November 8, 2021
Late Morning Update:
Jim Sciutto & Natasha Bertrand of CNN: "CIA Director Bill Burns held a rare conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, to convey 'serious' US concerns about Russia's military buildup along the Ukrainian border and to attempt to determine Russian intentions, two sources with direct knowledge told CNN.... 'Of course, cybersecurity issues were also mentioned,' [Putin spokesman Dimitry] Peskov added."
The Washington Post is live-updating developments at the COP26 conference in Glasgow: "In a 44-minute speech in Glasgow, [former U.S. President Barack] Obama affirmed that 'the U.S. is back' at the negotiating table after four years of 'a lack of leadership.' He urged young people to be hopeful in the face of cynicism and despair, and he criticized China, Russia, the Republican Party and the administration of ... Donald Trump for their relative inattention to an 'existential' problem.... Midway through his speech to the U.N. climate summit..., Obama took a shot at Republicans, saying many GOP lawmakers have rejected the overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming. 'One of our two major parties has decided not only to sit on the sidelines, but express active hostility toward climate science and make climate change a partisan issue,' Obama said. He added for his international audience: 'Perhaps some of you have similar a dynamic in your own countries, although, generally speaking, the United States seems to have a more vigorous opposition to climate than in many other places.'" ~~~
~~~ A CNN report on President Obama's Glasgow speech is here. The U.N.'s Youtube video is here.
Michael Kranish of the Washington Post takes a look at Mitch McConnell's long, unprincipled political career.
Rick Scott: Neutral on Spousal Strangulation. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Sen. Rick Scott, who heads the group that works to elect Senate Republicans, declined Monday to say whether Sean Parnell, a GOP hopeful in Pennsylvania who has been accused of strangling his wife and abusing his children, is the right candidate for the job.... Scott maintained that in his role as NRSC chairman he should remain neutral in primaries, except in the cases of GOP incumbents." MB: Donald Trump has endorsed Parnell ... maybe because strangulation, I don't know.
"Goodbye, America." Isabelle Khurshudyan & Mary Ilyushina of the Washington Post: "A man who allegedly participated in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 and is wanted by the FBI is now seeking asylum in Belarus, the country's state media reported Monday, presenting him as a 'simple American whose shops were burned by Black Lives Matter activists.' Evan Neumann, who appears to have sat down for an interview with Belarusian state television in a segment entitled 'Goodbye, America,' is wanted in the United States on charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, as well as for assaulting, resisting and obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder.... But Neumann could be welcomed in Belarus as part of the regime's anti-Western propaganda."
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Monday are here.
Yes, Fox "News" Is Killing off Its Viewers. David Leonhardt of the New York Times: "There simply was not a strong partisan pattern to Covid during the first year that it was circulating in the U.S. Then the vaccines arrived. They proved so powerful, and the partisan attitudes toward them so different, that a gap in Covid's death toll quickly emerged.... The gap in Covid's death toll between red and blue America has grown faster over the past month than at any previous point. In October, 25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from Covid, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties (7.8 per 100,000). October was the fifth consecutive month that the percentage gap between the death rates in Trump counties and Biden counties widened.... The ... explanation is straightforward: The vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe Covid, and almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democratic adults.... This situation is a tragedy, in which irrational fears about vaccine side effects have overwhelmed rational fears about a deadly virus. It stems from disinformation -- promoted by right-wing media, like Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, the Sinclair Broadcast Group and online sources...."
~~~~~~~~~~
Where Trump Failed, Biden Delivered. Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "... over the past three months, [President] Biden has demonstrated a willingness, and ability, to carry out some of the policies Trump could not.... 'Finally, infrastructure week,' Biden said, adding later of the $1.2 trillion measure funding improvements to transportation, electricity and other needs: 'We did something that's long overdue, that long has been talked about in Washington.' Biden seemed to relish not only besting his predecessor, but also doing so in a bipartisan way that to him began to validate the kind of politics that Biden seeks to practice. At a time of tribal warfare and balkanized politics, Biden could fairly tout legislation that was supported by top Senate Republicans such as Mitch McConnell -- and in many ways saved when 13 Republican House members backed it late Friday night as six Democrats voted against." ~~~
~~~ AND Biden's Success Makes Trumpty-Dumpty Vewy Angry. Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "Former President Trump on Sunday doubled down on his criticism of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Senate Republicans who voted in favor of passing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. 'All Republicans who voted for Democrat longevity should be ashamed of themselves, in particular Mitch McConnell, for granting a two month stay which allowed the Democrats time to work things out at our Country's, and the Republican Party's, expense!' Trump said in a statement. The former president called Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill 'RINOs.'..."
Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "This week, deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre showed how to start fighting back against Republicans.... Asked about critical race theory in the Virginia contest on Thursday, she began with a full-throated defense of accurate history in instruction: '... great countries are honest, right? They have to be honest with themselves about the history, which is good and the bad. And our kids should be proud to be Americans after learning that history.'... [That is,] eliminating the story of individual and collective struggles to form a more perfect union is not only disinformation, but also unpatriotic.... 'Fundamentally, we believe a school's curriculum isn't a federal decision. It's rightly up to communities around the country -- the parents, the school, the school board, the teachers and the administrators. And that means that politicians .. should not be dictating what our kids are being taught.'... 'Republicans are lying[, Jean-Pierre said. ']... And they're cynically trying to use our kids as a political football.... They're talking about our kids ... when it's election season, but they won't vote for them when it matters.... Republicans did not vote for the American Rescue Plan.'... Democrats should not be shy about arguing that the last thing we want is Confederate flag boosters in Congress writing lesson plans."
Mike Allen of Axios: "Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told 'Axios on HBO' he'll make masculinity a signature political issue, because he claims 'the left' is telling men: 'You're part of the problem. ... Your masculinity is inherently problematic.'... As an ambitious Republican frequently mentioned as a possible future candidate for president or vice president, Hawley, 41, is using American masculinity to appeal to suburban parents, and to working men won over by Donald Trump. 'As conservatives, we've got to call men back to responsibility,' Hawley said. 'We've got to say that spending your time not working ... spending your time on video games, spending your time watching porn online ... is not good for you, your family or this country.'" MB: If Hawley were a normal person, his sexual identity crisis would not be funny at all. But, well, he's Josh Hawley.
Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "In a startling address to constituents, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently talked about controversial COVID-19 conspiracist Joe Rogan becoming the 'president' of Texas if the state secedes from the union. 'I'm not there yet,' Cruz told an audience last month at Texas A&M University about Texas seceding from the United States -- popularly known as 'Texit.' But 'if there comes a point where it's hopeless, then I think we take NASA, we take the military, we take the oil,' he said to loud applause." More on anti-American Senator Ted linked under "The Pandemic, Ctd."
Sara Boboltz of the Huffington Post: "At least eight people were killed and about two dozen injured when a high-octane Travis Scott show ... descended into scenes of total chaos Friday evening.... Scott is particularly well known ... for giving raucous live performances that have led to legal consequences. He's been arrested at least twice over accusations that he encouraged fans to rush past security barriers.... During 2015's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago..., he took the stage for a packed crowd ― albeit briefly. Police arrested Scott and charged him with disorderly conduct after only a few minutes, saying that he was encouraging fans to jump barriers and rush the stage in defiance of festival security measures. 'Middle finger up to security right now!' Scott shouted into the microphone, Rolling Stone reported at the time. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation, according to The Associated Press. In early 2017, Scott was arrested again on a similar charge: Police accused him of inciting a riot during a show at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion. Several people, including a security guard, had been injured while Scott was on stage allegedly encouraging people to join him. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a deal with prosecutors, reportedly in exchange for dropping more serious charges." ~~~
~~~ When Chaos Is the Point. Sarah Cahlan & Elyse Samuels of the Washington Post "reviewed dozens of videos from the night to understand how the mass-casualty event unfolded.... Key moments of synced videos display a tumultuous scene from the crowd's perspective, which includes concertgoers receiving medical aid and others trying to stop the concert, as the show continues." ~~~
~~~~ David Goodman & Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times: "Concert organizers and Houston city officials knew that the crowd at a music festival planned by Travis Scott, a favorite local rapper turned megastar, could be difficult to control. That's what happened two years earlier, the last time Mr. Scott held his Astroworld Festival. For months, they braced themselves, adding dozens more officers from the Houston Police Department and more private security hired by Live Nation, the concert organizer. The Houston police chief, who knows Mr. Scott personally and felt the musician had been trying to do good for his hometown, said that he visited Mr. Scott in his trailer before his show on Friday and conveyed concerns about the energy in the crowd, according to a person with knowledge of the chief's account.... A spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department declined to comment on their timeline of events or on Chief Finner's private conversations, citing the pending investigation."
