May 17, 2022
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Rip Van Garland Awakens. Glenn Thrush & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has asked the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack for transcripts of interviews it is conducting, which have included discussions with associates of ... Donald J. Trump, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The move, coming as Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appears to be ramping up the pace of his painstaking investigation into the Capitol riot, is the clearest sign yet of a wide-ranging inquiry at the Justice Department. The House committee has interviewed more than 1,000 people so far, and the transcripts could be used as evidence in potential criminal cases, to pursue new leads or as a baseline text for new interviews conducted by federal law enforcement officials.... On April 20, Kenneth A. Polite Jr., the assistant attorney general for the criminal division, and Matthew M. Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, wrote to Timothy J. Heaphy, the lead investigator for the House panel, advising him that some committee interviews 'may contain information relevant to a criminal investigation we are conducting.'"
Chris Megerian of the AP: "President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the poison of white supremacy and said the nation must 'reject the lie' of the racist 'replacement theory' espoused by the shooter who murdered 10 black Americans in Buffalo. Speaking to victims' families, local officials and first responders, Biden said America's diversity is its strength and the nation must not be be distorted by a 'hateful minority.'... Biden spoke after he and first lady Jill Biden paid their respects Tuesday at a makeshift memorial of blossoms, candles and messages of condolence outside the Tops supermarket...." The Washington Post's report is here.
Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times: "Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, urged Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch and the network's top executives in a letter on Tuesday to 'immediately cease the reckless amplification of the so-called "Great Replacement" theory on your network's broadcasts' in the wake of a deadly racist rampage in Buffalo. The letter, which followed remarks Mr. Schumer gave on the Senate floor Monday, may signal a new effort by Democrats and others to raise pressure on the cable network and its top-rated host and moneymaker, Tucker Carlson.... 'For years, these types of beliefs have existed at the fringes of American life,' Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter, which was also copied to Mr. Carlson personally. 'However, this pernicious theory, which has no basis in fact, has been injected into the mainstream thanks in large part to a dangerous level of amplification by your network and its anchors.'" ~~~
~~~ A copy of the letter, via the New York Times, is here. As Garrett Haake pointed out on MSNBC, Schumer's letter is effectively confirmation that the Senate itself will do nothing to deter gun violence because there are not 60 votes for even the most innocuous gun control legislation.
The New York Times is liveblogging events in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, including President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden's visit. President Biden is scheduled to deliver public remarks at 1:00 pm ET.
Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "Replacement theory used to be a fringe doctrine, but these days, in at best thinly disguised form, it is attracting significant mainstream support within the G.O.P. And this mainstream acceptance helps it spread. As The Times has documented, Tucker Carlson's Fox News show has amplified the doctrine more than 400 times. And lest you dismiss Carlson as a mere media figure, remember David Frum's dictum: 'Republicans originally thought Fox worked for us. Then we discovered that we work for Fox.'" Krugman misses the days when voodoo economics, "a crank economic doctrine -- the claim that tax cuts pay for themselves -- became in effect the official Republican party line." Despite the fact that voodoo economics never inspired any acts of terrorism, he reckons "that the embrace of crank economics presaged the general moral collapse of the Republican establishment ...[and] opened the door for paranoia and conspiracy theorists of all kinds -- and the consequences have been deadly."
Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "On Jan. 6, 2021..., a top Trump appointee at the U.S. State Department met with two activists who had been key to spreading the false narrative that the presidential election had been stolen. The meeting came as Trump's allies were pressing theories that election machines had been hacked by foreign powers and were angling for Trump to employ the vast powers of the national security establishment to seize voting machines or even rerun the election.Robert A. Destro, a law professor at Catholic University of America then serving as an assistant secretary of state, confirmed to The Washington Post he met with the two men -- Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann and Michigan lawyer Matthew DePerno -- in the midst of the tumultuous day. The two men have previously claimed to have huddled on Jan. 6 with State Department leaders, who Oltmann has said were sympathetic to the claims that a 'coup' was underway to steal the presidency from Trump. They have not identified with whom they met. Destro's acknowledgment is the first independent confirmation that they successfully gained the high-level audience.... Oltmann and DePerno played important behind-the-scenes roles in crafting the baseless allegations that the election was stolen from Trump...."
Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "An intelligence subcommittee will hear testimony from two Pentagon officials on observations [of 'unexplained aerial sightings'] by military pilots and others. Pentagon officials testifying at a House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday showed a previously classified video of an unidentified aerial phenomena, a fleeting color video of a reflective spherical object speeding past a military fighter jet.... 'We have detected no emanations within the U.A.P. task force that is, that would suggest it's anything nonterrestrial in origin,' [the deputy director of naval intelligence Scott] Bray said, referring to unidentified aerial phenomena." The AP's report is here.
