The Commentariat -- March 25, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Jonathan Lemire & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President Joe Biden at his first news conference Thursday left the door open to pushing for fundamental changes in Senate procedures to muscle key elements of his agenda such as immigration and voting rights past firm Republican opposition 'if there's complete lockdown and chaos.' The 78-year-old president also, for the first time, said his 'plan is to run for reelection, that is my expectation.'" ~~~
~~~ Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "President Biden used [his first presidential news conference] to pledge that 200 million covid-19 vaccinations would be administered by the end of his first 100 days, double his original goal.... He also announced that a survey showed nearly half of K-12 schools are open full-time for in-person learning.... Certainly, that should be near the top of any news coverage.... On immigration, he made clear that crowded facilities at the southern border are not the result of a policy change from his administration or the fact that migrants see him as a 'nice guy.' He pointed out that there was a higher surge under his predecessor last spring, which certainly was not because migrants believed the former president was a 'nice' guy.... Try as they might to seem 'tough,' the media did not succeed in knocking Biden off message. Biden spoke in great detail and length to show not only his mastery of the issues but also to suck tension and conflict out of the room.... The media did not distinguish themselves. They pleaded for a news conference and then showed themselves to be unserious." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I agree with Rubin. Most reporters were looking for gotcha questions, and they figured immigration was the best place to pounce. Therefore, they asked overlapping questions; after many questions -- asked & answered -- of a similar vein, one reporter cited a horror story of a 9-year-old walking from Honduras to the U.S.-Mexican border, & what would he do about that child? Biden's answer, BTW, was spot on: since the reporter mentioned the child's mother in Honduras, Biden said he would send the child back to mom. ~~~
~~~ A reporter asked President Biden if he agreed with President Obama that the filibuster was a relic of the Jim Crow era. Biden said "Yes." Zack Beauchamp of Vox explains that "the modern version [of the filibuster], created in 1917, really does have a racist history.... The defenders of Jim Crow pioneered this new filibuster, successfully deploying it again and again to block civil rights bills.... 'It's been a tool used overwhelmingly by racists,' says Kevin Kruse, a historian of race and American politics...."
David Goodman & Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "An impeachment investigation into Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo widened on Thursday to include revelations that the governor's family and other influential people were given special access to state-run coronavirus tests early in the pandemic. The judiciary committee of the New York State Assembly has been looking into several allegations of sexual harassment made in recent weeks against Mr. Cuomo, as well as the manipulation by his senior staff of data related to nursing home deaths. On Thursday, the chair of the committee, Assemblyman Charles D. Lavine, said the preferential access for Mr. Cuomo's family to hard-to-get tests in the beginning of the pandemic would also become part of the inquiry. Those who got tests, mostly during last March when few were available, included the governor's brother, the CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, their mother, Matilda Cuomo, and at least one of their sisters." MB: Things are not looking good for our own Randy Andy.
Ellen Knickmeyer of the AP: "The United States on Thursday imposed what it calls its most significant sanctions to date over the military coup in Myanmar, restricting American dealings with two giant Myanmar military holding companies that dominate much of that country's economy. The sanctions are the latest that the Biden administration and European governments have laid on Myanmar since Feb. 1, when the country's generals seized power on the day a newly elected parliament was due to be sworn in. Security forces since then have killed and detained street protesters amid demands for a return to civilian government."
Zach Montellaro & Eugene Daniels of Politico: "Black civil rights leaders, voting rights advocates and elected officials are ramping up their lobbying of Senate Democrats to nix the filibuster, arguing that they can keep the rule in place or pass voting rights legislation, but not both. In a half-dozen interviews, top officials framed the choice as existential for a party that depends on Black and brown voters -- and they are planning pressure campaigns privately and publicly to make that clear.... 'The pressure that we are going to put on [Sens.] Sinema and Manchin is calling [the filibuster] racist and saying that they are, in effect, supporting racism,' Sharpton said. 'Why would they be wedded to something that has those results? Their voters need to know that.'"
