November 28, 2022
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Annie Grayer & Sara Murray of CNN: "Kellyanne Conway, who served in the White House as a senior adviser to ... Donald Trump, is meeting with the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection in person on Monday, according to a source familiar with the meeting." MB: Gee, according to Conway, there are "alternate facts." Is there an alternate oath you can take prior to testifying, too? "I solemnly swear to tell the alternate truth & nothing but the alternate truth...."
Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The New York Times and four European news organizations called on the United States government on Monday to drop its charges against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, for obtaining and publishing classified diplomatic and military secrets. In a joint open letter, The Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El País said the prosecution of Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act 'sets a dangerous precedent' that threatened to undermine the First Amendment and the freedom of the press. 'Obtaining and disclosing sensitive information when necessary in the public interest is a core part of the daily work of journalists,' the letter said. 'If that work is criminalized, our public discourse and our democracies are made significantly weaker.'"
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Republicans Stand with Mass Murderers. Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: "Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a leading advocate for gun control in the Senate, expressed doubt on Sunday that an assault weapons ban once again being pushed by President Biden after the country's latest mass shooting could pass the upper chamber. Biden said he was 'going to try to get rid of assault weapons' during the lame-duck session of Congress this year following a recent string of mass shootings, but such a proposal would need 10 Republican votes to break the legislative filibuster, assuming Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) can get all 50 Democrats to support the legislation. 'Probably not,' Murphy told CNN 'State of the Union' co-anchor Dana Bash when asked if the proposal could garner 60 votes. 'But let's see if we can try to get that number as close to 60 as possible,' Murphy continued. 'If we don't have the votes, then we'll talk to Senator Schumer and maybe come back next year with maybe an additional senator and see if we can do better."
Trump Fright, Ctd. Andrew Solender of Axios: "Republican lawmakers have largely remained silent in the wake of former President Trump's dinner with antisemitic rapper Ye and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, reviving a tactic they frequently relied on during his presidency.... Spokespeople for nearly two dozen House and Senate Republicans -- including party leaders, co-chairs of caucuses and task forces focused on Judaism or antisemitism and sponsors of legislation to combat antisemitic hate crimes -- did not respond to requests for comment.... The dynamic highlights the stranglehold Trump still has on the Republican Party outside a small group of vocal critics, even in the aftermath of poor performances by his handpicked candidates in the midterm elections." ~~~
~~~ BUT. Devan Cole of CNN: "... Donald Trump's meeting last week with White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes was 'very troubling' and 'empowering' for extremism, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday. 'No, I don't think it's a good idea for a leader that's setting an example for the country or the party to meet with (an) avowed racist or anti-Semite. And so it's very troubling and it shouldn't happen and we need to avoid those kind of empowering the extremes,' Hutchinson told CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union.'... Hutchinson, a former US Attorney in Arkansas, is term-limited and leaving office in January. He's currently mulling a 2024 White House bid, and he used Trump's controversial meeting to note his own record on such issues, telling Bash, 'the last time I met with a White supremacist it was in an armed standoff. I had a bulletproof vest on. We arrested them, prosecuted them and sent them to prison.'" ~~~
~~~ Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Donald Trump repeatedly refused to disavow the outspoken antisemite and white supremacist Nick Fuentes after they spoke over dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort, rejecting the advice from advisers over fears he might alienate a section of his base, two people familiar with the situation said.... Trump eschewed making outright disavowals of Fuentes, the people said, and none of the statements from the campaign or on his Truth Social account included criticism of Fuentes.... Trump ultimately made clear that he fundamentally did not want to criticise Fuentes -- a product of his dislike of confrontation and his anxiety that it might antagonise a devoted part of his base -- and became more entrenched in his obstinance the more he was urged to do so." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The GOP clearly has become the Grand Chicken Party; Republican politicans are afraid of getting on the wrong side of Trump, and Trump is afraid of getting on the wrong side of white nationalists and any other groups of losers who might be inclined to vote for him. Pathetic. IOW, vile extremists are holding hostage the GCP.