Carolyn Johnson & Laura McGinley of the Washington Post: "Federal regulators authorized a coronavirus booster shot Tuesday for school-age children, making a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available to 5-to-11-year-olds as cases rise nationally. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the booster for use at least five months after children are fully vaccinated with the two-shot primary series.... Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are scheduled to meet Thursday and are expected to recommend the booster, which was shown in laboratory tests to strengthen children's immune defenses -- particularly against the omicron variant." An NBC News report is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "The most hotly anticipated event so far in the 2022 primary season will unfold today in Pennsylvania, where voters of both parties will make crucial decisions in competitive races for Senate and governor.... North Carolina is also holding primaries that will decide the fate of Representative Madison Cawthorn, who has been plagued by scandals and made many enemies among fellow Republicans...." This is a liveblog.
Politico's story on today's primaries, by Steven Shepard, is here: "Of the 20 separate dates on the 2022 midterm primary calendar, none is more important -- and potentially dramatic -- than this Tuesday."
Nathaniel Rakich of 538: "Tuesday is the busiest election day of the year so far, as five states -- Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- hold their 2022 primaries. And for the GOP, it will be another test of whether to move on from ... Donald Trump. Coming off Nebraska last week -- his first loss of the year -- Trump has endorsed candidates in seven major primaries on Tuesday, which should give us a clearer answer as to his power in the party. And even in races where Trump has no skin in the game, Republicans are considering nominating someone in his incendiary, illiberal mold -- which could make it harder for the GOP to pick up seats in November. All told, it's the highest-stakes primary day yet. Here are the 16 (!) Republican primaries to keep an eye on[.]
Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden will travel to Buffalo on Tuesday to denounce the racist massacre in a predominately Black neighborhood as 'terrorism motivated by a hateful and perverse ideology,' according to a White House official, who said Mr. Biden would also call for stricter gun control measures.... It remained unclear how directly the president would link such violence to the political statements of his opponents."
Shane Goldmacher & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The massacre at the grocery store on Saturday trained a harsh light on the 'great replacement theory,' which the authorities say he used to justify an act of racist violence -- and on how that theory has migrated from the far-right fringes of American discourse toward the center of Republican politics. Republicans across the spectrum were quick to denounce the killings. But fewer party leaders appeared willing to break with the politics of nativism and fear the party has embraced to retain the loyalties of right-wing voters inspired by Donald J. Trump.... Last year, far-right Republican members of Congress circulated plans to create an 'America First Caucus,' where the section on immigration talked about the importance of 'uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions.' The idea was scrapped but those involved continued to make waves for their flirtation with white nationalism.... Republicans have used rhetoric that suggests a tacit willingness to try to appeal to elements of the far right. Ahead of November's midterm elections, Republican candidates have ramped up warnings about the threats being posed to what is cast as real or traditional America. Often unsaid is what that bygone era looks like: white, male-dominated, Judeo-Christian and heterosexual."
Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Over the past week, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the third-ranking House Republican, has blasted President Biden for providing infant formula to undocumented immigrants while 'American mothers' suffer amid a nationwide formula shortage. She has attacked Democrats and 'pedo grifters,' borrowing language from the baseless pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory that claims there is a Satan-worshipping cabal of liberal pedophiles.... And after the deadly mass shooting in Buffalo..., Ms. Stefanik is under scrutiny for campaign advertisements she has circulated that play on themes of the white supremacist 'great replacement' theory.... Like [Donald] Trump, Ms. Stefanik's response when under fire is to attack her attackers. Like Mr. Trump, she vehemently defends herself against charges of holding any racist views, while at the same time using rhetoric that energizes far-right and fringe groups. On Monday, she released a lengthy statement attacking the media for reporting on statements she has made that echo replacement theory claims, but never disavowed the ideology, and did not condemn racism or white supremacy."
Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and a former member of G.O.P. leadership in the House, on Monday called out her party's leaders for enabling the spread of white nationalism after a gunman who believed racist ideology killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket. 'The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism,' Ms. Cheney wrote on Twitter. 'History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.' Her statement came as Republicans in Congress were angrily pushing back against accusations that their language and actions have perpetuated the kind of racism and xenophobia that were apparently behind the massacre." An ABC News story is here.
Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Fox News host Tucker Carlson distanced himself and the network from the alleged shooter in Saturday's killing of 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket, who allegedly wrote a document endorsing 'great replacement theory' -- a once-fringe racist idea that's been a refrain for Carlson and other prominent conservative media figures. In doing so, Fox News's most-watched host argued Monday night that the lengthy document allegedly posted by Payton Gendron -- which invoked the idea that White Americans were at risk of being 'replaced' by people of color because of immigration and higher birthrates -- was not politically motivated, and that the response by Democrats to the mass shooting was an attack on free speech.... 'So what is hate speech? Well, it's speech that our leaders hate,' he said.... Gendron's alleged document does not mention that he watched Carlson or his show." MB: TuKKKer is counting on his listeners not to know what free speech and hate speech mean. It's a safe bet he's right.
Nikki Ramirez & Chloe Simon of Media Matters: "Fox News programming went virtually silent on the racist conspiracy theory that reportedly inspired a mass shooting over the weekend, largely refusing to mention the so-called 'great replacement' theory by name in its coverage of the massacre. Fox's decision to avoid the topic stood in stark contrast to its cable news competitors, which discussed the shooter's racist motivations at considerable length. It also represented an about-face for Fox, which has previously been more than happy to spread racist 'replacement' paranoia." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Of course the Little Foxes tried to blame the mass murder on "mental health issues," but here's a problem with their characterization: the (alleged) murderer's "mental health issue" was a declaration he planned to commit a murder-suicide. That, and only that, was why he was sectioned.
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "This past weekend's massacre in Buffalo has put a deserved spotlight on Elise Stefanik, Tucker Carlson, Newt Gingrich, Matt Gaetz, J.D. Vance and others trafficking in the racist 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory. But ... elected Republicans haven't merely inspired far-right extremists. They have become far-right extremists.... [A] study, released on Friday by the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, a decades-old group that tracks right-wing extremism, found that more than 1 in 5 Republican state legislators in the United States were affiliated with far-right groups.... The far-right groups range from new iterations of the tea party and certain antiabortion and Second Amendment groups to white nationalists, neo-Confederates and sovereign citizen entities that claim to be exempt from U.S. law.... One Arizona state senator, Wendy Rogers, gained national attention for a speech to a white-nationalist conference in February during which she called for violence."
Ray Stern of the Arizona Republic: "The Arizona Senate will investigate a social media post from state Sen. Wendy Rogers that suggested the shooter in a mass killing in Buffalo, New York, last weekend was a federal agent and part of a federal conspiracy. The Senate voted 24-3, with three members not voting, to move forward with an investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee.... An effort to expel Rogers, pushed by Democrats, failed on a 11-15 vote.... On Saturday, following the shooting deaths of 10 people at a Buffalo store, Rogers posted on the social media site Telegram, 'Fed boy summer has started in Buffalo.' Numerous political observers and journalist said that Rogers statement meant that she was calling the shooting was a 'false flag' operation by federal authorities.... Rogers, a Trump-endorsed, first-term politician who belongs to the Oath Keepers and has espoused conspiracy theories, was censured by her Senate peers on March 1 after she promoted hanging political enemies during an appearance at an event hosted by Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and threatened to destroy fellow Republicans' careers."
Audra Burch & Luke Vander Ploeg of the New York Times: "The racist slaughter at a Buffalo grocery store on Saturday is the latest episode in a troubling rise of violence against African Americans, built upon historic racial fault lines and a polarized social climate.... About 64.9 percent of the 8,052 reported hate crime incidents that year were based on race, ethnicity or ancestry bias, according to the F.B.I. Within that category, Black Americans made up more than half of the victims.... Experts who track data caution that federal numbers are incomplete, and that some of that spike might be the result of increased awareness and more willingness to report such crimes. Yet they say the attention to social justice might itself have spurred more violence targeting Black Americans."
The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukraine says it has given up fighting at the Azovstal steel complex in Mariupol, allowing hundreds of its fighters who had been taking a last stand there to be moved to Russian-controlled territories.... Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian forces were struggling to advance and experiencing setbacks, including near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where a small group of Ukrainian soldiers managed to reach the border with Russia. And ... Vladimir V. Putin of Russia appeared as isolated as ever, when in a meeting with the country's five closest military allies, only Belarus spoke in support of his war.... President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey repeated his harsh criticism of Sweden as a haven for Kurdish separatists whom he regards as terrorists, raising new questions about his support for Sweden and Finland's NATO membership. Top U.S. senators of both parties have struck a deal over a draft bill that would expand a 1996 war crimes law to give American courts jurisdiction over cases involving atrocities committed abroad even if neither party is a U.S. citizen, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here: "Sweden signed the country's application to join NATO, bringing the country a step closer to membership. Both Sweden and Finland are expected to submit their applications to the military alliance this week, beginning an accession process that is expected to move quickly.... Vladimir Putin downplayed the move on Monday, saying 'Russia has no problems with Finland and Sweden, and in this sense, expansion at the expense of these countries does not create an immediate threat for us.'... In the eastern region of Luhansk, Russian forces shelled a hospital in Sievierodonetsk, according to the regional governor. International officials have tallied more than 200 attacks on medical facilities since Russia's invasion. The U.S. Senate voted 81 to 11 to advance a bill Monday that would secure nearly $40 billion in aid for Ukraine, setting the stage for final passage this week." ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Tuesday are here.
