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.”

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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

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Thursday
May152014

The Commentariat -- May 15, 2014

Internal links removed.

The Jill Abramson Problem

Well, problem, I suppose, if you're Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., who gave Jill Abramson the heave-ho as New York Times executive editor. According to Dylan Byers in Politico and quite a few others who all seem to have spoken to the same sources, Abramson was "difficult to work with", "condescending and combative", and, heavens to betsy! "brusque" (not BRUSQUE!). So, the business of journalism has become a namby-pamby, white glove, tea and crumpets at 3:00 sort of business. In addition to it sounding pretty much like a griping, gossipy, back-stabbing kind of piece, Byers's writing also demonstrates that he seems not to have access to a dictionary or spell check app. He writes that yet another "problem" with Abramson was that the Times CEO, Mark Thompson, had been taking an "unprecedently hands-on approach" to the day to day editorial affairs which seems to have pissed off Abramson (it would me, too). I don't know about you, but I don't think "unprecedently" will show up in a dictionary search. Maybe he meant "unprecedentedly".

Ken Auletta in the New Yorker has a more measured, researched piece on the whole kerfuffle and also explores what may have been the tipping point for Punch Jr., Abramson's inquiry into why her compensation package was so out of line with other Times executive editors, notably Bill Keller.

Sheila Kohlhatkar on Bloomberg Businessweek, has more on this particular aspect of L'Affaire Abramson. She points out that, helpfully for Sulzberger, " In April, Republican Senators voted down the latest bill that was meant to address this disparity: The Paycheck Fairness Act would have made it illegal for employers to retaliate against employees who discussed their compensation, and would have allowed for more government monitoring of what workers are paid." How nice for the Times.

And Olga Khazan at the Atlantic, reminds women to play nice and not make waves with the boys, because studies have shown that there is a "narrow band of acceptable female behavior". Abramson must not have read those studies.

Outbreak of Sanity. In Georgia?

Aviva Shen, at Think Progress, reports on an interview in the Macon Telegraph wherein David Perdue, Republican candidate for the Senate, seems to have lost, er, found his mind. Asked about what he considered more important for economic recovery, cutting spending or raising revenue, he answered "'Both'... Perdue laughed and explained, 'Well here's the reality: If you go into a business, and I keep coming back to my background, it's how I know how to relate is to refer back to it -- I was never able to turn around a company just by cutting spending. You had to figure out a way to get revenue growing. And what I just said, there are five people in the U.S. Senate who understand what I just said. You know revenue is not something they think about.'" (Pretty sure not a one of those five people has an R after their name.)

Whoa. A Republican talking sanely about raising taxes. What's next? Voting rights for blacks?

Once Upon a Time in Arkansas

Mark Pryor has been crossing the state, at least with new videos, and using truth to get out the vote. For once, a Democrat is telling voters the truth about the GOP, Medicare, and Social Security. They hate both and plan to kill them if at all possible. The GOP is constantly using scare tactics to rouse voters, but mostly they drum up some fabricated nonsense to do it. Informing Arkansas residents that vote for Tom Cotton is a vote against Medicare and Social Security is no fabrication. Joan McCarter at Daily Kos has the lowdown.

Idiots and Their Guns

From Travis Gettys at Raw Story: A South Carolina woman shot and accidentally killed a friend while testing out his bulletproof vest. Sheriff's deputies in Anderson County said the victim, 26-year-old Blake Wardell, had been hanging out in a garage with about eight to 10 friends early Wednesday when they decided to try out the Kevlar vest.Investigators said 18-year-old Taylor Ann Kelly fired a shot at Wardell's chest but missed the Kevlar.

Oops. Chalk up another victory for the NRA and FREEDOM.

Who Are You Again?

Chris Christie (remember that guy?) is in a pickle. According to Star-Ledger reporter Salvador Rizzo, Christie's Gravy Train to the White House plan seems to have hit a bad patch. "Another Wall Street rating agency -- Moody's Investors Service -- has downgraded New Jersey's debt and is sounding the alarm about the state's 'lagging economic performance.' It was the third ratings cut this year for New Jersey, the sixth downgrade [my emphasis] since Gov. Chris Christie took office, and the latest sign that the Garden State's ailing fiscal condition is taking a turn for the worse. Moody's action comes two weeks after the Christie administration disclosed an $807 million shortfall in the state budget, which the Republican governor is scrambling to plug before the fiscal year ends June 30."

So what does Christie intend to do about it? Why, make the little guy pay for it, of course: "Administration officials responded to the Moody's downgrade by saying that the high cost of retirement and health care benefits has to be tackled anew." Attaboy, Chris.

Think that $2 billion stimulus money he rejected (because it came from the hated Kenyan) could have helped?

Just Plain Idiots

Maggie Haberman on Politico, reports that Jeb Bush was in New York this week selling rich conservatives what they wanted to buy. "Bush mocked 'Mayor [Bill] de Blasio, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, all your favorite progressives' as unable to raise taxes to a level that would be sustainable in terms of growth. He praised Ryan, who was the evening's first speaker, saying, 'When it comes to the American family, Paul Ryan has it right...A loving family taking care of their children in a traditional marriage will create the chance to break out of poverty far better, far better than any of the government programs that we can create,' Bush said".

