The Ledes

Monday, June 30, 2025

It's summer in our hemisphere, and people across Guns America have nothing to do but shoot other people.

New York Times: “A gunman deliberately started a wildfire in a rugged mountain area of Idaho and then shot at the firefighters who responded, killing two and injuring another on Sunday afternoon in what the local sheriff described as a 'total ambush.' Law enforcement officers exchanged fire with the gunman while the wildfire burned, and officials later found the body of the male suspect on the mountain with a firearm nearby, Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County said at a news conference on Sunday night. The authorities said they believed the suspect had acted alone but did not release any information about his identity or motives.” A KHQ-TV (Spokane) report is here.

New York Times: “The New York City police were investigating a shooting in Manhattan on Sunday night that left two people injured steps from the Stonewall Inn, an icon of the L.G.B.T.Q. rights movement. The shooting occurred outside a nearby building in Greenwich Village at 10:15 p.m., Sgt. Matthew Forsythe of the New York Police Department said. The New York City Pride March had been held in Manhattan earlier on Sunday, and Mayor Eric Adams said on social media that the shooting happened as Pride celebrations were ending. One victim who was shot in the head was in critical condition on Monday morning, a spokeswoman for the Police Department said. A second victim was in stable condition after being shot in the leg, she said. No suspect had been identified. The police said it was unclear if the shooting was connected to the Pride march.”

New York Times: “A dangerous heat wave is gripping large swaths of Europe, driving temperatures far above seasonal norms and prompting widespread health and fire alerts. The extreme heat is forecast to persist into next week, with minimal relief expected overnight. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are among the nations experiencing the most severe conditions, as meteorologists warn that Europe can expect more and hotter heat waves in the future because of climate change.”

The Wires
powered by Surfing Waves
Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

Marie: Sorry, my countdown clock was unreliable; then it became completely unreliable. I can't keep up with it. Maybe I'll try another one later.

 