Elon's New Automated Hate Filter Misses Racially-Motivated Massacres. Eva Corlett of the Guardian: "Twitter has removed freshly uploaded footage of the Christchurch terror attack that was circulating on the platform, but only after the New Zealand government alerted the company, which had failed to recognise the content as harmful. The video clips, filmed by the Australian white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch in 2019, were uploaded by some Twitter users on Saturday, according to the office of the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. A spokesperson for the prime minister said Twitter's automated reporting function didn't pick up the content as harmful."
Way Beyond the Beltway
China. Lily Kuo of the Washington Post: "Protests erupted in cities and on campuses across China this weekend as frustrated and outraged citizens took to the streets in a stunning wave of demonstrations against the government's 'zero covid' policy and the leaders enforcing it. Residents in Shanghai, China's most populous city, came together Saturday night and early Sunday, calling for the end of pandemic lockdowns and chanting, 'We want freedom!' and 'Unlock Xinjiang, unlock all of China!' according to witnesses at the event. In even more extraordinary scenes of public anger aimed at the government's top leader, a group of protesters there chanted, 'Xi Jinping, step down!' and 'Communist Party, step down!'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Helen Davidson & Verna Yu of the Guardian: "Chinese police have barricaded a street in Shanghai where protesters have gathered for the last two nights in anticipation of further rallies against the governmen's rigid zero-Covid policies. Since Friday, a wave of protests has spread across multiple cities in China, prompted by the death of 10 people in a building fire in Urumqi in Xinjiang. Much of the region had been under lockdown for more than three months, and people blamed the lockdown for the deaths. Gatherings held to protest or to mourn the victims were held in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and other major Chinese cities on Saturday and Sunday, as well as dozens of university campuses, with some police clashes and detentions in Shanghai. Protesters demanded an end to lockdowns, while some groups decried censorship and called for democracy and an end to the rule of Xi Jinping. Most protests were peaceful. There were some clashes with police in Shanghai, and protesters in Wuhan pushed over pandemic barriers."
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.
News Ledes
Washington Post: Melissa Highsmith, "53 [-- who was kidnapped when she was 21 months old --] reunited last week with her parents and two of her siblings for the first time in more than five decades thanks to a home DNA test, a marriage certificate and the help of an amateur genealogist, the family said Sunday in an announcement, previously reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram."
It's Always Something. Washington Post: "For the first time in nearly four decades, the biggest active volcano on Earth is erupting. Lava flows from Mauna Loa, at the heart of Hawaii's Big Island, could threaten some roadways, but otherwise authorities said there was no immediate danger to populated areas. The U.S. Geological Survey said the eruption started about 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday in Mokuaweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa. It was visible from Kona, a popular tourist destination on the island's west coast. Mauna Loa's last eruption was in 1984. No evacuation orders had been issued by late Monday morning, but shelters were opened as a precaution, Hawaii County officials said. And authorities advised that winds could carry volcanic gas and fine ash downwind."
New York. Washington Post: "The man suspected of killing 10 people in a racially motivated attack at a Buffalo grocery store in May is expected to plead guilty to state charges on Monday morning. Payton Gendron, 19, was indicted on 25 counts, including domestic terrorism and murder as a hate crime, in late May. He faced a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without parole, because New York state does not have the death penalty. But a separate federal hate crimes case, which could bring the death penalty if Gendron is convicted, is pending." ~~~
~~~ New York Times Update: "The gunman who was accused of killing 10 Black people in a racist massacre at a Buffalo supermarket in May pleaded guilty to all state charges against him in Erie County Court on Monday morning. Payton Gendron, 19, who was arrested shortly after the shooting, was indicted by a grand jury in June on 25 counts, including murder, domestic terrorism and other charges in relation to the massacre."