More right-wing religious claptrap. Man goes to work, woman stays home, has kids, cooks, cleans, doesn't complain, traditional, traditional, traditional, everyone ends up rich and, like Ryan, never, ever, positively, I mean, never, (did I say never?) takes help from the government.

And this guy is supposed to be the "smart" Bush? I guess that's like being the tallest pygmy. Anyone who uses the phrase "Paul Ryan has it right" without totally cracking up in the next breath is an idiot. Not even a special idiot. Just a plain, everyday, ordinary idiot. An idiot who may be running for president soon.

Of Pots and Kettles

This is rich. One of the chief peddlers of the lies leading up to the worst foreign policy debacle in US history, and a prime apologist for the wretched, murderous, traitorous work of the Bush administration is joining the Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi chorus. According to Sean Sullivan, in the Washington Post, "Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice says she still has questions about the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya that claimed the lives of four Americans." Oh wait, Condi, what about all the unanswered questions surrounding the 100,000 Americans killed or wounded in a decade long war that you helped to gin up with your lies? Huh?

Could I have a Living Wage With Those Fries, Please?

Steve Greenhouse in the Times reports that fast food strikes are going global. "Even though fast food workers have staged several one-day strikes in the last 18 months, the protests have not swayed McDonald's or other major restaurant chains to significantly raise their employees' pay.

So on Thursday, the fast food workers' movement wants to broaden its reach as it pushes for a $15-an-hour wage that restaurant companies say is unrealistic. In addition to one-day strikes in 150 cities across the country, the movement's leaders hope to take their cause global."

McDonald's, among many other fast food chains regards the $15/hr demand as outrageous. Given the fact that Donald Thompson, McDonald's CEO, according to the Christian Science Monitor, makes nearly 1,200 times the hourly rate of his average employee, $7.73/hr versus $9,247/hr, I can see their concern.

Comments Off

Reader Comments (7)

Here's the other story that involves Christi and Charlie Baker who is running for Governor of Mass. One more possible deadly arrow in the Christi debacle.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/new-scandal-snags-christie-mass-gop-hopeful-256248899584

May 15, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

Jonathan Chait on McConnell's methods: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/05/how-mitch-mcconnell-hacked-american-democracy.html

From his article comes this tidbit:

"The reason Senate Republicans decided to fracture the coalition for an energy bill everybody seemed to like, Sabrina Siddiqui and Ryan Grim report, is that Scott Brown asked them to. Brown is running against Shaheen this November, and Republicans — especially would-be Majority leader Mitch McConnell — want Brown to beat Shaheen because they want to win a majority."

Then from Scranton PA: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/17th-congressional-candidates-vie-for-republican-nod-1.1686145 one of the three Republican candidates running for Matt Cartwright's (D-PA) Congressional seat has one of their geniuses saying: "It's going to be a formidable task, because he's so well-funded and if you look at the (voter) registration, it's lopsided in his favor...."

Lopsided? Well, aww rats! more voters in Northeastern PA are registered Democrats. Where's Gerry Mander when we need him? Life is so unfair.

May 15, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterMAG

By all reports, the Idaho Republican governor candidates last eve was a doozy. Hunter at Daily Kos called the candidates a Republican sampler pack. Charlie Pierce enjoyed it, too. Here's the link to Hunter's assessment, which includes a vid link so you can watch the merriment yourself.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/15/1299614/-Idaho-Republican-gubernatorial-debate-was-a-thing-of-beauty

May 15, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterJames Singer

Gail Collins has a great column today on 'state mottoes'
—there are many comments and very, very witty ones!

Then there is this sobering news story over on New York magazine: Racist New Hampshire Police Commissioner Not Sorry for Calling Obama the N Word in Public

He said it, was called on it, didn't deny and in fact, doubled down in WRITING. The Don Sterling defense! And others in the charming town of Wolfboro rose in support, "...he's a nice person!" Looks like one of those 'brusque' new women in town doesn't get it—according to the commission chairman!

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/05/robert-copeland-not-sorry-for-calling-obama-n-word.html

May 15, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterMAG

"When it comes to the American family, Paul Ryan has it right...A loving family taking care of their children in a traditional marriage will create the chance to break out of poverty far better, far better than any of the government programs that we can create,' Bush said"
I suppose were Bush to give investment advice it would be, "Buy low, sell high."
Bright Bush , indeed!

May 15, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterVictoria D.

Here is my favorite Whack-a-Do of the Night! If you thought Larry Summers was simply a scumbag, you were not paying attention to his delusions! He is TERRIFIED of Thomas Piketty.
Score one for pathetic!

http://www.salon.com/2014/05/14/larry_summers_says_piketty_isnt_scared_enough_of_our_robot_overlords/

May 16, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterKate Madison

"Anyone who uses the phrase "Paul Ryan has it right" without totally cracking up in the next breath is an idiot." With lines like that, it is really a pleasure to show up here Marie. Cheers!

May 16, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterCitizen625
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