Rachel Pannett & Reis Thebault of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian fighters have ended their weeks-long defense of a besieged steel plant in the strategic port city of Mariupol, as hundreds of combatants -- dozens of them seriously wounded -- were evacuated from the complex Monday. 'Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive,' President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address, as the delicate evacuation continued. 'We hope that we will be able to save the lives of our guys. Among them are the seriously wounded, they are being provided with medical aid.'... The Russian bombardment of the Azovstal plant appears to have persisted in recent days.... The complex evacuation is being coordinated with the help of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.... Ukraine's deputy defense minister, Anna Malyar, said 53 seriously wounded soldiers were taken to a hospital in Novoazovsk, a nearby town which is controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Another 211 were transported to another Russian-aligned village, Olenivka, she said. Moscow and Kyiv are brokering a prisoner swap to secure their release."
Jon Henley of the Guardian: "Turkey has said it will not approve Sweden and Finland joining it as Nato members, hours after Stockholm followed Helsinki in a historic Nordic security policy shift by formally confirming that it intended to apply for membership of the alliance. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said diplomatic delegations from the two countries, which have reversed decades of military non-alignment in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, should not even bother coming to Ankara to discuss the move. 'We will not say yes to those [countries] that apply sanctions to Turkey to join the security organisation Nato,' Erdoğan said. 'They say they will come to Turkey on Monday. Will they come to persuade us? Excuse us, but they shouldn't bother.'... The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has repeatedly said the two Nordic countries would be 'welcomed with open arms', but the process requires unanimity among the alliance's 30 existing members. Turkey's objections, even if aimed at extracting concessions, could delay the process. The Swedish defence minister, Peter Hultqvist, said on Monday that Stockholm was working hard to overcome Ankara's reservations...."
Dan Sabbagh of the Guardian: "Vladimir Putin has become so personally involved in the Ukraine war that he is making operational and tactical decisions 'at the level of a colonel or brigadier', according to western military sources. The Russian president is helping determine the movement of forces in the Donbas, they added, where last week the invaders suffered a bloody defeat as they tried on multiple occasions to cross a strategic river in the east of Ukraine. The sources added that Putin is still working closely with Gen Valery Gerasimov, the commander of the Russian armed forces, in contrast to claims made by Ukraine last week that the military chief had been sidelined."
Russia Bombs Ukraine's Future. Jason Dearen, et al., of the AP: "The Ukrainian government says Russia has shelled more than 1,000 schools, destroying 95. On May 8, a bomb flattened a school in Zaporizhzhia which, like School No. 21 in Chernihiv, was being used a shelter. As many as 60 people were feared dead. Intentionally attacking schools and other civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Experts say wide-scale wreckage can be used as evidence of Russian intent, and to refute claims that schools were simply collateral damage. But the destruction of hundreds of schools is about more than toppling buildings and maiming bodies, according to experts, to teachers and to others who have survived conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, in Syria and beyond. It hinders a nation's ability to rebound after the fighting stops, injuring entire generations and dashing a country's hope for the future."
Show Me the Money. Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen urged European nations on Tuesday to step up their spending to support Ukraine.... While the European Union and international financial institutions have also been making large aid contributions, Ms. Yellen said that more must be done. 'I sincerely ask all our partners to join us in increasing their financial support to Ukraine,' Ms. Yellen said in a speech at the Brussels Economic Forum, according to her prepared remarks. 'Our joint efforts are critical to help ensure Ukraine's democracy prevails over Putin's aggression.' The Treasury secretary is in the midst of a weeklong trip to Europe, with stops in Warsaw, Brussels and Bonn, Germany, where she will meet her counterparts at the Group of 7 finance ministers summit. Aid to Ukraine is expected to be a central topic at that meeting."
