The Commentariat -- July 3, 2021
Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "President Biden said Friday that he wanted the military to remove the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases from the control of commanders, a sea change for the military justice system. An independent commission formally recommended to Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III this week that sexual assault, sexual harassment and related cases be shifted to special victims prosecutors outside of the chain of command in the military, something military leaders have long resisted, arguing that it would hinder order and discipline.... While Mr. Austin and Mr. Biden have supported the findings of the commission -- which are all but certain to receive pushback from officials from some branches of the military -- it will be up to Congress to change the military law. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, has a bipartisan measure that would overhaul the way the military prosecutes sexual assault but also other serious crimes.... Her bill has gained support from at least 70 members of the Senate -- including many who voted against the same bill in 2014, arguing it would undermine commanders. Reconciling her bill with the vision of the commission will now be in the hands of lawmakers."
Annika Constantino & Christina Wilkie of CNBC: "President Joe Biden hosted a naturalization ceremony on Friday to swear in and welcome 21 new U.S. citizens ahead of Independence Day.... The president was joined at the event by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who shared the story of his immigrant parents' journey to the United States as refugees.... At Friday's ceremony, Biden commended immigrants for their contributions to the country, noting that many serve in the military or have been working as health-care and front-line workers during the pandemic. The president also presented an award to Sandra Lindsay, a nurse from Long Island who immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica when she was 18 years old."~~~
~~~ President Biden begins speaking at about 10:10 minutes in. Watch the part that begins at about 22:25 in, where Biden introduces Sandra Lindsay:
Maria Sachetti of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration unveiled plans Friday to bring hundreds, possibly thousands, of deported veterans and their immediate family members back to the United States, saying their removal 'failed to live up to our highest values.' Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ordered his department's immigration agencies to 'immediately' take steps to ensure that military families may return to the United States. He said the department would also halt pending deportation proceedings against veterans or their immediate relatives who are in the United States, and clear the way for those who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship."
Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "On the right, expertise isn't just considered worthless, it's viewed as disqualifying. People with actual knowledge of a policy area -- certainly those with any kind of professional reputation -- are often excluded from any role in shaping policy. Preference is given to the incompetent -- often the luridly incompetent."
Andrew Kaczynski, et al., of CNN: "A conservative YouTuber who participated in the January 6 riot accompanied Republican members of Congress on a trip to the border Tuesday night, serving as a translator at times. Anthony Aguero, a close ally of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene can be seen in videos and photos with Republican members of Congress who traveled to a route along the border frequented by migrants on Tuesday night. CNN's KFile previously reported that Aguero went into the Capitol during the January 6 riot and cheered and justified the break-in. During his livestream of the Tuesday visit, Aguero interviewed and chatted with Reps. Tom. Tiffany of Wisconsin, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Chris Jacobs of New York, Michael Cloud of Texas, John Rose of Tennessee, Ronny Jackson of Texas, and Mary Miller of Illinois.... Aguero has not been charged for unlawful entry at the US Capitol on January 6. After chanting "heave-ho" as rioters attempted to break in, he entered the Capitol Rotunda and later chanted 'our house' on the Capitol steps."
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "Another alleged Oath Keepers associate was arrested Friday in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, accused of joining a 'stack formation' of organized members who prosecutors say marched up the east steps and entered the Rotunda in camouflage and tactical gear. David Moerschel, 43, of Punta Gorda, Fla., was charged by criminal complaint Thursday with three counts, including conspiracy and obstructing Congress. Moerschel joined some defendants who prosecutors allege staged in advance at an Arlington hotel, where they say weapons were stored for a 'Quick Reaction Force' site.... Charging papers said Moerschel ... attended 17 online planning calls and chats organized by charged Oath Keepers co-defendants Kenneth Harrelson and Kelly Meggs between Sept. 28 and Jan. 3 before they traveled to Washington. Moerschel also was part of an encrypted Signal chat group discussing gas, hotel logistics and the Quick Reaction Force, the FBI alleged."