Maryland. Washington Post: "A pilot and a passenger were rescued from a small plane that had crashed into a power line tower and power lines in Maryland after an hours-long ordeal that saw power cut to nearly 100,000 homes and businesses, led to school cancellations and plunged rescuers into a complex effort to safely remove the people aboard.... Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the pilot and passenger suffered orthopedic injuries, trauma and had 'hypothermia issues.' 'Both people assisted us in their movement from the aircraft,' he said. Before they were extricated, Goldstein said, technicians had to conduct 'bonding and grounding' operations to make the tower safe.... The plane became entangled in high-voltage power lines north of Montgomery Village in Gaithersburg about 5:40 p.m.... The first victim, a woman, was pulled from the plane at 12:25 a.m. Residents who'd spent hours watching the incident play out clapped as she was lowered down in a bucket. The second occupant, a man, came down about 11 minutes later."
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Reader Comments (13)
Have read a few stories about this and thought it a movement in the direction of sanity.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/11/26/us-grants-chevron-license-pump-oil-venezuela/
Now I see The Wall Street Journal calls it a "dirty deal."
Was I wrong?
Would have read the Journal's argument but did't want to spend a dime to breach its firewall.
Interesting that in China people are protesting for freedom (as opposed to freeeedom), at risk of their own lives, against an anti-democratic, authoritarian government.
In this country, we have an entire political party, their media empires, and millions of treason supporters pushing hard, at risk of other people’s lives, for an anti-democratic, authoritarian government.
Elon the Great’s incredible content moderation plan works! Fire 90% of your employees who used to do that job, replace them—sort of—with some half-assed buggy software, and let outside, unpaid monitors ring the alarm whenever you miss dangerous hate content uploaded to encourage other racist murderers around the world. Genius! If it takes a few days or weeks, no biggie. Much better for the bank account.
It’s the “libertarian”-right-wing way.
And not for nothin’, but watch how quickly the whackos start uploading all their hate filled content now that their pal Elon has invited them back and adopted a laissez-faire approach to whatever they bring to the party. “Oh, video of bigots murdering innocents? We’ll get to it. Someone will call.”
Even if they only get the eyeballs for a couple of days, or even hours, that’s all it could take for their hatred to spread. While it seems plenty of former Twitter users are jumping ship, the sharks smell blood and now here they come. Good job, Elon! So smart!
Burn the Lifeboats
All this disingenuous prattle about how shocked, shocked! Republicans are that their Dear Leader breaks bread with bigots. You’re just finding out what a racist asshole this guy is now? You’re just finding out about his antisemitic pals? About his truck with haters, con artists, grifters, and lowlifes?
As these creeps try to distance themselves from the cruise ship SS Trump, upon which they’ve all been having a fine old treasonous time for the last six years, I say it’s time to burn the lifeboats. These assholes should not be allowed to row away from this burning hulk. They had no problem with their luxury accommodations for years but now want to pretend they have a shred of decency.
To hell with that.
Of course, plenty of them—the majority, in fact—are still on board. And if the current fire goes out, and it will, those weenie apostates will likely turn around and row back to the arms of Captain Bone Spur.
Still, burn the lifeboats. No one gets out alive to screw the country another day in another way.
One more quick one.
We are a divided world these days, and an especially divided nation. The powerful and the hateful seem always to win, they encourage the worst and try to stamp out what’s best in other people, for money, more power, political advantage, religious extremism, and control.
I just came across a little story, the Tale of Two Wolves, that strikes a frazzled nerve:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.
@Akhilleus: We do have a lot to learn from other cultures. I am one to check out the antiquities wherever I go, whether San Antonio or Rome, & marvel at "what came before." I do this even knowing that many of the piles I'm seeing were built by slave labor and/or grossly underpaid artisans. Perhaps I admire their work even more knowing what the builders of these structures endured to create something that has lasted for centuries or even millennia.