Trying to Wipe the Tarnish Off the Golden Arches. Aaron Gregg, et al., of the Washington Post: "McDonald's is done with Russia after more than three decades of investment, concluding that doing business there is 'no longer tenable' as the war in Ukraine stretches into a third month. The fast food giant's decision to seek a local buyer for hundreds of Russian stores marks the first time it has given up on a major international market, chief executive Chris Kempczinski noted Monday in a letter addressed to the 'Global McFamily.'... Renault, which has been called out by name by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Monday that it sold its 68 percent stake in Russia's biggest automaker, AvtoVAZ, to the government. The sale price was 1 ruble, according to Reuters, albeit with a six-year option to buy back the shares; last year, the French carmaker valued its Russian assets at nearly $2.3 billion.... More than 900 companies -- including Ikea, Intel, Uber, Adidas and BP -- that made 'principled exits' from the country, as described in a widely followed list from Yale University."
Charlie Savage & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "President Biden has signed an order authorizing the military to once again deploy hundreds of Special Operations forces inside Somalia -- largely reversing the decision by ... Donald J. Trump to withdraw nearly all 700 ground troops who had been stationed there, according to four officials familiar with the matter. In addition, Mr. Biden has approved a Pentagon request for standing authority to target about a dozen suspected leaders of Al Shabab, the Somali terrorist group that is affiliated with Al Qaeda, three of the officials said.... Together, the decisions by Mr. Biden, described by the officials on the condition of anonymity, will revive an open-ended American counterterrorism operation that has amounted to a slow-burn war through three administrations. The move stands in contrast to his decision last year to pull American forces from Afghanistan, saying that 'it is time to end the forever war.'"
David Sanger of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Monday announced a partial lifting of sanctions on Cuba, including expanding flights beyond Havana and restarting a program to reunify Cuban families in the United States, its first moves toward fulfilling President Biden's campaign promise to reverse many of the sanctions imposed by his predecessor. The changes, which also include relaxing the ban on remittances, were announced after a lengthy review of Cuba policy. They go into effect at a time when food and medicine shortages have created new waves of Cubans trying to reach U.S. shores. While administration officials have said the actions would 'center on human rights and empowering the Cuban people,' they were immediately denounced by Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, a Cuban American Democrat who is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee." A Miami Herald story is here.
Christina Jewitt of the New York Times: "The Food and Drug Administration on Monday reached an agreement with Abbott Laboratories on the steps needed to reopen the company's shuttered baby formula plant, which could begin to ease the shortage of infant formula that has frightened and exasperated parents nationwide. The F.D.A. must still grant approval, once the company has taken the steps, for production to resume at the plant in Sturgis, Mich. It has been shut down since February after several babies who had consumed formula that had been produced there fell ill and two died. Abbott described the agreement with the F.D.A. as a 'consent decree' and said it would require federal court approval. Once the agency permits the plant to reopen, the company said production could begin within about two weeks and could translate to more formula on shelves in six to eight weeks. The company said it will continue flying formula in from a plant in Ireland. It was unclear how soon the F.D.A. might approve the plant reopening. Abbott's plant has been offline since February, when the F.D.A. discovered a deadly bacteria, called cronobacter, while swabbing in and near production lines. Abbott disputed that characterization...." An ABC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I'd still like to know why it took three months plus for Abbott to clean up its act. Who caused the delay?
Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday made it more difficult for federal courts to review the factual determinations that can lead to the deportation of noncitizens. The technical ruling split the court 5 to 4, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett writing the majority opinion and fellow conservative Justice Neil M. Gorsuch joining liberal justices in dissent. Barrett and the majority went further than the federal government had advocated. She said that while Congress had granted the attorney general 'room for mercy' in providing relief to those who had entered the country illegally, it was different for judicial intervention. 'Federal courts have a very limited role to play in this process,' wrote Barrett. 'With an exception for legal and constitutional questions, Congress has barred judicial review of the attorney general's decisions denying discretionary relief from removal. We must decide how far this bar extends -- specifically, whether it precludes judicial review of factual findings that underlie a denial of relief. It does.'"
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of Senator Ted Cruz in his challenge to a federal law that limits how political campaigns can repay candidates for money they lend their own campaigns. The ruling was the latest in a series of decisions dismantling various aspects of campaign finance regulations on First Amendment grounds. The court split along ideological lines, 6 to 3, in deciding that Mr. Cruz, Republican of Texas, was entitled to be reimbursed using postelection donations for money he had lent his campaign in 2018. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, said the challenged law 'burdens core political speech without proper justification,' violating the First Amendment."
Marie: So, on Monday, the Supreme confederates decided to make it harder for immigrants to obtain relief but easier for wealthy, shady politicians. Nice.