Meet (an Alleged) Trump Insurrectionist. Andrea Sacedo of the Washington Post: “In January, a federal judge agreed to release Thomas Robertson, a former Rocky Mount, Va., police officer facing multiple charges over his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. But Judge G. Michael Harvey's release conditions were clear: Robertson could not own any firearms, destructive devices or dangerous weapons while his case was pending. If he owned any guns, he must relocate them within two days. Days after his release, authorities found eight firearms at his home in Ferrum, Va., according to court documents. The judge gave Robertson a second chance, reminding him of his release conditions. Then, last month, authorities found a loaded M4 carbine and a partially assembled pipe bomb while conducting an authorized search at his home, court records state. Robertson is also accused of buying 34 firearms online and 'transporting them in interstate commerce while under felony indictment,' prosecutors said. Now they are asking the judge to revoke Robertson's release order and issue an arrest warrant for violating his pretrial release terms a second time."
Michael Wines & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump twice sought to talk on the phone with the Republican leader of Arizona's most populous county last winter as the Trump campaign and its allies tried unsuccessfully to reverse Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s narrow victory in the state's presidential contest, according to the Republican official and records obtained by The Arizona Republic, a Phoenix newspaper. But the leader, Clint Hickman, then the chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview on Friday that he let the calls -- made in late December and early January -- go to voice mail and did not return them. 'I told people, "Please don't have the president call me,"' he said. At the time, Mr. Hickman was being pressed by the state Republican Party chairwoman and Mr. Trump's lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to investigate claims of fraud in the county's election.... The Arizona Republic reported that the calls came as the state Republican chairwoman, Kelli Ward, sought to connect Mr. Hickman and other county officials to Mr. Trump and his allies...."
Dareh Gregorian & Gretchen Morgenson of NBC News: "Lawyers and representatives for the Trump Organization dismissed the criminal charges against the company as prosecutorial overreach Thursday, but legal experts contacted by NBC News said the company and its chief financial officer are in serious legal jeopardy.... The company was 'paying tuition for ([CFO Allen] Weisselberg's) grandson. That's kind of difficult to explain as a legitimate business expense,' [Daniel] Shaviro [of NYU Law] said. Also damning is that the indictment said the company kept two sets of books -- a private one that counted Weisselberg's apartment and cars as part of his $940,000-a-year compensation, and another that didn't, allowing him to pay taxes on less income.... Cono R. Namorato, a former assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's tax division said that the 'two sets of books is a classic indication of an overt act of evasion,' and that prosecutors' claim that Weisselberg falsely claimed to be living in Long Island to avoid paying taxes in New York City looks almost like 'a slam-dunk case.'"
Another Selfish Justice Thinks He'll Live Forever. Lydia O'Connor of the Huffington Post: Stephen Breyer "is the court's oldest member, and for months the expectation has been that ... [he] would soon retire from the court so President Joe Biden could nominate a younger replacement..., avoiding a repeat of what happened when the liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died during Donald Trump's final months in office. Justices typically announce their plans to step down at end of the nine-month term, or shortly beforehand.... Some clues [Breyer] offered Friday indicate he's planning to stick around for a while. The court confirmed that Breyer has hired four law clerks for the next term ― the most he's allowed to have...."
Jacey Fortin & Isabella Grullón Paz of the New York Times: "The Boy Scouts of America reached an $850 million settlement agreement on Thursday with tens of thousands of people who said they were sexually abused by scout leaders or members over several decades. Kenneth M. Rothweiler, the lawyer who represents the largest group of claimants -- about 16,800 -- said in a statement that the agreement would be 'the largest settlement of child sexual abuse claims in United States history.' In an interview on Friday, he added that the claimants could expect billions more in payouts from insurance companies and organizations that have sponsored the Boy Scouts."