Vivian Yee of the New York Times: "As tugboats strained against the weight of the mammoth ship and dredgers worked to clear sand and mud, a salvage company working on the operation warned on Thursday that releasing the container vessel blocking traffic in the Suez Canal could take days or even weeks. Dozens of ships laden with oil and goods destined for ports around the world are stranded in the canal, and with each passing hour, the economic cost of the disruption grows more consequential. The stuck ship, the Ever Given, has been wedged in the canal since running aground amid the heavy winds of a sandstorm on Tuesday. Its bow is lodged in the canal's eastern bank and its stern in the western bank." The AP's story is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
"'Any American who thinks that the fight for a full and fair democracy is over is sadly and sorely mistaken,' said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader. 'Today, in the 21st century, there is a concerted, nationwide effort to limit the rights of citizens to vote and to truly have a voice in their own government.' Mr. Schumer's rare appearance at a committee meeting underscored the stakes, not just for the election process but for his party's own political future. He called the proposed voting rollbacks in dozens of states ... an 'existential threat to our democracy' reminiscent of the Jim Crow segregationist laws of the past. He chanted 'Shame! Shame! Shame!' at Republicans who were promoting them." ~~~
An ABC News "both sides" story is here.
This is a solution in search of problem. States are not engaging in trying to suppress voters whatsoever. This is clearly an effort by one party to rewrite the rules of our political system.... With all [due] respect, this is nonsense. This is a power grab. This is all about taking over the American election system. -- Sen. Mitch McConnell, lying through his teeth at a Senate Rules Committee hearing ~~~
~~~ Hannah Maio of CNBC: "Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell skirmished over election reform during a Senate Rules Committee hearing on a bill that Democrats argue would strengthen voting rights.... McConnell shot back [at Schumer]: 'Talk about shame. If anybody ought to be feeling any shame around here, it's turning the FEC into a partisan prosecutor. The majority controlled by the president's party to harass and intimidate the other side -- that's what you ought to be ashamed about.' The legislation would reform the Federal Election Commission to have five commissioners, down from the current six, 'in order to break gridlock,' according to a Democratic description of the legislation." ~~~
~~~ Jim Spencer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "The debate over a massive federal voting rights act erupted in tense exchanges Wednesday as Sen. Amy Klobuchar faced withering GOP criticism that the changes would cause chaos and undermine states' rights. The Minnesota Democrat, a lead sponsor of the For the People Act, said at a hearing of the Rules Committee she chairs that the measure is essential as GOP legislators in states across the country have drafted more than 250 measures to restrict voting access. She pointed to the chaos of hourslong waits at polling places, new limitations on early voting and new restrictions on who can cast mail-in ballots. 'The bill simply tries to make it easier to vote,' Klobuchar said. 'The For the People Act is the best chance to stop the rollback of voting rights.' Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the ranking Republican on the Senate Rules ... Committee..., insisted, repeatedly, that many of the proposals to restrict voting access will not pass. He called allegations of voter suppression by Klobuchar and other Democrats 'a false narrative.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: So the GOP pushback is "But, but, these Republican state bills are so bad they won't pass"? First, many will pass in GOP-controlled states, and second, that's a pretty stupid argument.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden said on Wednesday that Vice President Kamala Harris would lead the administration's efforts to deter migration to the southwestern border by working to improve conditions in Central America, plunging her into one of the most politically fraught issues facing the White House. The president said he had directed Ms. Harris to oversee the administration's plans to pump billions of dollars into the ravaged economies of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. She will work with the leaders of Central American governments to bolster the region's economy in the hopes of reducing the violence and poverty that often drive families in those countries to seek refuge in the United States.... The announcement underscores the sense of urgency at the border, where the administration has struggled to move thousands of young migrants from detention centers meant for adults into shelters managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.... Ms. Harris acknowledged on Wednesday that 'no question this is a challenging situation,' but said that she was looking forward to engaging in discussions with leaders of Central American countries." ~~~
~~~ Marie: While the appointment of the Vice President signals the importance of the effort, it would have been easier for a person who was fluent in Spanish to "engage in discussions." Harris does not speak Spanish.
