September 19, 2022
Afternoon Update:
Haq Khan, et al., of the Washington Post: "American Mark Frerichs, a civilian contractor who was abducted in Kabul over two years ago, was freed in exchange for an Afghan detainee held in U.S. federal prison, U.S. and Afghan officials said Monday.... President Biden applauded the freeing of Frerichs, who U.S. officials said was now in U.S. care in Doha, Qatar.... U.S. officials said Frerichs's release capped months of negotiations between senior U.S. officials and the Taliban.... To obtain his freedom, the official said, the U.S. government released detainee Bashir Noorzai (also known as Haji Bashir Noorzai) -- a warlord and drug trafficker with ties to the Taliban -- who was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to life in federal prison after being lured to the United States and arrested in 2005."
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Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden said in an interview aired on Sunday evening that ... Donald J. Trump had been 'totally irresponsible' for keeping top-secret documents at his residence and private club in Florida, but he said he had not asked for specifics about the documents in order to stay out of the Justice Department's potential decision to charge Mr. Trump criminally.... Mr. Biden told [Scott] Pelley that he had not been briefed on the documents that F.B.I. agents seized last month during their search of Mr. Trump's home..., and that he had not spoken to anyone about what national security secrets might have been revealed by the documents' storage in Mr. Trump's home. He also reiterated that he had not been notified of the search ahead of time....
"In the interview, Mr. Biden expressed optimism over inflation, which hit a 40-year high this summer. The president stressed falling gasoline prices and focused on the monthly rate of price increases, which slowed in July and August, even though annual inflation continues to top 8 percent.... 'We still have a problem with Covid,' he said, according to a transcript provided by '60 Minutes.' 'We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it's changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it.... Mr. Biden told Mr. Pelley that he had not made a 'firm decision' on whether to seek a second term in the White House, though he said it remained his intention. Asked whether, as the nation's oldest president, he was fit for the job, Mr. Biden replied, 'Watch me.'" A Politico story is here. ~~~
~~~ CBS News: During the interview, President Biden said the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked the island. "After the interview, a White House official said U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed. Officially, the U.S. maintains 'strategic ambiguity' on whether American forces would defend Taiwan, but the Taiwan Relations Act obligates the U.S. to help equip Taiwan to defend itself." ~~~
~~~ "60 Minutes"' transcript of the interview is here. Includes video.
Speaking of "Totally Irresponsible," Not to Mention, Totally Crazy. Alan Feuer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump appeared to more fully embrace QAnon on Saturday, playing a song at a political rally in Ohio that prompted attendees to respond with a salute in reference to the cultlike conspiracy theory's theme song. While speaking in Youngstown in support of J.D. Vance, whom he has endorsed as Ohio's Republican nominee for the Senate, Mr. Trump delivered a dark address about the decline of America over music that was all but identical to a song called 'Wwg1wga' -- an abbreviation for the QAnon slogan, 'Where we go one, we go all.' As Mr. Trump spoke, scores of people in the crowd raised fingers in the air in an apparent reference to the '1' in what they thought was the song's title.... What was once a flirtation with a movement that the F.B.I. has warned could increasingly turn violent now appears to be a full embrace.... Mr. Trump's speech in Ohio ... seemed intended to delegitimize officials in the F.B.I. and Justice Department.... 'We are a nation that has weaponized its law enforcement against the opposing political party like never ever before,' Mr. Trump told the crowd. 'We've got a Federal Bureau of Investigation that won't allow bad, election-changing facts to be presented to the public.'... Those complaints were followed by series of other false claims." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Last week, former SDNY prosecutor Geoffrey Berman revealed in a new book that Trump & Bill Barr had repeatedly attempted to get him to help Trump's political buddies & prosecute his political enemies. The Senate Judiciary Committee has asked the DOJ to investigate.
Ellen Barry of the New York Times: "... organizations linked to the Russian government had assigned teams to the Women's March [of January 2017]. At desks in bland offices in St. Petersburg, using models derived from advertising and public relations, copywriters were testing out social media messages critical of the Women's March movement, adopting the personas of fictional Americans." The article goes into detail about how the trolls operated, particularly on how they attacked one leader of the march movement, Linda Sarsour. (Also linked yesterday.)
Beyond the Beltway
Ascent of the Crazy. Amy Gardner, et al., of the Washington Post: "A dozen Republican candidates in competitive races for governor and Senate have declined to say whether they would accept the results of their contests, raising the prospect of fresh post-election chaos two years after Donald Trump refused to concede the presidency. In a survey by The Washington Post of 19 of the most closely watched statewide races in the country, the contrast between Republican and Democratic candidates was stark. While seven GOP nominees committed to accepting the outcomes in their contests, 12 either refused to commit or declined to respond. On the Democratic side, 18 said they would accept the outcome and one did not respond to The Post's survey." A New York Times story is here.