Rachel Lerman & Gerrit De Vynck of the Washington Post: "A supply-chain ransomware attack that hit hours before the beginning of a holiday weekend has already affected more than 200 businesses, researchers said. On Friday, information technology company Kaseya sent out a warning of a 'potential attack' on its VSA tool, which is used by IT to manage and monitor computers remotely. Kaseya urged customers to shut down their servers running the service.... More than 40,000 organizations use Kaseya products, the company says, which includes VSA and other IT tools. Researchers said cybercriminals were sending two different ransom notes on Friday -- demanding $50,000 from smaller companies and $5 million from larger ones. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency urged companies in a statement to follow Kaseya's advice and said it is 'taking action to understand and address the recent supply-chain ransomware attack.' Huntress Labs, a cybersecurity software company that has clients who were affected by the attack, said it believes Russian-speaking hacking group REvil is behind the ransomware attack. That's the same group that the FBI said was responsible for the attack on JBS Meats...." A BBC News story is here.
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Devoun Cetoute & Rob Wile of the Miami Herald: "The city of North Miami Beach ordered the 10-story Crestview Towers Condominium to be immediately closed and evacuated Friday evening after a building inspection report found it not safe for occupancy due to structural and electrical issues, city officials said Friday night. The Jan. 11, 2021, inspection report, which the condo association turned in to the city Friday afternoon after the city had threatened to shut down the building on Thursday, said the 156-unit building is: 'Structurally no[t] safe for the specified use for continued occupancy. Electrically no[t] safe for the specified use for continued occupancy.' The condo tower is the first to be closed due to unsafe structural issues after the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside on June 24." The article is free to nonsubscribers.
Florida. Democracy Alerts: "[Friday] individual professors and students of Florida's public colleges and universities filed a lawsuit against the Florida Commissioner of Education and other higher education officials challenging the constitutionality of House Bill 233, which Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law last week in an effort to monitor 'intellectual diversity' on campus. The lawsuit argues that H.B. 233 'aims to identify public institutions of higher education where liberal and progressive views predominate' and infringes on protected freedoms of speech and association."
New Hampshire. State Supremes Do the Right Thing. Taylor Romine of CNN: "The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Friday voted in a 4-0 decision that a 2017 state law requiring proof of residence to vote is unconstitutional, saying that it 'imposes unreasonable burdens on the right to vote.' The law, also known as Senate Bill 3, required that those registering to vote 30 days or more before an election show documents to prove residence, while those registering less than 30 days before voting do not have to show proof at the time of registration but must provide verification through several methods. This required signing an affidavit that the listed residence was correct in addition to providing documentation within 10 days or the secretary of state's office mailing a verifying form to the address. The New Hampshire Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire sued the state shortly after the law went into effect." ~~~
~~~ John DiStaso of WMUR Manchester, N.H.: "Constitutional attorneys on both sides of the issue told WMUR that the ruling cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court because it was decided solely on the basis of state law and the state constitution." According to Ali Velshi of MSNBC, one Dartmouth student had to change his vehicle registration & driver's license from another state to New Hampshire, at a cost of several hundred dollars, making this a mighty expensive poll tax.
New York. Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "Alvin Bragg, a career prosecutor with experience taking on white-collar crime and corruption, is poised to become Manhattan's next district attorney, a job that will include overseeing the most prominent and contentious criminal case in the United States: the prosecution of ... Donald J. Trump's family business. Given the overwhelming edge Democrats hold in Manhattan, Mr. Bragg is heavily favored to win the general election in November after his foremost opponent in the Democratic primary, Tali Farhadian Weinstein, conceded on Friday.... Mr. Bragg, 47, would be the first Black person to lead an office that still prosecutes more Black people than members of any other racial group. During the campaign, he sought to balance concerns about public safety with a vision for a more equitable criminal justice system." The Hill has a report here. ~~~
~~~ AP: &"All three candidates who are still in the running in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary have filed legal actions seeking the right to review the ongoing ranked choice vote tally. Civil rights attorney Maya Wiley filed a lawsuit Thursday in state court in Brooklyn seeking to preserve her right to challenge the election result and asking for all of the ballots that were 'cast or attempted to be cast' to be saved.... Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia filed similar legal actions on Wednesday."
