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

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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.

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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.

 

Public Service Announcement

Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

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

Wherein Michael McIntyre explains how Americans adapted English to their needs. With examples:

Beat the Buzzer. Some amazing young athletes:

     ~~~ Here's the WashPo story (March 23).

Back when the Washington Post had an owner/publisher who dared to stand up to a president:

Prime video is carrying the documentary. If you watch it, I suggest watching the Spielberg film "The Post" afterwards. There is currently a free copy (type "the post full movie" in the YouTube search box) on YouTube (or you can rent it on YouTube, on Prime & [I think] on Hulu). Near the end, Daniel Ellsberg (played by Matthew Rhys), says "I was struck in fact by the way President Johnson's reaction to these revelations was [that they were] 'close to treason,' because it reflected to me the sense that what was damaging to the reputation of a particular administration or a particular individual was in itself treason, which is very close to saying, 'I am the state.'" Sound familiar?

Out with the Black. In with the White. New York Times: “Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the 'NBC Nightly News' over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at 'Dateline,' where he serves as the show’s anchor.... He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until 'the start of summer.' The network did not immediately name a successor.” ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “MSNBC said on Monday that Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who has become one of the most prominent hosts at the network, would anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time. Ms. Psaki, 46, will host a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, replacing Alex Wagner, a longtime political journalist who has anchored that hour since 2022, according to a memo to staff from Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president. Ms. Wagner will remain at MSNBC as an on-air correspondent. Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, has been anchoring the 9 p.m. hour on weeknights for the early days of ... [Donald] Trump’s administration but will return to hosting one night a week at the end of April.”

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Page Links
Thursday
Nov042010

The Commentariat -- November 5

The Republican primaries will be a production of Fox "News."
-- Chris Wallace of Fox "News":

Charlie Savage of the New York Times compares George W. Bush's account of events in his soon-to-be pubished memoir Decision Points with news accounts of the events. Interactive.

Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "While [President Obama's] domestic agenda may end up being stalled for the next two years, national security remains his domain, no matter how unfriendly Congress may be. And the United States’ relations abroad, political and foreign policy observers say, may be the broadest avenue left for Mr. Obama to accomplish anything during the remainder of his current term."

More Bad News. Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Obama is moving to cool down his war with the United States Chamber of Commerce, one of the most bitter political feuds of the last two years." Obama sent Tim Geithner out for a two-hour chat with Chamber CEO Tom Donohue. CW: do you think those two were discussing your interests? ...

... What a shame for the nation that President Obama doesn't have the guts to follow Paul Krugman's advice: "Mr. Obama’s economic policy ended up being a political disaster precisely because he tried to play it safe. It’s time for him to try something different."

John Dickerson of Slate: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says President Obama must get in line with him & support legislation that reflects "the will of the people." However, McConnell's ideas of what "the people" demand are distortions.

Mark Hosenball of Reuters: "In an e-mail to newly elected House Republicans, Eric Cantor, likely to be the next House majority leader, said the Republican leadership would spotlight oversight findings in floor debates to point up what Republicans say is excessive government spending. Every week, the Republicans plan to publicize 'one major oversight hearing ... that plays into our overall focus on job creation and reducing spending,' Cantor said."

Gene Robinson: "Nancy Pelosi ... is losing her job not because she does it poorly but because she does it so well." ...

... ** William Saletan makes a similar point in Slate: "Democrats didn't lose the battle of 2010. They won it." Congresses come and go. The healthcare law is forever. ...

... Jonathan Karl of ABC News: "High-level Democratic sources in the House tell ABC News [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi is seriously considering staying in Congress and running for the position of minority leader. Pelosi is methodically calling every Democratic House member who won on Tuesday, as well as many who lost, sources tell ABC News. In the process, she is weighing her options and gauging her support." With video. Diane Sawyer interviews Pelosi here; we embedded a clip yesterday; here's more:

... MEANWHILE. Jonathan Allen & John Bresnahan of Politico: "Utah Rep. Jim Matheson, a co-chairman of the Blue Dogs, told POLITICO on Thursday that Pelosi should not be a candidate for minority leader." ...

... AND. Brian Beutler of Talking Points Memo: "Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC), who dodged the shellacking on Tuesday, says if Pelosi makes a play to be Minority Leader, he'll run against her." ...

     ... New York Times Update: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that she would run to remain the leader of the House Democrats." ...

     ... Time Update: "Democrat Jim Clyburn announced he will challenge [Steny] Hoyer [for the No. 2 spot]. Clyburn, a South Carolina Dem, is a leading member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the highest ranking African American ever to serve in the House.

Jordan Fabian of The Hill: "House Democrats were swept out of power because party leaders tried to hard to 'appease' Republicans on major issues, said a high-profile member Thursday who lost his seat Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) said Democratic leaders should have been more aggressive and shut Republicans out of the negotiating process."

Jonathan Weisman of the Wall Street Journal: "... President Barack Obama is getting pilloried by the right on the cost of his 10-day trip to Asia, with outlandish hyperventilation going directly from suspect Indian media reports to conservative U.S. media outlets and commentators without a pause for fact-checking.... Now a new rumor has emerged courtesy of India’s NDTV. Mr. Obama, the outlet says, 'will be protected by a fleet of 34 warships, including an aircraft carrier, which will patrol the sea lanes off the Mumbai coast.' The White House called that ridiculous. But on the conservative Drudge Report website, it’s on the home page – in huge type." ...

... AND, Michele Bachmann, never one to let facts get in the way of a good rant, is outraged at the made-up cost of the India trip. With video of Bachmann being outraged & blatantly inaccurate.

California Sends a Competent Leader to Sacramento. Adam Nagourey & Jennifer Medina of the New York Times: Jerry Brown was California's youngest governor when he was elected in 1974; Tuesday he was elected as its oldest. Despite the state's deep fiscal problems, Brown knows what to do & how to do it. He's already begun meeting with state lawmakers. ...

... Florida Voters Choose a Crook. Damien Cave of the New York Times: Governor-Elect Rick Scott's "proposals, and his approach to business, suggest that residents here may soon see an approach to government closer to the conservative, budget-slashing overhaul proposed for Britain."

Nate Silver: "... polls conducted by the firm Rasmussen Reports — which released more than 100 surveys in the final three weeks of the campaign, including some commissioned under a subsidiary on behalf of Fox News — badly missed the margin in many states, and also exhibited a considerable bias toward Republican candidates." Rasmussen overestimated "the standing of the Republican candidate by almost 4 points on average."

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