** Judd Legum of Popular Information: "There are few meaningful limits remaining on money in politics.... On Monday, the Supreme Court made the situation a little bit worse. [In this 6-3 decision,] Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, says wealthy candidates loaning their campaigns large amounts of cash is an essential part of the democratic process.... [Justice Elena] Kagan says [in her dissent] that by greenlighting, in the aggregate, unlimited donations that will go directly into the pocket of the candidate, the majority's 'decision can only bring this country's political system into further disrepute.' While Roberts claims loan repayments have no provable corrupting influence, Kagan notes that the majority has no "reason to second-guess Congress's experience-based judgment about the specially corrupting effects of post-election donations to repay candidate loans." She also provides several examples of the corrupting influence of post-election loan repayment in states where the restriction is not in place[.]" Worth reading to the end.
Faiz Siddiqui & Ellen Francis of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk said Tuesday his $44 billion bid to buy Twitter 'cannot move forward' until the social media company's CEO shows proof that less than 5 percent of the platform's users are fake. Musk's tweet comes a day after he said he might try to renegotiate for less and accused Twitter of potentially misleading him about the percentage of fake accounts on the website, in the clearest signal yet that he could seek to exit the deal." MB Translation: If I'm to spend billions of dollars, you have to put me on the front page more often. I'm the World's Richest Man, and the media should acknowledge that every day.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here: "Citing high community transmission and rising hospitalizations from a fifth wave of coronavirus cases, New York City health officials on Monday strongly recommended that all individuals wear medical-grade masks in offices, grocery stores and other public indoor settings citywide. The new recommendations, issued in a health advisory by the city health commissioner, came as the city approached the orange, or 'high' alert level for Covid-19, a benchmark it expects to hit in the coming days."
You Can Get Covid Again & Again. Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "... the coronavirus has become more adept at reinfecting people. Already, those infected with the first Omicron variant are reporting second infections with the newer versions of the variant -- BA.2 or BA2.12.1 in the United States, or BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa. Those people may go on to have third or fourth infections, even within this year, researchers said in interviews. And some small fraction may have symptoms that persist for months or years, a condition known as long Covid.... Earlier in the pandemic, experts thought that immunity from vaccination or previous infection would forestall most reinfections.The Omicron variant dashed those hopes. Unlike previous variants, Omicron and its many descendants seem to have evolved to partially dodge immunity."
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Andrew Pantazi of the Jacksonville Tributary: "A Tallahassee judge lifted a stay in a Florida redistricting lawsuit, ordering election officials to begin using a map that preserves a Black congressional district in North Florida. The new map, drawn by a Harvard professor, only affects the North Florida congressional districts, re-instating a Duval-to-Gadsden 5th Congressional District to protect Black voters' ability to elect their preferred candidates. Circuit Judge J. Layne Smith ordered the new map last Wednesday, saying that he found 'the enacted map is unconstitutional because it diminishes African Americans' ability to elect candidates of their choice.' But Florida appealed, automatically staying the decision until Smith's new order lifting the stay Monday. The state's lawyer said he would file a motion Tuesday asking the 1st District Court of Appeal to reinstate a stay, halting Smith's order and keeping the earlier map signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis."
Virginia. Alyssa Lukpat of the New York Times: "After months of conflict, the foundation that runs President James Madison's Virginia estate agreed on Monday to accept 11 people recommended by a group of descendants of enslaved people who worked there to its governing board. In a statement on Monday, the Montpelier Foundation, which runs the 2,650-acre estate outside Orange, Va., that belonged to the nation's fourth president, said: 'This historic and unprecedented vote by the board of directors means that the foundation has achieved its long-sought goal of parity on the Board for descendants of Montpelier's formerly enslaved population.'"
Way Beyond
France. Norimitsu Onishi & Aurelien Breeden of the New York Times: "President Emmanuel Macron appointed Élisabeth Borne, the low-key minister of labor and a former minister of the environment, as his new prime minister on Monday, in line with his promise to prioritize environmental issues in his second term and a long-expressed wish to select a woman for that role. Weeks before legislative elections, the choice of a woman and particularly Ms. Borne, long regarded as close to the Socialist Party, was meant to appeal to left-leaning voters whose support will help determine control over Parliament."