Des Bieler & Cindy Boren of the Washington Post: "Megan Rapinoe took the U.S. women's national soccer team's battle for equal pay to the White House on Wednesday, declaring while on a stage with President Biden and first lady Jill Biden that, despite her enormous success with the team, 'I have been devalued, I've been disrespected and dismissed because I am a woman.' Speaking at an event marking Equal Pay Day, Rapinoe declared: 'Despite all of the wins, I am still paid less than men who do the same job that I do. For each trophy -- of which there are many -- for each win, each tie and for each time that we play, it's less.' Rapinoe, who testified earlier in the day about gender discrimination at a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, introduced President Biden as 'one of our greatest allies.' In his remarks, Biden spoke of how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated inequalities for women in the workplace, touted the benefits of the American Rescue Plan and called on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act."
Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Dr. Rachel Levine, President Biden's pick to be assistant secretary for health, made history on Wednesday by becoming the first openly transgender person confirmed by the Senate to a federal position, and immediately vowed to 'promote policies that advance the health and well-being of all Americans' and to fight for transgender youth. The Senate vote, 52 to 48, followed a contentious confirmation hearing that became a flash point in the battle over transgender rights." An AP story is here.
Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The Biden administration is taking the unusual step of making a public accounting of the Trump administration's political interference in science, drawing up a list of dozens of regulatory decisions that may have been warped by political interference in objective research. The effort could buttress efforts to unwind pro-business regulations of the past four years, while uplifting science staff battered by four years of disregard. It is particularly explicit at the Environmental Protection Agency, where President Biden's political appointees said they felt that an honest accounting of past problems was necessary to assure career scientists that their findings would no longer be buried or manipulated. In a blunt memo this month, one senior Biden appointee said political tampering under the Trump administration had 'compromised the integrity' of some agency science." (Also linked yesterday.)
Arthur Delaney of the Huffington Post: "Millions of disabled and retired Americans are still waiting for their $1,400 stimulus payments because of a holdup at the Social Security Administration, House Democrats said Wednesday. Social Security hasn't handed over payment information that the Internal Revenue Service needs to send the coronavirus relief checks to nearly 30 million people receiving retirement or disability benefits, Democrats said." The Social Security Commissione is Andrew Saul, a Trump appointee.
Laura Reiley of the Washington Post: "A tiny fraction of the Trump administration's coronavirus relief for American farmers -- just 0.1 percent of the overall package -- went to Black farmers, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.... In an interview with The Washington Post, Vilsack for the first time noted the extent to which the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated existing disparities across the American economy. The distribution of coronavirus relief increased those gaps, he said.... 'We saw 99 percent of the money going to White farmers and 1 percent going to socially disadvantaged farmers and if you break that down to how much went to Black farmers, it's 0.1 percent,' he said. 'Look at it another way: The top 10 percent of farmers in the country received 60 percent of the value of the covid payments. And the bottom 10 percent received 0.26 percent.'"
Wait for the 6th when we are all in DC to insurrection.... Tell your friend this isn't a Rally!! -- Kelly Meggs, Oath Keepers leader, to recruits, December 19, 2020 & January 3, coining an infinitive verb, "to insurrection" ~~~
~~~ Rachel Weiner, et al., of the Washington Post: "Federal investigators have been building conspiracy cases against associates of two organized right-wing groups accused of breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 -- the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Now, they say members of the two groups coordinated beforehand, preparing for violence. 'This week I organized an alliance between Oath Keepers, Florida 3%ers, and Proud Boys,' Oath Keepers leader Kelly Meggs wrote Dec. 19, in one of a string of Facebook communications included by prosecutors in a detention memo filed Tuesday in his case. 'We have decided to work together and shut this [expletive] ... down.'... A week later, Meggs allegedly said he had 'orchestrated a plan with the proud boys' for Jan. 6.... The discussion centered not on invading the Capitol but on attacking left-wing 'antifa' supporters in case ... Donald Trump called in the military or Republican lawmakers otherwise blocked the certification of Joe Biden's victory as president."