Way Beyond
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 for Monday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.
United Kingdom
The Guardian's live updates of event surrounding the funeral of Elizabeth II are here. The Guardian's schedule of events (BST) is here. The Order of Service for the state funeral is here. MB: This will probably be one of the best funeral services in the history of the world. I think I'll watch. ~~~
~~~ Although Guiseppe Verdi's funeral was pretty terrific:
~~~ Marie: Can't recall, but I may have embedded the Met's synchronized recording of "Va, pensiero," performed during the pandemic, because it's pretty amazing.
Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "An elaborate plan is set for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral Monday, when a service will take place at London's Westminster Abbey before her coffin is buried at Windsor Castle. The proceedings will begin at 10:44 a.m. British Summer Time (5:44 a.m. Eastern), when the Royal Navy will hold a procession to transport the queen from Westminster Hall, where she is 'lying at rest,' to nearby Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth got married there in 1947 and was crowned there in 1953." The article provides info on where to watch. MB: A friend of mine watched a service honoring Elizabeth last week on C-SPAN, which the article doesn't mention. My friend said the C-SPAN feed provided some voice-over info on what-all was going on, but otherwise there was no talk. So if you want to watch without listening to the incessant blather of news anchors, you might try C-SPAN.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "With a framed photograph of Queen Elizabeth II perched to his right, President Biden on Sunday paid homage to a monarch he had twice declined to bow to on the advice of his mother, but one he had also admired. 'She was the same in person as her image: decent, honorable and all about service,' Mr. Biden said one day before the queen's funeral, after writing a message in the official book of condolences at Lancaster House near Buckingham Palace in London and attending a viewing of her coffin at Westminster Hall. 'It's a loss that leaves a giant hole.'" A related Guardian story is here.
News Ledes
New York Times: “As the eye of Hurricane Fiona barreled west into the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico was left early Monday with a knocked-out energy grid, widespread flooding and continued heavy rains, with conditions remaining too dangerous for officials to assess the scope of the crisis. But it was immediately clear that the island would have a difficult recovery process, with as much as 30 inches of rain in some places."
New York Times: "Maximilian Lerner, an Austrian-born Jew who during World War II was among the many soldiers recruited to a secret military intelligence and psychological warfare training center, where they learned espionage and intelligence skills that helped the United States Army as it swept across Europe, died on Sept. 10 at his home in Manhattan. He was 98.... Mr. Lerner was one of the last 30 or 40 of the so-called Ritchie Boys, a group named for the secret Army camp in Maryland that served as an intelligence training center during the war. An estimated 11,000 soldiers -- 2,000 to 3,000 of them European Jews, mostly from Germany -- graduated the full course from Camp Ritchie, where they learned to interrogate prisoners of war and civilians, interpret and translate for foreign officials, and read codes and ciphers."
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Reader Comments (9)
Marie,
It is indeed “Va Pensiero”, which became an unofficial anthem for supporters of Italian unification. Verdi was a patriot but he was no nationalist, at least as we understand that term today. Early in his career, his connection with political forces of unification and his various operas with political overtones made his name a rallying cry for supporters of Vittorio Emanuel who would become king of the newly unified Italy. “Viva Verdi” was an acronym for Viva Vittorio Emanuel, Re D’Italia.
He was so revered, even by farmers and the working classes, that as he lay dying, people covered the street outside his house with hay so the clatter of passing horses and carriages would not disturb him.
He grew up in a farming community and always considered himself a peasant. He was a simple guy, not much for ostentation, a little weird considering the flamboyance of the opera world in 19th C Europe. At the world premiere of “Otello”, Verdi’s next to last opera, his hotel in Milan was besieged by thousands of adoring fans after the performance. Already in his late 80’s, he stepped out on the balcony to acknowledge the crowd, and upon hearing the cheers, the tenor who sang the title role, Francesco Tamagno, a few rooms away, raced out to his balcony, believing they were cheering for him. As he burst into song, the old man shook his head and went back into his room. “Tenors” he muttered.
Haha.
Watching some of the Queen’s funeral (especially after viewing that short clip of the Verdi funeral and shots of George VI’s funeral) one can't help notice the amazing technology at play. Dozens (hundreds?) of cameras, drone shots, helicopter cameras, a far cry from the hand cranked camera that caught Verdi’s cortège.
At one point there was a split screen of the Bidens boarding Air Force One to return to the US (Fatty must be gritting his teeth thinking “That’s MY plane!”). But in a way, it’s more impressive to see film of Queen Victoria, or veterans of the Civil War, or passengers boarding the Titanic, or Honus Wagner rounding the bases in 1905, no matter how grainy and short. It’s a moving (in several senses of the word) glimpse into worlds long gone.