Commencement ceremonies are joyous occasions, and Steve Carell made sure that was true this past weekend (mid-June) at Northwestern's commencement:

~~~ Carell's entire commencement speech was hilarious. The audio and video here isn't great, but I laughed till I cried.

CNN did a live telecast Saturday night (June 7) of the Broadway play "Good Night, and Good Luck," written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, about legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow's effort to hold to account Sen. Joe McCarthy, "the junior senator from Wisconsin." Clooney plays Murrow. Here's Murrow himself with his famous take on McCarthy & McCarthyism, brief remarks that especially resonate today: ~~~

     ~~~ This article lists ways you still can watch the play. 

New York Times: “The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The multiyear agreement 'will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,' the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement encompasses material from NYT Cooking, The Times’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports. This is The Times’s first licensing arrangement with a focus on generative A.I. technology. In 2023, The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without any kind of compensation. OpenAI and Microsoft have rejected those accusations.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have no idea what this means for "the Amazon customer experience." Does it mean that if I don't have a NYT subscription but do have Amazon Prime I can read NYT content? And where, exactly, would I find that content? I don't know. I don't know.

Washington Post reporters asked three AI image generators what a beautiful woman looks like. "The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a 'beautiful woman,' all three tools generated thin women, without exception.... Her body looks like Barbie — slim hips, impossible waist, round breasts.... Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging. More than a third of the images had medium skin tones. But only nine percent had dark skin tones. Asked to show 'normal women,' the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin.... However bias originates, The Post’s analysis found that popular image tools struggle to render realistic images of women outside the Western ideal." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The reporters seem to think they are calling out the AI programs for being unrealistic. But there's a lot about the "beautiful women" images they miss. I find these omissions remarkably sexist. For one thing, the reporters seem to think AI is a magical "thing" that self-generates. It isn't. It's programmed. It's programmed by boys, many of them incels who have little or no experience or insights beyond comic books and Internet porn of how to gauge female "beauty." As a result, the AI-generated women look like cartoons; that is, a lot like an air-brushed photo of Kristi Noem: globs of every kind of dark eye makeup, Scandinavian nose, Botox lips, slathered-on skin concealer/toner/etc. makeup, long dark hair and the aforementioned impossible Barbie body shape, including huge, round plastic breasts. 

New York Times: “George Clooney’s Broadway debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' has been one of the sensations of the 2024-25 theater season, breaking box office records and drawing packed houses of audiences eager to see the popular movie star in a timely drama about the importance of an independent press. Now the play will become much more widely available: CNN is planning a live broadcast of the penultimate performance, on June 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The performance will be preceded and followed by coverage of, and discussion about, the show and the state of journalism.”

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. -- Magna Carta ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties. It is one of just seven such documents from that date still in existence.... A 710-year-old version of Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.... First issued in 1215, it put into writing a set of concessions won by rebellious barons from a recalcitrant King John of England — or Bad King John, as he became known in folklore. He later revoked the charter, but his son, Henry III, issued amended versions, the last one in 1225, and Henry’s son, Edward I, in turn confirmed the 1225 version in 1297 and again in 1300.”

NPR lists all of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners. Poynter lists the prizes awarded in journalism as well as the finalists in these categories.

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Page Links
Saturday
Aug032013

The Commentariat -- Aug. 3, 2013

CW: Pardon my ignorance. Yesterday I mentioned coming across Websites that claimed homosexuality was the cause of the fall of the Roman empire. (Akhilleus wrote a great rebuttal to that particular "historical theory" in yesterday's Comments.) I thought this was a novel -- and ludicrous, anti-historical -- theory, but it turns out not to be so novel:

The point that I make is that goddamit, I do not think that you glorify, on public television, homosexuality! You ever see what happened, you know what happened to the Greeks? Homosexuality destroyed them. Aristotle was a homo, we all know that. So was Socrates.... The last six Roman emperors were fags. You see, homosexuality, immorality in general, these are the enemies of strong societies. That's why the communists and the left-wingers are pushing it. They're trying to destroy us. -- President Richard Nixon, early 1970s, discussing the television show "All in the Family"