Ariane de Vogue of CNN: "Sidney Powell..., Donald Trump's former lawyer, filed an eye-popping brief this week that could potentially doom her chances of dismissing a $1.3 billion defamation suit and provide ammunition in a separate lawsuit seeking her disbarment. Powell, who repeatedly pressed unfounded claims of voter fraud on the airwaves and in court, now says that 'reasonable' people would not accept her statements as 'fact' because the legal process hadn't yet played out. It was a stunning admission from a woman who served for a time as one of Trump's top legal lieutenants. It could also put her in real legal jeopardy as she fights the defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems -- a manufacturer that provides election equipment used by more than 40% of US voters -- as well as a motion for sanctions in Michigan as a part of a case she brought there alleging election fraud."
Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "The Defense Department's top watchdog has found that a senior Navy official sexually harassed women in his office for years, a pattern of behavior that employees described to investigators as an 'open secret,' according to a new report released Wednesday. Several women said that Ronnie J. Booth, the former auditor general of the Navy, propositioned them sexually, and one employee said she had a years-long sexual relationship with him. Seven women said they either transferred out from under his supervision or requested to do so.... On Wednesday, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks also announced the beginning of a 90-day review of sexual assault and harassment in the military by a new,independent commission established by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin."
Sabrina Rodriguez, et al., of Politico: "As Senate Republicans continued to torch the Biden administration over its handling of the border situation this week..., a bipartisan group of senators met to discuss immigration reform. The meeting, convened Wednesday by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, was the first time this Congress that Democrats and Republicans have actually sat in the same room to discuss the issue.... And while Democrats have long pushed for legislation to offer permanent legal protections to undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children, Republicans are making it clear that they won't support anything without additional border security."
Congressmen, Heal Thyselves. Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: “A Washington Post analysis found that seven Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee who are scheduled to grill the chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter about election misinformation on Thursday sent tweets that advanced baseless narratives of election fraud, or otherwise supported ... Donald Trump's efforts to challenge the results of the presidential election. They were among 15 of the 26 Republican members of the committee who voted to overturn President Biden's election victory.... 'It would be very difficult to call what will happen tomorrow oversight, given that any number of those involved in oversight were actively spreading disinformation and misinformation on the platforms they're theoretically overseeing,' [Graham] Brookie [of the Atlantic Council] said in an interview.... These lawmakers' posts remain available on Twitter, despite promises from the tech companies to crack down on posts that challenge the integrity of the election." A Raw Story summary report is here.
GOP Buffoon of the Day. Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "As the House Armed Services Committee met Wednesday to consider extreism in the U.S. military, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Tex.) tried to push back on the credibility of the hate-group researcher testifying before the lawmakers. 'Has your organization named the American Legion as a hate group?' Fallon asked a puzzled Lecia Brooks, chief of staff at the Southern Poverty Law Center. 'Were you aware that the organization named the VFW, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as a hate group?' he continued. 'You had in the past.' A spokesperson for the SPLC confirmed to The Washington Post that it has never listed either veterans organization on its 'hate map,' a much-cited, sometimes challenged list of extremist groups. But as Brooks pointed out later in the hearing, Fallon's claim wasn't just false -- it had been fabricated by a satirical news site, Duffel Blog, that lampoons the U.S. military.... The fake Duffel Blog story on the SPLC, which appeared under the byline 'Dick Scuttlebutt'..., said [the former president of the SPLC] had been interviewed in 'his corporate think-tank steam room, where Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Moscow) was seen relaxing in the nude.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: IOW, you'd have to be really stupid not to recognize the story as a spoof even if you had never heard of Duffel Blog. In fairness to Fallon, he is an exemplary Republican. Most of them seldom "consider the source," and even when they do, they don't choose the most reliable sources. For instance, on the topic of election fraud, millions of Republicans believed the Liar-in-Chief, but not, say, the New York Times. Or they believe the guy at the diner over a report in the Topeka Capital-Journal. They just don't know any better. ~~~
~~~ A Task & Purpose story is here. Duffel Blog is a satirical site run by the editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live updates Thursday are here.
Carolyn Johnson of the Washington Post: "An updated company analysis of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford showed that the two-shot regimen was robustly effective -- 76 percent a preventing symptomatic illness -- according to a news release from the drugmaker late Wednesday. The finding, only slightly lower than results announced days earlier, underscores that the vaccine being widely used by many countries appears to be a powerful tool to help end the pandemic. No severe cases of illness were reported in study volunteers who received the vaccine. Among people 65 and older, the vaccine was 85 percent effective, the company reported."