But then. I was flipping through the teevee dial the other day and I caught a portion of a PBS show in which a youngish California Amerindian was talking about the structures his people built. He said they built them of "destructible" materials like mud or adobe on purpose with the idea/ideal that the buildings would eventually return to the earth, leaving little trace. That is, the goal was not to leave a footprint or record. I just had never thought of building in that way. But how much better off would we be if we didn't leave landfill material?
I'm not saying I'm going to stop admiring the Pantheon or the missions near San Antonio, but I'm not going to look at them as the only ideal, either.
The new Republican Congress is going to come up with plans for
curbing inflation, legislating gun control, solving climate change
and dozens of other problems this country is experiencing.
All the answers are on Hunter Biden's laptop, so lets just spend the
first couple of years investigating that.
And their looney supporters will go along with it instead of demanding
action.
Way back near the beginning of the Mar a Lardo documents scandal, DiJiT or his minions claimed that he was "saving" them as proof of the plots against him, so that the Biden admin could not shove them down the memory hole. His genius plan was to reveal all when the time was ripe. It was, of course, specious BS.
But ... now that the NYT and friends urge that the govt give Assange a pass because it's important to allow the public to access govt informaton (???), you can bet that DiJiT's reps will argue that what's good for Assange is good for TFG, whose purposes were only noble and in the public interest. Wait for it.
"... The Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El País said the prosecution of Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act 'sets a dangerous precedent' that threatened to undermine the First Amendment and the freedom of the press. 'Obtaining and disclosing sensitive information when necessary in the public interest is a core part of the daily work of journalists,' the letter said ..."
Forrest,
Investigating Hunter Biden, impeaching his dad, and imprisoning Tony Fauci for keeping them alive IS the kind of action they want.
Yeah, lets come up with some impeachable offenses. Let see, he
hasn't worn a tan suit yet; he hasn't paid off any porn stars; he's
not on any peepee tapes; doesn't have his know nothing spawn
working in government, "working" is what the former spawn
didn't do; his wife hasn't put artificial turf in the rose garden.
Ah, student loan forgiveness. We'll get him on that.
Or something.
Patrick,
Good point, but this demurrer.
Freedom of the press is a deliberately broad bush and according to "Guns, Ships and the Pen," which I just finished reading, it's no accident that that freedom often took priority in the development and promulgation of constitutions, including our own.
The writers of constitutions depended on the press ( the media) to communicate their proposals to a larger audience and to rally the people behind their efforts.
We all know, tho', that all freedoms must have their limits ( snark warning: with the possible exception of the second amendment and what was once upon time a right to abortion) because all constitutionally guaranteed freedoms can be and are abused.
IMO, Facebook has certainly abused the freedom to speak, as has Assange. His participation in promoting the pre-election HRC "scandals" is only one of them that I found unforgivable.
Sorting all this out is not easy, I know, but absolute anythings most often lead to unpleasant outcomes.
We seem to agree on that. Though not always, we label some things "secret" for good reasons, in order to hide them from public view, always attempting-- if not always successfully--to strike a balance between likely good and likely harm.
As I said, I don't believe we always get it right. Providing an unregulated platform to anti-Covid vaxxers, for instance, would seem to fall more on the harm side, insofar as that kind of freedom to misinform literally kills people.
And if "noble intentions" have anything to do with how we sort things out, nobility must first be present. It would be impossible to find anything noble about the Pretender, and I'd think finding any in Assange would also be a bit of a stretch.
According to people who pay more attention to the nut jobs than I'm willing to do Alejandro Mayorkas is the boogie man that is most likely to get the impeachment treatment and dragged through the mud by the House crazies. This is supposed to temporarily placate the nut jobs and has the added bonus of not being a person that most of America knows or will get upset about them ruining his life. I've seen some talk that they are worried that if they impeach Biden that it could backfire and cause the electorate to rally around him.