Brady Dennis & Sarah Kaplan of the Washington Post: "The pomp and promises that marked the initial days of the COP26 climate conference [in Glasgow, Scotland] are giving way to the difficult task of hammering out an agreement on what nations will actually do together to combat global warming -- and how.... COP26 President Alok Sharma, striving to make Glasgow a success, urged delegates that it was 'the time to shift the mode of work' and enter 'a more political, high-level phase of the conference.'... In coming days, by contrast, negotiators from nearly 200 countries will haggle over every word in every line of an agreement that could shape how nations report progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, how global carbon markets function, and how the rich countries of the world deliver on promises to help more vulnerable nations." ~~~
~~~ Chris Mooney, et al., of the Washington Post: "Across the world, many countries underreport their greenhouse gas emissions in their reports to the United Nations, a Washington Post investigation has found. An examination of 196 country reports reveals a giant gap between what nations declare their emissions to be versus the greenhouse gases they are sending into the atmosphere.... The plan to save the world from the worst of climate change is built on data. But the data the world is relying on is inaccurate.... The gap ... is the result of questionably drawn rules, incomplete reporting in some countries and apparently willful mistakes in others -- and the fact that in some cases, humanity's full impacts on the planet are not even required to be reported." MB: Isn't it ridiculous to allow politicians to report such important data on an "honor system"? It's like making Donald Trump the White House ethics advisor or appointing him IRS commissioner. Or, well, (Orwell?) putting Trump in charge of anything.
Will Steakin of ABC News: "In an angry conversation on his final day as president, Donald Trump told the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee he was leaving the GOP and creating his own political party -- and that he didn't care if the move would destroy the Republican Party, according to a new book by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl. Trump only backed down when Republican leaders threatened to take actions that would have cost Trump millions of dollars, Karl writes his upcoming book, 'Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show.' 'I'm done,' Trump told [RNC Chair Ronna Romney] McDaniel. 'I'm starting my own party.' 'You cannot do that,' McDaniel told Trump. 'If you do, we will lose forever.' 'Exactly. You lose forever without me,' Trump responded. 'I don't care.' Trump's attitude was that if he had lost, he wanted everybody around him to lose as well, Karl writes.... According to the book, [over the next several days,] 'McDaniel and her leadership team made it clear that if Trump left, the party would immediately stop paying legal bills incurred during post-election challenges.... But, more significant, the RNC threatened to render Trump's most valuable political asset worthless,' Karl writes, referring to 'the campaign's list of the email addresses of forty million Trump supporters.'"
The Pandemic, Ctd.
David Cohen of Politico: "Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Sunday defended the Biden administration's workplace rules on vaccine mandates after a federal court blocked a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration policy. Citing historical precedents datin back to George Washington during the American Revolution, Murthy said President Joe Biden had faith in both the legality of the mandate and the effectiveness of such requirements.... Noting that the United States still has '75,000 cases a day,' Murthy said that the mandate ultimately will have great benefits for the economy and for society as a whole.&"
Who Shot Big Bird? Ben Kesslen of NBC News: "'I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy,' ['Sesame Street''s Big Bird] wrote on Twitter. 'Ms. @EricaRHill even said I've been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!' While Big Bird has been on "Sesame Street" for decades, his ageless character is meant to be 6 years old. He became eligible for the vaccine only in late October, when the Food and Drug Administration announced that it had authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The right wing quickly seized on the Muppet's tweet. 'Government propaganda --- for your 5 year old!' Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted." MB: Don't know who controls the Dr. Seuss franchise now, but I strongly suggest they give a very public shot in the arm to Sam-I-Am of Green Eggs & Ham. It could drive Ted to taking up permanent residence in Cancun.
Lisa Rein, et al., of the Washington Post: "With a Monday deadline looming, high percentages of federal workers are reporting they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. But tens of thousands of holdouts have requested exemptions on religious grounds, complicating President Biden's sweeping mandate to get the country's largest employer back to normal operations.... The number of religious objectors ranges from a little more than 60 people at the Education Department to many thousands among the 38,000-strong workforce at the Bureau of Prisons, according to federal employee union officials. A Texas-based IRS affinity group, Christian Fundamentalist Internal Revenue Employees, wrote a four-page letter to the official handling exemption requests, citing scripture and mistrust of the government among African Americans, as well as falsely claiming thousands of deaths from the coronavirus vaccine.... The process [of ruling on the requests] could take months for officials designated at each agency.... Managers will soon assume the thorny role of deciding whether someone is sincere or requesting an exemption for political reasons." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. See also his commentary in yesterday's thread. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Here are a few ways to cull the phonies: (1) check their cars to see if they sport faded Trump-Pence bumper stickers; (2) invite every one of the "religious objectors" to a MAGA rally & take the names of those who show up; (3) they work for the Bureau of Prisons or Border Patrol.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here.