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Illinois. David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "The chief operating officer of a small Chicago hospital resigned on Wednesday after reports that he used coronavirus vaccines meant for low-income residents to vaccinate employees at his luxury wristwatch dealer, his regular steakhouse and his condo building -- which is former president Donald Trump's Chicago tower. The resignation of Anosh Ahmed was announced late Wednesday by Loretto Hospital, a hospital serving a majority-Black neighborhood on Chicago's West Side. Ahmed's actions -- reported over the past week by the news site Block Club Chicago -- had raised concerns that Loretto executives were putting their friends ahead of their patients. The city of Chicago had already cut off Loretto's supply of new vaccines while it investigated."
Christopher Rowland & Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "Moncef Slaoui, the pharmaceutical industry veteran and vaccine specialist who led ... Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed, was fired from the board of a medical company Wednesday over allegations of sexual misconduct. GlaxoSmithKline, the majority shareholder of Galvani Bioelectronics and Slaoui's former longtime employer where he led vaccine development, announced it terminated Slaoui as Galvani chairman following an investigation triggered by a letter sent last month detailing alleged `sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct." The alleged misconduct occurred `several years ago' and was aimed at another employee of GlaxoSmithKline while Slaoui also worked for the pharmaceutical giant, the company said in a statement." A USA Today story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
New York. David Goodman & Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration arranged special access to government-run coronavirus testing for members of his family and other influential people as the pandemic descended on New York last year, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The move to make testing of people closely tied to Mr. Cuomo a priority was carried out by high-ranking state health officials, one of the people said. It came as the seriousness of the virus was still becoming clear to the broader public and testing was not widely available to most people. Among those who benefited from the special treatment was the governor's brother, the CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, and his family, who were tested several times in the pandemic's early phase, this person said. The governor's mother, Matilda Cuomo, and at least one of his sisters were also able to take advantage of the state-administered tests, the two people said." The Albany Times Union story is here.
Beyond the Beltway
Georgia. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "Charles Russell was shopping ... inside a Publix supermarket in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon when he saw a man with a rifle walking into a bathroom. 'I saw an AR-15,' Russell told WSB-TV, referring to a similar style of semiautomatic weapon that a gunman used to kill 10 in a Boulder, Colo., supermarket on Monday.... Russell told a store manager about the gun, and an employee phoned police, who arrested Rico Marley, 22, after he exited the bathroom, the Atlanta Police Department said in a news release on Wednesday. Officers found at least five firearms in Marley's possession, including two long guns and three pistols, police said. They also found body armor, ammunition and a knife, according to a police photo of the weapons, WSB-TV reported."
New York. Amy Harris of the New York Times: "The former head of one of the largest homeless shelter networks in New York was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from contractors working with his organization. The arrest of the executive, Victor Rivera, the former president and founder of the Bronx Parent Housing Network, came less than two months after a New York Times investigation found that he had engaged in a long pattern of sexual abuse and financial impropriety that stretched back almost a decade. Mr. Rivera was fired by the nonprofit last month, following The Times report. The organization is one of dozens of nonprofit groups that operate the city's $2 billion system to shelter the homeless, whose numbers have reached record levels."
Virginia. Hailey Fuchs of the New York Times: "Gov. Ralph S. Northam on Wednesday signed a bill that abolished the death penalty in Virginia, making it the first Southern state and the 23rd overall to end capital punishment amid rising opposition to the practice. Before signing the bill, Mr. Northam pointed to Virginia's 413-year history of capital punishment, during which it executed more than 1,300 inmates more than any other state. He also noted racial disparities in the use of the death penalty: During the 20th century, he said, 296 of the 377 inmates Virginia executed for murder -- or about 79 percent -- were Black."