Texas. History Museum Wrong Place to Discuss Racial History. Abby Livingston & Isabella Zou of the Texas Tribune: "A promotional event for a book examining the role slavery played leading up to the Battle of the Alamo that was scheduled at the Bullock Texas State History Museum on Thursday evening was abruptly canceled three and a half hours before it was scheduled to begin. Authors of the book, titled 'Forget the Alamo,' and the publisher, Penguin Random House, say the cancellation of the event, which had 300 RSVPs, amounts to censorship from Republican elected leaders and an overreaction to the book's examination of racism in Texas history.... [Gov. Greg] Abbott, [Lt. Gov. Dan] Patrick and other GOP leaders are board members of the State Preservation Board, which oversees the Bullock museum.... Patrick confirmed he called for the event to be canceled.... The book received mostly positive reviews, including from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, with a consensus that it builds on widely accepted academic research." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I hate the term "cancel culture." I think it's stupid. Plus, it's sort of an oxymoron to describe anything associated with Republicans as "culture." But this is an extreme example of what Republicans means when they describe liberal "cancel culture." It is not just complaining about a POV you don't like; it's literally cancelling an event where a POV you consider incorrect is to be presented. Politicians should never be on boards of institutions where any sort of intellectual endeavor might occur.
News Ledes
Standoff on I-95. New York Times: "Eleven men were taken into custody on Saturday after a lengthy roadside standoff between police officers in Massachusetts and a group of heavily armed men in tactical gear who claimed to be part of a group called Rise of the Moors. Dozens of police officers from Massachusetts and New Hampshire responded to the standoff, which shut down part of a highway for several hours and prompted the authorities to order people in surrounding communities to shelter in place." An ABC News story is here. See also Patrick's commentary in today's thread.
New York Times: "A leak in an underwater gas pipe sparked a swirling fire that raged for hours in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, creating a biblical scene that drew comparisons to Mordor, the volcanic hellscape from 'The Lord of the Rings.' The circular inferno formed at 5:15 a.m. after a pipeline about 12 inches in diameter leaked, according to a statement from Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, Mexico's state-owned oil monopoly, which controls the pipeline." ~~~
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Reader Comments (15)
A great reason to get a bicycle: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/07/02/exxon-climate-change-video-leaked/. Great story in my view. Think about the scorpion and frog story: this story is about the folly of expecting Exxon or BP or any of the others to be change agents in a carbon reduced world.
What do we think is more upsetting for the former guy, that his
company has been indicted or that he can't tweet about it
and declare it a Witch Hunt and they're out to get me, again.
Good news about the Boy Scouts and the Military re: their sexual abuse cases––-finally! Wonder whether the anti-history police will censor that information from American History; sacred entities like the Boy Scouts, the military, the Catholic Church, Sports, and throw in those individuals like Cosby to put some icing on the cake of culpable criminals.
Here's a delightful Daily Show Jeopardy spoof starring our one and only racist rascal, that darling of all the Foxes, Tuckums, as Joy Reid so affectionally calls him.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fox-news-tucker-carlson-jeopardy-daily-show-trevor-noah_n_60e00cf9e4b03f72964a8d63
As I'm watching the horror of the building collapse in Florida, I couldn't help thinking of this kind of thing being a daily occurrence in war torn countries –-in Syria people's homes and hospitals were demolished continually. Israelis have been helping us at this time–-they have had a lot of practice trying to find bodies in the rubble.
@Forrest Morris: I think Trump did put out a statement or two about this all being a witch hunt, and I think I accidentally forgot to link to it.
My hope is that the upshot of all this is that Trump Org goes bankrupt, he loses all his properties, and he has to live on the public dole -- that is, his presidential* pension & maybe a few PAC scams -- as well as play golf on public courses & pick up his own Big Macs at the McDonald's checkout line, where he will try to sell autographed photos of himself while he waits but no one will recognize him. That, for Trump, would be worse than the 9th Circle of Hell.
