukraine's border to attack.The highly unusual public communiqué by the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, issued late at night in London, comes at a moment of high-stakes diplomacy between the Kremlin and the West." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
BBC News: "The head of the German navy has resigned over controversial comments he made over Ukraine. Kay-Achim Schönbach said the idea that Russia wanted to invade Ukraine was nonsense. He added that all President Putin wanted was respect. A number of countries have supplied weapons to Ukraine, including the US and UK. But Germany has refused Ukraine's request for ammunition."
Matthew Chance, et al., of CNN: "The US Embassy in Kyiv has requested that the State Department authorize the departure of all nonessential staff and their families, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. A State Department spokesperson said they have 'nothing to announce at this time,' adding, 'We conduct rigorous contingency planning, as we always do, in the event the security situation deteriorates.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Will Russia Attack Ireland Next? (Irish) Journal: "Russian bombers and naval ships are set to test missiles off the coast of Ireland. The Journal has learned that the Irish Government has received a warning of a major exercise by the Russian navy and air force in the Atlantic off the South West coast. The missile test, or range practice as it is known in military terms, will take place in international waters off the coast of County Cork in the first week of February. The missiles are expected to be launched by ships and from aircraft although exact details are not known. The Irish Aviation Authority has confirmed that it is to re-route commercial flights and issue a warning."
~~~ In case you're wondering what Wordle is all about, the Verge has the answer, plus instructions on where & how to play.
Griff Witte of the Washington Post: "The central committee of Arizona's Democratic Party voted on Saturday to censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a symbolic rebuke that follows her decision to buck her party's leadership on an effort to scrap the filibuster. While the reprimand has no practical consequences, it reflects the growing estrangement between the first-term senator and her fellow Democrats, who have been angered by her willingness to help stymie the party's agenda on issues such as the minimum wage and voting rights. State party chair Raquel Terán said Saturday's censure vote, which was taken behind closed doors, was a direct consequence of Sinema’s unwillingness to endorse Senate rule changes to pass voting rights legislation. The senator's move, she said, crossed a red line at a time when voting rights are under attack." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "What are Republicans for?... Name me one thing they're for.'... President Biden posed that question at his news conference Wednesday.... Today's Republicans are for whatever they think can restore them to power. When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was asked on Wednesday what agenda Republicans plan to run on in their bid to regain control of Congress in this year's midterm elections, he replied: 'That is a very good question, and I'll let you know when we take it back.'... That Republicans had become completely dismissive of policy was obvious at least by 2020, when the party didn't even bother to write a platform for its convention." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Tumulty, like most commentators on the subject, notes that "a solid majority of Republicans have embraced the lie that the 2020 election -- one of the most secure in history -- was stolen from Trump through massive fraud." I'm not sure these Republicans are as dumb as the statistics imply. Trump won the white vote in 2016 & 2020. That may be what these Republicans mean: that non-whites should not have the vote, so counting their ballots is inherently fraudulent. This is why Mitch's gaffe -- "African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans" -- is a gaffe only to people who think all Americans should have equal access to the ballot. "Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, described McConnell's remarks as a 'dogwhistle'." Kenyatta is right. Mitch is telling white people that Blacks are voting "too much." This is why he and all other Senate Republicans opposed the voting rights bills.
GOP Voter Stasi. Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "In the battle over voting rights, an idea is starting to move around in Republican circles: designated police forces designed to hunt down voter fraud. On the basis of available evidence, this is a solution in search of a problem. It is another example of what comes from ... Donald Trump&'s false claims about the 2020 election. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has put a proposal for such a force in his new budget. In Georgia, former U.S. senator David Perdue, who is running as a Trumpian candidate in the GOP primary for governor..., says he wants something like it to assure that only legal votes are counted." MB: Since I first heard about Ron Baby Don's secret voter police plan, I have held an image in my mind of white voter Nazis banging on the door of a Black voter in the middle of the night demanding that he show himself. Then I remembered I had seen such a scene in a film, based on a true story, about the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. You can pick an era Republicans want to return to, but whatever you choose, it definitely must be pre-1965.
Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "In her column for the Daily Beast, longtime Washington D.C. insider Margaret Carlson claimed it is not beyond the realm of possibilities that Donald Trump will let his kids take the brunt of the prosecution for instances of fraud that are being investigated by New York Attorney General Leticia James and newly elected Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. As Carlson notes, the children of Trump, Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric have their fingerprints all over financial documents that investigators believe show the family and the Trump Organization committed fraud. According to the columnist, 'We've been lulled into believing Donald Trump is made of Teflon.... But Trump's luck began to run out in early 2021 -- when he lost the White House, Air Force One, and his Twitter account inside a few weeks.... He could even start losing so much that he'll get sick of losing.'... You can read her whole piece here -- subscription required." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Daddy's Little Girl. "They Go After Children." Brad Dress of the Hill: "... Donald Trump slammed the Jan. 6 committee investigating the Capitol insurrection after it asking his daughter Ivanka Trump to sit for an interview. 'It's a very unfair situation for my children. Very, very unfair,' Donald Trump told The Washington Examiner in an interview for an op-ed published Friday. 'It's a disgrace, what's going on. They're using these things to try and get people's minds off how incompetently our country is being run. And they don't care. They'll go after children,' Donald Trump said." MB: Ivanka Trump is 40 years old, not a child. But if Trump thinks she is such a child, why would he give her a top job with serious responsibilities? To keep an eye on her to make sure she's doing her homework & not sneaking out with her friends?
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Footnote to an Obituary. Natalie O'Neal of the New York Post: "The late rocker Meat Loaf was outspokenly anti-vaccine mandate and anti-mask before his death -- once telling a reporter, 'If I die, I die, but I'm not going to be controlled,' according to reports Friday. The 74-year-old 'Bat Out of Hell' singer -- who was reportedly critically ill with COVID-19 before he passed away Thursday -- was opposed to pandemic restrictions, slamming lockdowns and mask mandates during an interview last summer."
Virginia. Paul Murphy of CNN: "Police in Virginia said a woman has been charged after she claimed at a school board meeting she would show up with loaded guns if her children were required to wear masks at school. In the post on the department's Facebook page, authorities said Amelia King, 42 of Luray, was charged with making an oral threat while on school property Friday afternoon. A magistrate judge released her on a $5,000 unsecured bond." A related story was linked on Saturday's page.
Marie: Not sure what we're seeing here. Is it just vanity -- "This mask makes me look lame" -- or are we a nation in which nearly half of the adult population has out-of-control anger management problems? Or maybe many people's inner lives are so empty that they don't know how to live in relative isolation & they couldn't figure out how to manage it. Anyway, presuming the story about the cause of Meat Loaf's death is true (and it's the New York Post, so...), both he & Amelia from Virginia had the same problem. Meat Loaf solved his by dying (probably in agony) and Amelia sought to solve hers by threatening to mow down the local school board.
Beyond the Beltway
Mississippi. Bobby Harrison of Mississippi Today: "Every Black Mississippi senator walked out of the chamber Friday, choosing not to vote on a bill that sponsors said would prohibit the teaching of critical race theory in the state's public schools and colleges and universities. The historic, unprecedented walkout came over a vote on the academic theory that state education officials and Republican lawmakers acknowledge is not even taught in Mississippi. Republicans hold supermajority control of the Senate, meaning they can pass any bill without a single Democratic vote." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Sharif Paget of CNN: "The bill does not mention or define critical race theory. And it doesn't ban educators from teaching any specific subject matter.... The bill passed in the Senate by 32-2 after the Black lawmakers walked out. Democratic state Sens. David Blount and Hob Bryan -- both White -- were the only two legislators to vote against the bill. It now heads to the state House." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Molly Minta & Bobby Harrison of Mississippi Today: "If made into law, opponents say the bill is likely unconstitutional.... The bill states no public school or public college or university 'shall make a distinction or classification of students based on account of race' and cites specifically that critical race theory is something the legislation would 'prohibit.'... 'Universities are set up with promises of academic freedom as part of their accreditation process,' [Mississippi College constitutional law professor Matthew] Steffey said. 'It's extremely problematic for state law to try to infringe on the existing contractual rights and commitment at the individual professor level and at the university level.'... Jarvis Dortch ... of the ACLU of Mississippi, said K-12 teachers may not be able to challenge the bill if it becomes law.... Compared to university faculty, K-12 teachers have a more limited right to free speech in the classroom because they teach curriculum that is set by the state." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: The likelihood that the law is unconstitutional was my first thought. Here's a summary by Donna Euben of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) on the legal status of academic freedom. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
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Reader Comments (6)
That Fatty considers Princess Ivanka a child puts a much creepier light in his intimation to Howard Stern, some years ago, that he’d love to have sex with her.