Way Beyond
Egypt. Martin Farrer & Michael Safi of the Guardian: "One of the largest container ships in the world has been partially refloated after it ran aground in the Suez canal, causing a huge jam of vessels at either end of the vital international trade artery. The 220,000-ton, 400-metre-long Ever Given -- a so-called megaship operated by the Taiwan-based firm Evergreen -- became stuck near the southern end of the canal on Tuesday. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said it had lost the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm. Eight tugboats were working to free the vessel, blocking a lane key to Asia-Europe trade through which about 50 ships a day passed in 2019, according to Egyptian government statistics." (Also linked yesterday.)
Israel. Laurie Kellman of the AP: "Uncertainty hovered over the outcome of Israel's parliamentary election Wednesday, with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sworn political rivals determined to depose him apparently lacking a clear path to a governing coalition. Deadlock in the 120-seat parliament was a real possibility a day after the election, which had been dominated by Netanyahu's polarizing leadership. With about 90% of the vote counted by Wednesday morning, Netanyahu's Likud party and its ultra-Orthodox and far-right allies fell short of a 61-seat majority -- even if the Yamina party of Netanyahu ally-turned-critic Naftali Bennett were to join a Netanyahu-led government. Bennett has refused to endorse either side." A Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Myanmar. AP: "Hundreds of people imprisoned for demonstrating against last month's coup in Myanmar were released Wednesday, a rare conciliatory gesture by the military that appeared aimed at placating the protest movement. Witnesses outside Insein Prison in Yangon saw busloads of mostly young people, looking happy with some flashing the three-finger gesture of defiance adopted by protesters. State-run TV said a total of 628 were freed. Also Wednesday, Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering an anti-coup protest, was released." (Also linked yesterday.)
North Korea. Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times: "North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, in its first significant provocation against the United States under President Biden, United States and Japanese officials said. South Korea confirmed North Korea had launched two unidentified projectiles, but Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan was the first regional leader to identify them as 'ballistic missiles.' A senior United States official also confirmed that the projectiles were ballistic missiles. 'It threatens the peace and security of Japan and the region, and is a violation of United Nations resolutions,' the Japanese leader said on Twitter, referring to the United Nations Security Council's ban on the North's developing and testing ballistic missile technologies. 'I strongly protest and strongly condemn it.'"
News Ledes
CNBC: "First-time claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly fell sharply last week amid signs that hiring has picked up in the U.S. economy, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Claims totaled 684,000 for the week ended March 20, the first time the number has been below 700,000 during the Covid-19 era. The level was a substantial decline from the 781,000 from a week earlier and was the lowest since March 14, 2020, just as the pandemic had begun."
AP: "Three days after he was led away in handcuffs from a Boulder supermarket where 10 people were fatally shot, the suspect appeared in court Thursday for the first time and his defense lawyer asked for a health assessment 'to address his mental illness.'... During the brief hearing, Alissa appeared in court wearing a mask. He didn't speak other than to say 'yes' to a question from the judge and was advised of the 10 charges of first-degree murder he faces. He did not enter a plea, which will come later in the judicial process."
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Reader Comments (15)
A little more from a different AP reporter on Israel:
https://apnews.com/article/israel-elections-2021-results-4e0b0aa9800b3a7cff9184964c09a8d4
Seems that Senator Blunt is offering the Sidney Powell defense:
What the R's are up to is such a pile of obvious, unmitigated (whatever ) that no voter/legislator/adult/whoever could possibly take it seriously.
Good argument but that recent history tells us that nearly half the nation's voters do and almost all the party's legislators act as if they do.
Insurrection is a verb? “C’mon honey, get the kids. We’re all going to insurrection today! Don’t forget the automatic weapons!”
How about sedition? Can that be a verb too? “Let’s go, gang, time to sedition!”
For some people a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. For others it’s just a stupid thing.
@Ak, sounds like an opportunity for Sarah Cooper to produce a couple more of her "How to" videos.
Akhilleus,
I'm guessing the plan was to have a high old time insurrectioning and then celebrate by getting coronated.
In the near future we will hear from conservatives that federal regulation of states' voting laws is "unconstitutional." However:
"The Elections Clause is the primary source of constitutional authority to regulate elections for the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. The Clause directs and empowers states to determine the “Times, Places, and Manner” of congressional elections, subject to Congress’s authority to “make or alter” state regulations. It grants each level of government the authority to enact a complete code for such elections, including rules concerning public notices, voter registration, voter protection, fraud prevention, vote counting, and determination of election results. Whenever a state enacts a law relating to a congressional election, it is exercising power under the Elections Clause; states do not have any inherent authority to enact such measures.