Peter Kasperowicz of the Hill: "The House voted Friday to prevent the IRS from enforcing any aspect of ObamaCare, a bill meant to exact revenge against an agency that Republicans say is incapable of neutral enforcement of the law. Members approved the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act in a 232-185 vote. Four Democrats supported the bill along with every Republican.... Friday's vote was the 40th time the House has tried to fully or partially repeal ObamaCare. But it was also a chance to slam the IRS, which Republicans say has shown itself unworthy of neutrally enforcing the controversial law." ...

... Gail Collins: after doing nothing (well except for the Biblically symbolic 40th attempt to deny health insurance to millions of Americans), Congress has taken the month off. Too bad it isn't run by women, who can get something done & be polite about it.

** Dana Milbank: "Republican lawmakers seem to think that Americans have short memories and lack Internet connections, for their latest line of attack -- that Obama's health-care and tax policies favor the corporate elite -- directly contradicts their previous allegation that Obama was waging 'class warfare' with 'socialist' policies attacking these very same corporate elites.... Republicans need to make up their minds: Is President Obama a socialist or a corporate stooge?" Milbank's examples of GOP inconsistency are rich.

David Freedlander of the Daily Beast interviews Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.). "House Republicans? Have done more damage to American competitiveness than al Qaeda ever could. 'What is happening is sabotage. Terrorists couldn't do a better job than the Republicans are doing.' The Tea Party? Defeat them the same way segregation was beaten. 'It is the same group we faced in the South with those white crackers and the dogs and the police. They didn't care about how they looked. It was just fierce indifference to human life that caused America to say enough is enough."

Speaking of White Crackers.... Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post: the Tea party astroturf organization "FreedomWorks believes it has identified a core weakness of Obamacare: the young adults who are crucial to keeping premiums in the Affordable Care Act's new coverage programs low, the same demographic the White House sees as crucial to the health law's success. Young adults tend to have lower medical bills, which would hold down premiums for the entire insurance market. If only the sick and elderly sign up, health costs would skyrocket. FreedomWorks wants to make that happen and, in so doing, doom the law." An associated astroturf group, Americans for Prosperity, founded & funded by the Koch brothers, Americans for Prosperity, "has spent more advertising against the health law since President Obama signed it than they did during the legislative battle." ...

... Joan McCarter of Daily Kos: "... there's a flaw in the [FreedomWorks] plan. The money [the veep of FreedomWorks] is telling people to pay in fines will just go back into funding Obamacare for the not really stupid people who do get health insurance. But hey gang, knock yourselves out. Because nothing says Freedom! like spending hours in the emergency room waiting to see a doctor for the burn you got from torching a fake Obamacare card." ...

... Jonathan Cohn of the New Republic outlines six reasons young people will probably enroll in Obamacare insurance plans. ...

... Lori Robinson & Justin Cohen of FactCheck.org on some of the untrue claims the Republican National Committee & leading Republicans claim about healthcare & insurance costs under ObamaCare.

Niels Lesniewski of Roll Call: "Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy says Democrats should bring back the idea of changing the [Senate] rules with a simple majority if Republicans block nominees to a federal appeals court. 'I think that the rules change will come back on the table if it's filibustered because it is one thing if you had somebody who is not qualified. These people are extraordinarily well-qualified,' the Vermont Democrat said of three nominees pending to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in an interview that will air Sundayon C-SPAN's 'Newsmakers.' Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said last month that his plan to change the Senate's procedures with a simple majority vote (the 'nuclear option') would have applied only to executive branch nominees, not judges."

Profile in Cowardice. At a town hall meeting, Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) encouraged a member of the audience who called President Obama a "foreign-born, America-hating communist despot." Tim Murphy of Mother Jones has the video. ...

... Jed Lewison: "... when contacted by NBC about her answer, Roby's office put out a statement defending the questioner and the audience.... This kind of thing is so commonplace it's hard to get shocked or even outraged by it. But the fact remains that a good chunk of the GOP's activist base is totally and entirely delusional -- and elected Republicans are either too afraid to stand up to it, or are as delusional as their constituents."

Shmucks-in-Arms. CW: Steve Rattner is apparently one of the former Obama officials whom the White House has sent out to do Larry Summers' bidding. In a New York Times op-ed, we learn Larry is really a great guy! despite everything you have heard. As for Rattner himself, the former car czar settled that pension-fund corruption/kickback case for millions of dollars out of his own pocket & some loose change from his corporation. Also, he's a deficit hawk. So his recommendation vis-a-vis managing the national economy is worth a lot. Millions maybe.

Senatorial Race

The New York Times Editors endorse Newark Mayor Cory Booker among four solid candidates with progressive records for the Democratic nomination in the special U.S. Senate race in New Jersey. CW: isn't that something? -- four excellent primary candidates in New Jersey; Liz Cheney & Mike Enzi in Wyoming.

Gubernatorial Race