The Strange, Sad Death of America's Political Imagination:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/02/opinion/us-politics-edward-bellamy.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
An excellent essay by Daniel Immerwahr–-history professor.
Still mulling over the Supreme's parting shots on voting and money.
Had this further thought about it last night:
Aside from the conservative SCOTUS tendency to value money over people, another obvious flaw in their reasoning stems from earlier decisions that allowed dark money PACs in the first place.
For good reason, anonymous donations to campaigns are not allowed in many jurisdictions. Our state requires names of contributors be reported, which are then part of the public record, a case of putting one's unmasked mouth and face where one's money is.
Since the names of those contributors are easy to find on the state website, the whole process is public, and since public, per Robert's reasoning, all contributors are subject to harassment.
Nonetheless, the court decided to preserve the anonymity of the haven they have already created for the wealthy who are afraid they might be harassed if anyone knew who they were.
So we gotta feel sorry for those brave citizens and corporations?
I don't, but apparently, the SCOTUS did.
@Ken Winkes: It sounds like, from your description, that Washington will have to end the practice of publishing the names of contributors to PACs on accounta the Supremes' decision. Because knowing what sleazy people are behind those sleazy political ads is so unconstitutional.
Marie,
I may have it wrong, by implication anyway.
I don't know for sure but would guess that dark money circulates here, too.
The contrast I should have made is that when the identities behind dark money are protected, the SCOTUS seems to have once again created a double standard that privileges the wealthy.
And my morning logic would take me in the direction of a lawsuit that would assert that in the interests of equal treatment under the law ALL political contributions--even my own paltry efforts-- should share the same shield, rendering any public disclosure requirements unconstitutional.
So much for the transparency of public disclosure...and the elevation of government by cabal.
We get harassed all the time, via the mail. Give to almost any charity or "real" PAC (e,g, Gabby Giffirds) and you get mail. Lots. Barak, Nancy, and their friends and associates all have our address, and as election day approaches the volume of mail solicitation really spikes. It never goes to zero.
At least they all seem to have the sense to NOT do phone solicitation, which everybody knows by now probably alienates all but the most rabid partisans.
So, yeah, if you give people money other people get to know who you are. The hobo's mark is on your gate.
Patrick,
Not to mention all commercial (I'd include religious and public service) advertising.
One doesn't even have to buy a product or give money to qualify for that massive and constant barrage.
Seems that SCOTUS believes only wealthy corporations and individual political donors still have thin skin.
Whata bunch of weaklings...
I do agree with one of Roberts' points, people do look to be "freer" with their $peech when they can remain anonymous. Many people certainly say things behind their computer and screen names that they would never say in person. Someone has to look out for the trolls.
Eleven guys in vehicles, dressed in field gear and with weapons in the vehicles, are stopped and detained by police near a highway in Massachusetts. They tell police they are enroute to "training" farther north, north of MA. They are taken into custody.
How is this different than the woodsy militia cosplay that is fairly routine during weekends in nice weather?
The name of the group includes "Moors." Use of such nomenclature appears to nullify the Second and Fourth and Fifth Amendments.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/03/us/wakefield-ma-lockdown-rise-of-the-moors.html?action=click&algo=bandit-all-surfaces-engagement-time-cutoff&block=trending_recirc&fellback=false&imp_id=269542297&impression_id=d5611309-dc2d-11eb-a73d-35db9e6e8407&index=0&pgtype=Article&pool=pool%2F91fcf81c-4fb0-49ff-bd57-a24647c85ea1®ion=footer&req_id=310490349&surface=eos-most-popular-story&variant=3_bandit-all-surfaces-engagement-time-cutoff
Damn, Patrick. That's the longest pasted URL I've ever seen. Everything after the question mark could be deleted.
Interesting, pithy even, except for the last sentence which had me saying, "Huh?"
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/03/opinion/errol-morris-donald-rumsfeld.html?
Is it that Roberts wants rich people to have free $peach without consequences?