Although the Elections Clause makes states primarily responsible for regulating congressional elections, it vests ultimate power in Congress. Congress may pass federal laws regulating congressional elections that automatically displace (“preempt”) any contrary state statutes, or enact its own regulations concerning those aspects of elections that states may not have addressed. The Framers of the Constitution were concerned that states might establish unfair election procedures or attempt to undermine the national government by refusing to hold elections for Congress. They empowered Congress to step in and regulate such elections as a self-defense mechanism. ... (etc) "
----- https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/article-i/clauses/750
This says that states are responsible for the mechanics of voting but that the Congress can require them to change those mechanics.
Strict constructionists can now start turning themselves into pretzels arguing against the constitutionality of the proposed voting legislation. The constitution's words are pretty clear: "States do the work; Congress supervises the work."
@Ken Winkes: That's "coronationed."
"Sen. Mitch McConnell, lying through his teeth"....I'll bet his smiles are all as fake as his teeth. That toady smiling...I'd run the other direction.
"Coronated" is what happens when one drinks a six pack
of Corona Extra.
Forrest,
Thanks for the rescue.
Years ago was told by a friend with his customary absolute certainty that coronation did not have a verb form. Since he was far smarter than I, I did not question him.
Though he could quote long passages of Shakespeare from memory and on matters of literature and language was always worth listening to, considering his politics and the way he conducted his personal life, I should have.
Now here I am, a bit abashed, but a little smarter and wishing I could share this morning's corrective with that friend who is more than likely still conducting his brilliant, if too often wrongheaded monologues in his personal hereafter.
The narrator of “The Plague”, Jill Lepore reminds us, knows what Cottard ( the protagonist who shoots himself in the end) knew: that the plague pulled back the mask that hides the selfish, ruthless, viciousness of humans. But he also knows something that Cottard did not: that this is not the last mask, that beneath it lies a true face, the face of generosity and kindness, mercy and love. At the end of “The Plague,” its narrator unmasks himself: he reveals that he is a doctor, who, having cared for the disease’s sufferers, resolved to write, “so that he should not be one of those who hold their peace but should bear witness in favor of those plague-stricken people; so that some memorial of the injustice and outrage done to them might endure; and to state quite simply what we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise.” More things, human after all.
Something to keep in mind when our hatred for those in power knows no bounds. It's a tall order when they exhibit such distain for the truth.
And one of those human beings who suffered as a little girl in Boston's once racist segregation period has become not only the first female, but the first black mayor. Kim Janey––may you thrive and strive brilliantly!
@Forest: I once knew a guy who frequently fortified himself with six packs of Bud–-and not light. This was in high school and in Wisconsin kids could get into bars, buy beer–-no questions asked. The guy in question tended to break into song–-usually Blue Moon–-and we coined him–– Budified Billy Blue.
Re the usual disenchanted young white man (probably) who walked into a Publix fully armed-- are they all angry at women, at society, at minorities, at their parents, or what?? Why does his (any of them) right to carry deadly force weapons in plain sight trump (yeah, not that guy--) my right to proceed to the checkout with my orange juice and donuts? If these jerks that the moron Senators champion have their rights, why don't I have mine to walk freely and unshot? It is simply unacceptable, and Manchin and Sinema deserve our contempt, as well as the other supporters of the NRA masquerading as congressmen and
-women. It's disgusting.
Patrick,
Trenchant analysis, per usual. Thanks.
Have always found those strict constructionists to be constructionists of convenience, much like the many other preachers who pick and choose their texts every Sunday morn.
The Publix guy is Black.
https://www.ajc.com/news/man-took-6-guns-body-armor-into-publix-at-atlantic-station-cops-say/44Y6FBBM4FDVDJQABYQTBOADBU/?outputType=amp
Amazing that he lived through his arrest.
"In 2019, Trevor [Noah] reacted to a Times Square false-alarm shooting incident, and unpacked America’s mass shooting PTSD."