Tom Hamburger & Ben Pershing of the Washington Post: "An electric-car company co-founded by Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe (D) is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over its conduct in soliciting foreign investors, according to law enforcement documents and company officials. In May, the SEC subpoenaed documents from GreenTech Automotive and bank records from a sister company, Gulf Coast Funds Management of McLean. The investigation is focused, at least in part, on alleged claims that the company 'guarantees returns' to the investors, according to government documents." ...

... Trip Gabriel of the New York Times characterizes the investigation as a cloud over McAuliffe's campaign in the vein of the gifts scandal that has dominated Republican rival Ken Cuccinelli's run.

Local News

Alex Dobuzinskis of Reuters: "A federal judge on Friday blocked a portion of a Wisconsin law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital near their practice. U.S. District Judge William Conley last month temporarily stopped the measure, days after Republican Governor Scott Walker signed it into law, and his latest ruling extends that indefinitely while a lawsuit proceeds against the provision. Planned Parenthood, which filed the suit, is challenging the requirement that doctors performing an abortion have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their practice."

Tom Brown of Reuters: "Florida lawmakers will hold hearings this fall on the state's 'Stand Your Ground' self-defense law, which has become a lightning rod for criticism following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. The announcement on Friday by Will Weatherford, the speaker of Florida's House of Representatives, marked the biggest concession yet by the state's Republican leaders to protesters' demands for a top-to-bottom review of the law, which allows people in fear of serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves rather than retreat."

Monica Garcia & John Keilman of the Chicago Tribune: "... Gov. Pat Quinn signed the state's medical marijuana bill into law, with Illinois joining 19 other states and the District of Columbia that have legalized cannabis for patient use."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Robert Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since it threw off white rule in 1980, won another term as president after a hotly disputed election held on Wednesday, defeating his main challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai, with 61 percent of the vote, the Zimbabwe Election Commission said Saturday."

AP: "Despite warnings from California officials, the nation's highest court is refusing to delay the early release of nearly 10,000 California inmates by year's end to ease overcrowding at 33 adult prisons. In its decision Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed an emergency request by the Gov. Jerry Brown to halt a lower court's directive for the early release."

Reuters: "Employers slowed their pace of hiring in July but the jobless rate fell anyway, a pair of mixed signals that could make the Federal Reserve more cautious about drawing down its huge economic stimulus program.... Gains in employment were enough to push the jobless rate down to 7.4 percent, its lowest level since December 2008."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (3)

Weird, I would say: at the same time (my old ward) Kenny Cuccinelli is being investigated for saying he cannot pay back those favors which he has already "eaten," good old Terry McAuliffe, who has rarely been in the news, comes up with a "mini scandal" of his own (or not). Yikes, these two doofuses are the BEST Virginia can do for gubenatorial candidates? Scary. My progressive friends in NoVa find themselves unable to campaign for McAuliffe with any fervor. This guy, they believe is true Pond Scum. Which, I guess, is better than "The Cooch," who is a brain-challenged, ideological, crazy, cheating hypocrite. But then......consider the present Virginia Governor, soon (one hopes) to be a jail bird. Eeeek!

So glad I live in Oregon with Guvner Kitzhaber, and Senators Merkley and Wyden. Something greener and cleaner about all of them. Plus.....who else wears jeans to press conferences and rides economy class from Eugene to D.C. with a plaid duffle? Just askin'.

How is it that a state like VA--with such a large progressive population--could end up so crazed? This is truly a conundrum-- unless the Tea Party and "The Family" have greatly expanded their influence. I have not been back there for almost 10 years, and have almost no desire to visit--since my friends and family members are all eager to come to the Oregon Coast.

What is that Gypsy Curse? "May you live in interesting times." Enough already!!! How about DISGUSTING times?

August 3, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKate Madison

Akhilleus' rebuttal from yesterday re: the fall of the Roman Empire was stellar; I liked it so much I copied it and put it in my files so that I can reread it from time to time and delight in its beauty.

The exchange between Martha Roby and that large Dipwad from a lower depth was pathetic. Her audience loved it, I guess, since they clapped and cheered. So she's talking to people who agree that Obama is a Communist and whatever else that idiot called him. Gosh, what to do, Miss Martha! Coward! and was there no one in that audience who would say, "Wait a darn minute, here..." Oh, those town meetings where the rubber meets the road and we get to see the fakery, the falsity, and the flim flammery in all its glory.

August 3, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

NHS in the USA? : http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/31/1227946/-Montana-Experiment-Brings-NHS-Style-Health-Care-to-USA-Saves-State-Millions-Patients-Delighted?detail=email

Montana? Who'd a thunk it? They did give us Mike Mansfield after all. So there's hope.

August 3, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterBarbarossa
Comments for this entry have been disabled. Additional comments may not be added to this entry at this time.