News Lede
New York Times: "Aaron Feuerstein, a Massachusetts industrialist who became a national hero in 1995 when he refused to lay off workers at his textile plant after a catastrophic fire, then spent hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild it, died on Thursday at a hospital in Boston. He was 95.... Mr. Feuerstein's commitment to Lawrence and his employees was all the more noteworthy amid the painful waves of deindustrialization during the 1980s and '90s, when private-equity buyouts and wage competition drained millions of jobs from high-income states like Massachusetts.″
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Reader Comments (7)
A few thumbs up this morning:
The Navy christens ship named for slain California Gay rights leader Harvey Milk.
Karine Jean-Pierre shows how to "sock it to em" and she was right as rain especially when she spells out the GOP's hypocrisy. (see story above)
Last night I watched the MSNBC special on the infamous "Four Seasons" debacle. Speculation as to how Rudy and his gang ended up at a landscaping outfit rather than the actual Four Seasons in NYC is still not clear. Some say some bloke thought he was booking the event at the actual FS in NY but failed to realize he was talking to a landscape company. Other say they would have had to pay a pretty penny in NY so they opted for cheap. Whatever the story is the event that took place was like a big balloon––inflated, full of hot air and then suddenly poof! deflated, falling flat. We learned a whole lot about this landscaping business run by mother and son and others who were gobsmacked by what occurred. After the event they got hundreds of emails and phone calls from presses and magazines along with horrible threats from the usual nitwits –-yes, those on the left can be just as crazy as the right–-UNTIL they, themselves started tweeting snarky bits about the event and suddenly the Four Seasons Landscaping became famous and fabulous and has had to expand its facilities in order to keep up with all the business they are getting.
Never underestimate the power of the people who have the capacity to change the conversation.
"then I think we take NASA, we take the military, we take the oil,' he said to loud applause. (Ted hold my beer Cruz).
Ask the Confederacy how that all worked out after they took Ft. Sumter.
As a sixth gen Texan, I fear there is no hope for these "Jackasses"
Florida governor DeSantis has dismissed the Biden Infrastructure law as pork barrel politics. I'm waiting for someone to ask him does that mean he'll refuse to accept the money to fund long neglected roads, bridges, and other infrastructure in Florida.
Please put me out of your misery if ever I write this of Ross Douthat, "How I Became Extremely Open-Minded". This is the intellectual equivalent of addressing one's possible racist tendencies by citing 'all my Black, Asian, LGBTQ, etc. friends".
Dan L.: I gotta say that most of the Texas Turds, like Cruz, don't know that NASA was courtesy of Big Government LBJ and Sam and others. Ask Kazakhstan how well they kicked the Russian space program out....
@citizen..
Read the header on Douthat's Saturday/Sunday column and assumed the title indicated someone's tongue was firmly in one cheek or another, but I was intrigued sufficiently to skim the piece.
Know nothing about Lyme disease or its accepted treatments, but do know something about Douthat, so when I came across a comment lauding his open-mindedness by reminding readers like me that Galileo was sorely mistreated, too, I sent this off to the Times.
@Taylor H.
Would point out that Galileo ran into ideologues who had a personal pipeline to God.
Hardly the same as fact determined by peer-reviewed observation and experiment.
And time and again, Douthat has proved himself an ideologue and true believer, or so this peer would review years of his writing.
He is no Galileo.
Re the hopeful Belarus emigre:
First. Good riddance.
Second. If they are of a mind to take him, perhaps Belarus could open its doors to selected Texans. The right sort would fit right in.
@Ken: Several years ago I read a book, I think, titled "The Trial of Galileo". It was an interesting piece about the event of him vs. God (or her affiliates). The googles show that there are several books with similar titles. I'm not sure which one I had read but I remember that it wasn't written by Umberto Eco. Perhaps MB could provide some insight/perspective given her knowledge of Italian history.