U.K. Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "Just days after she missed the state opening of Parliament, one of the most important dates in the royal diary, [Queen Elizabeth II] attended an equestrian extravaganza near Windsor Castle, and the crowd ... offered a standing ovation at the close of a chilly Sunday evening.... The queen was photographed clapping and grinning from ear to ear." ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE, a Sticky Wicket for the Heir. Amanda Coletta of the Washington Post: "When Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, arrive in Canada on Tuesday to kick off a royal tour in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's seven decades on the throne, they'll find themselves confronting the painful and enduring legacies of British colonization and empire. The pair, who begin their three-day tour in Newfoundland and Labrador, will take part in what their itinerary describes as a 'solemn moment of reflection and prayer' at a Heart Garden, planted in memory of the thousands of Indigenous children who died at residential schools and to honor survivors and their families.... But in a country where demonstrators against the mistreatment of Indigenous people have in recent years toppled statues of British monarchs -- including of Elizabeth and her great great grandmother, Queen Victoria -- some want more.... 'It was the whole colonial power structure that was responsible for the residential school system,' said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. 'I think they should definitely apologize.'"
News Ledes
New York Times: "A cache of online postings suggests months of preparation and planning preceded Saturday's racist massacre in Buffalo and shows how the suspect evaded a state law that could have prevented him from owning a gun. New York's so-called red-flag law took effect in 2019, allowing judges to bar people believed to be dangerous from possessing firearms. Yet Payton S. Gendron, the 18-year-old man accused of killing 10 people at a Tops supermarket on Saturday, was able to buy an assault-style weapon despite having been held for a mental health-evaluation last year after making a threatening remark at his high school." ~~~
~~~ Verge: "The alleged gunman behind the attack in Buffalo, New York that left 10 dead and three injured on Saturday used Discord to discuss and share plans ahead of the assault, according to Bloomberg. As far back as December, the suspect is reported to have used a private server on the popular chat service to describe his intentions to carry out an attack. He later shared links to Discord logs describing his attack plan and white supremacist views, according to Bloomberg.... 'Discord wanted to ensure "another event like Charlottesville isn't planned on our platform". As soon as we became aware of it we took action against it and removed the server in accordance with our policies against violent extremism,' a Discord spokesperson told Bloomberg." ~~~
~~~ Marie: If someone used Reality Chex to outline his plans to kill or otherwise harm people, I can assure you I would call the authorities immediately. There's no indication in the report that Discord notified anybody.
Share Article
Reader Comments (13)
Might be short-sighted, naive and even stupid of me, but today I'm rooting for across the board victories for Pretender-blessed MAGA candidates in Repugnant primaries.
By determining that money is speech the SCOTUS long ago greased the nation's slide from democracy to oligarchy.
What I don't understand is how anyone, steeped in the law or not, could think that false equivalency would have any other result.
WHITE POWER PLAYS:
Isaac Chotner in a conversation with Kathleen Belew, a professor of history and author of "Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America."
https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/making-sense-of-the-racist-mass-shooting-in-buffalo
Also check out Ezra Klein's piece in the NYT–-his conversation with Ann Applebaum.
And today I'm thinking of all those Indians whose life and land were taken from them when white folk took over–––the great replacement long ago that we celebrate with Turkey, dressing and mother's pumpkin pie; always keep a jaded eye on history someone once said while reminiscing about those so called "Good ole days that were good for thee but not for me."
@P.D. Pepe: Me too. When I was a child, we kids used to go to the Saturday morning kiddie show at the Essex Theater in Hialeah, Florida. There was a feature film, a "B" movie, a 1930s serial & seven cartoons. Often, the "B" movie was a Western, where the cowboys & Indians battled it out, usually to save some nice white settlers traveling across the prairie in Conestoga wagons. The cowboys, settlers (and sometimes Union soldiers) always won. And we always rooted for the white people. The Indians were presented as fierce warriors who looked scary in war paint. They usually put an arrow through the heart of a white kid in a wagon train, who was the stock sacrificial lamb of that genre. When we played cowboys & Indians at home, we switched off during the game, so that those of us who got stuck play the bad guys -- Indians -- could play the good guys -- cowboys.
When I was in the second or third grade, we little white kids (of course our school was all-white, even though there was a Black neighborhood just down the road) went on a field trip to a Seminole village. I don't know if the village was a real enclave or one representing the way the Seminoles "used to live." I do remember they lived in this enclave in open chickees: open, thatched roofed huts built on stilts to keep the flood waters out. I was astounded that anyone would live in an open hut in South Florida, where it poured rain every afternoon in summer. I'm sure I thought of those Seminoles as exotic foreigners even though I was the foreigner.
I don't remember when I got over my childish view of Native Americans. It could have been when I was an adult. I hope white children today are not getting the kind of "education" I got.
@Marie: I was mostly raised by my maternal grandmother, who was
only 32 years older than myself. My mother was more like a sister
since she was also so young.