It’s interesting that many Trumpies who are so exercised over conspiracy theories that Democrats are child molesters never stop to acknowledge that they voted for a guy who could actually be a child molester.
We’ve had presidents who were racist, ignorant, clueless, and even criminal, but, to my knowledge, only this asshole has ever referred to his “child” as “a piece of ass”. “Creepy” doesn’t even make it halfway.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY: sing the song from Cabaret:
When Donald followed Hillary around like a panther on the prowl during one of their debates, she later claimed he didn't pay taxes not because, as he claimed "I am smart," but because he was a cheat and a liar or something to that effect. When HE became president he exacerbated the yawing wealth gap by slashing corporate taxes 40%––doubling the number of corporations paying NO taxes and promising enormous new tax breaks for the rich.
So today the BBC reports that 100 (should be more) millionaires and billionaires sign open letter pleading for higher taxes. The word "pleading" here strikes me as a wee bit over the top but hey.....
I must have missed this story. What, I wonder, will those who scream at Bernie who has been advocating this change for decades–-SOCIALISM! Horrors! It will be such fun to see what happens with this "plea" from the richest of the rich––-if money makes the world go round what happens when it changes course.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/patriotic-millionaires-more-taxes-injustice-letter_n_61ecbfb2e4b03216750b98a6
AK: I was once privy to a family whose 13 yr. old daughter's behavior with her father was causing the wife and mother of this girl much concern but wasn't comfortable addressing this issue with her husband. Whenever other people were around this girl would climb onto her father's lap, continually kissing him and distracting him from fully engaging in conversation. In the evening the father and daughter would spend hours in bed together while he read stories to her when the mother had set a time limit as to her bedtime. At one point the wife, clearly frustrated blurted out––-"and she has breasts, already!" The father, in this case, claimed he was unaware of any problem.
I also saw this kind of behavior at a get together with friends one evening when suddenly the host's young teenage son jumped onto his mother's lap and remained there for some time.
In Trump's case it becomes smarmy and obvious that he would think nothing of admitting he'd like to deliver to his daughter what he delivers to his wife and all who came before. There are no boundaries with this man––and if Ivanka didn't chastise him for that remark, she, too, is culpable.
For a sick narcissist like Trump, nothing he does could possibly be wrong. He’s always right and always great, another reason he is incapable of admitting that he lost that election fair and square, that millions of voters gave him the boot. He used to run teenage beauty contests and would walk into dressing rooms unannounced to see what he could see. He’s the Donald, after all. If he wants to feel up some woman at a party, or force himself sexually on them, who are they to complain? He’s the Donald. And if he lusts after his own daughter, who has a right to say anything? He’s the Donald.
And if his ego requires him to send a vicious mob out to murder elected officials so he can maintain his lofty position, even after a massive and historic rejection…
He’s the Donald.
Does anyone think he will EVER pay a price for his lifetime of crimes, culminating in despicable behavior as the "president" and profitting wildly through his experiences?
Seriously, does anyone? I sure don't. Twenty years from now, we will (hopefully, anyhow...) be sitting in an autocracy run by bigots and liars, and he will be still alive, still bilking everyone from his smelly hospital bed. PLEASE tell me you have more optimistic feelings...
That would involve a burial plot in some obscure corner of Florida, with a headstone with his name, Orange Monster, and a body long-since consumed by alligators.
The infinite gullibility of some school board attendees:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/23/us/politics/michigan-litter-box-school.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=US%20Politics
" ... The rumor that furries — people who have an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters and sometimes dress up as them — used litter boxes in the school district, which is about two hours northwest of Detroit, appears to have started at a school board session last month, based on a video of the meeting.
A member of the public who spoke at the meeting, Lisa Hansen, says in the video that she was informed by someone the day before the meeting that litter boxes had been added to the “unisex bathrooms” for students who “identify as cats.”
“I was stunned,” Ms. Hansen says in the video. “And today I am equally stunned and a little bit upset — well, not a little bit, a lot of bit upset. Furious — I would even use that word.”
Ms. Hansen says in the video that there is an “agenda that is being pushed through our schools is — just my opinion — but somewhat nefarious when it comes to some of the activities.”
She goes on to say that this is a “nationwide” issue ... "
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Of course, a Republican poobah of some sort in MI demanded explanations. So school administrators had to spend time explaining no, it ain't so.
They should know ... in MI it's wolverines, not cats!