Today’s funeral is also one of the very few televised events watched these days simultaneously by millions of people around the world. The days when 40% of all households with a TV in the United States might all be tuned to a single channel are long gone. On August 29, 1967, 72% of all Americans with a television were watching the last episode of “The Fugitive”. 10% would be considered a massive audience today.
I’m thinking now that live video of Trump being cuffed and led off to a federal prison will be watched (and cheered) by billions. If only.
Blather…
I do realize that filling the time in events like a state funeral can be daunting for the talent assigned to cover these events, but please god, can people not be so wooden headed? Mentioning that the actual burial won’t be covered by cameras, some nitwit, yapping with one of the many Royal Watchers (what a week for those people!), asked “How important is it for the family to have privacy at that moment?”
Right. And how important is it to have a working brain?
This is right up there with idiots shoving a mic into the face of a mother whose child has been killed in a drive by shooting asking “What are you feeling right now?” “Oh, well, I’m feeling like shoving that mic up your ass. You stupid git.”
Blithering blather.
Now they’re talking about Elizabeth in the afterlife, reunited with Philip. Jesus. I guess they can finally light up a fattie and put on floppy slippers and comfy clothes while sucking down vodka shooters. Yippee!
Okay, one more thing (aren’t you glad?)…
So, okay. The queen did a good job in that role. She was never caught skinny dipping in a fountain or blurting out “Fuck off” to some pain the ass visiting dignitary, no matter how well deserved.
But she was not a combination of Mother Teresa, Madame Curie, Joan of Arc, and Wonder Woman.
The encomiums are becoming increasingly baroque and overwrought. She was a nice lady with a hand bag and a funny wave.
“A dozen Republican candidates in competitive races for governor and Senate have declined to say whether they would accept the results of their contests".
But what if they win?
Such fanfare for Verdi––-well deserved I think just as we now are awash in the homage for "Lilly-Beth" who became Queen barely out of her teens. So while we watch––if we indeed DO watch the long ceremonies, last night Ken Burn's first episode of "The U.S. and the Holocaust aired on PBS: it's a six-and-a-half hour, three part documentary about America's actions during one of history's greatest atrocities.
"The U.S. and the Holocaust” takes a keen interest in the American political landscape of today, and it rightly sees chilling parallels between the rise of fascism and the Trump Administration’s assault on American democracy. These comparisons have been made in newspaper columns for the last five years, but they can never quite be made enough, especially those that speak to institutional fragility. All throughout, the film points out certain historical antecedents to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory and the decidedly anti-Semitic “America First” slogan, originally popularized by the likes of Charles Lindbergh, which has since become a rallying cry of the Trump movement." the New Yorker
And it's interesting that in today's foray into "using people" like pawns by the actions of two governors who lack any sense of compassion we are witnessing this "America First " and last business right in our own backyard––––once again. "Jews will not replace us" was the rallying cry that woke us up to that "something rotten in the state of American Pie and Emma Lazarus's poetic words.
Watching and reading the news from Puerto Rico after the passing of hurricane Fiona leads me to think Florida is a bout to see another surge of immigrants. Only thing is, they won't be met by ICE and DeSantis can't just bus them off to the Northern states. I'm sure he'd like to.
It makes you wonder how much real work was done in the five years since hurricane Maria went through. Other than the infamous "Paper Towel Toss" it sure doesn't seem to have been much.
So heartened to see/hear Tim Snyder in the Burns documentary. Snyder the voice of reason in unreasonable times. Thank goodness for his voice. And likewise for Ken Burns and this inimitable work of wisdom. When it comes to human nature there really is nothing new under the sun.
Now that TFQ has been planted, I'm happy to say that I haven't read a single article or viewed a single second of clips about the festivities in the UK. It's not that I don't like her or her realm, it's just that she really doesn't impact my personal life. I may be wrong because she was the Queen for as long as I've been alive. Maybe Charles III will make me think differently.
I'd love to tour the UK. I've been there but only for a couple of days - transiting thru Heathrow to get to Birmingham for business. There's so much history there, architecture, art, etc. that I'd like to see. A whiskey tour of Scotland is near the top of my bucket list...Aardbeg, Laphroigh...Aaah.
I'll never forget some former colleagues of mine when I worked for a Swedish car company early in my career. Two Swedes, Björn and Göran, and one Brit, Cha-a-arles. During our travels together Göran would ruffle Cha-a-arles' feathers by asking, "So, Cha-a-arles, tell me. What's it like living in the world's largest museum?"