Anyway, grandma always told us that one of her grandfathers
married a Cherokee woman so we always had a bit of Native Indian
blood. That gave us a different outlook on the cowboy, Indian thing.
Last Christmas our neighbor gave us DNA kits as a gift because we
help her around the yard, etc.
Turns out I am English, Scottish, Northern European and Eastern
European (Gypsy most likely). No hint of any Native American.
The husband is 100% Russian. His family left years ago for Canada
and the USA.
My brief comment on last night's Krugman:
As T-shirt wisdom would have it,
"If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything."
That T-shirt was smarter than most Republicans...
@Forrest Morris: I have not got around to getting one of those DNA kits, but I do intend to. I also have what is most likely a fake Amerindian heritage, although not as recent as your fake heritage. The wife of one of my (unnamed) ancestors supposedly was scalped by Indians in the 17th century, and the ancestor, who lived out in the wilds, took a Native American as his second wife, and she too is my ancestor. Or so the story goes. I will not be at all surprised to find out this story is nonsense. I'll let you know.
President Biden in Buffalo where a GQP, NRA TuKKKer KKKarlson white supremacist murdered innocent Americans: “Evil will not win. Hate will not prevail.”
I applaud his optimism, however disconnected from reality.
As of today the score is:
Republican evil and hatred 23,890.
Democratic decency and humanity 3.
And I’m not even sure it’s actually 3.
Provenance, perhaps…
I’ve always been sure that my background was 100% Irish. Parents and grandparents from Ireland. But my mother and my aunt used to tell me I was “Black Irish” because of my very white skin, jet black hair, and blue eyes.
During one of my many library jaunts when I was about 12 or so, I looked this up. A number of sources stated that Black Irish descended from Spanish sailors washed ashore on the Irish coast after the Armada disaster in 1588. I thought this rather unlikely since I had never seen any Spanish speaking kids with milky white (ie easily sunburned, even during a baseball practice in March!) skin, and blue eyes. Not saying it’s impossible, but…
As cool as it might be to be able to trace my ancestry several hundred years past my family’s solid Celtic roots, to some sailor in the employ of Phillip II of Spain, we all have to recognize that we all come from common DNA heritage millions of years old.
No one is “perfect” yadda, yadda, yadda anything, except human (well, some of us…). Christ, even Hitler was part Jew. Which means we are all closer than we think. This DNA tracing stuff might go back a few hundred years, but humans started out in Africa (you too TuKKKer, you racist fuck) and spread out from there.
Nationality is an overlay that offers little more than an old train ticket or a passport stamped at many stops along the way.
Even that Fat Fuck’s family origins stem from places he terms “shithole countries”. Humans started out there, Fatso. The only shithole is the one you and your pals inhabit.
Well, so many pieces all about our election today-- everyone is remarking on the woman who out-trumps Dumpface himself, and the other two, Oz and the hedgefund guy, and they all think they want to join the enttirely broken Senate. Meanwhile, our Fetterman is getting a pacemaker and is rumored to still be in Lancaster General. I think we should go serenade him under his window. He still has a good chance, unless cowardly Dems vote for the other two, Lamb and Kenyatta, thinking Fetterman will be an invalid...Either of those two, however, would be good senators, depending on who they are up against in November. Also, meanwhile #2: our AG who is unchallenged, Josh Shapiro, for governor, has covid. I swear, god doesn't like Democrats. He was masterful at denying the crazies who wanted PA to become WI or AZ, and he is running against a real piece of work, ugly as sin, probably Mastriano, who has been in the r stew from the get-go. None of the religious nuts running believe Biden won. Honestly, I almost can't bear to stay up and watch.
@Akhilleus: If you go to Spain, you will come across many people with light skin. When I was in junior high school, one of my friends was from Cuba, and she had alabaster skin (and black hair). She claimed it was because her family came from Spain and had no American ancestry.
According to what I've read, "Black Irish" probably have Norman heritage, as the Normans invaded Ireland in the 12th century & some of the "dark invaders" stayed to become "Black Irish."
Akhilleus,
Some may disagree.
"Nobody's perfect, " you say, just as my younger son recently told his six year old, who agreed. Kinda.
"Nobody's perfect," he repeated, "but I am."
He must have a little Irish tucked in those genes somewhere.
Marie,
Black hair, white skin, and blue eyes? As I said, it’s not impossible, but I’ve never come across it. But then I’ve only ever run into Hispanic people in this country.
Nonetheless, Spanish, Norman, Aztec, Lithuanian, we all have a common background.