The Commentariat -- September 1, 2019
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
For the most part, sadly, if you look at the last four or five (shootings) going back even five or six or seven years, for the most part, as strong as you make your background checks, they would not have stopped any of it. So it's a big problem. It's a mental problem. It's a big problem. -- Donald Trump, Sunday
See Bobby Lee's comment in today's thread. ...
... Darlene Superville of the AP: "... Donald Trump expressed a commitment Sunday, hours after the latest deadly mass shooting, to work with a divided Congress to 'stop the menace of mass attacks.' He said any measures must satisfy the competing goals of protecting public safety and the constitutional right to gun ownership and seemed to cast fresh doubt on the merits of instituting more thorough background checks for gun purchases."
Tim Craig of the Washington Post: "Sitting in lawn chairs plopped in the middle of train tracks, two coal miners smoked and chewed tobacco to pass the time. There's been little else to do here for the past four weeks, except wave at motorists who honk in support of these homegrown heroes waging a national struggle over workers' rights. Since Chris Rowe and Chris Sexton were laid off from their mining jobs this summer along with 300 co-workers, they have been camped out ... in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, blocking a train car full of coal from going to market. Their protest is against coal company Blackjewel, which halted operations in July without settling its final salary obligations to ... an estimated 1,800 ... workers across the country. But it's also become a declaration against corporate bankruptcy laws that they say deprioritize workers' interests.... Trump won 85 percent of the vote [here].... At the camp, there is an informal policy against speaking about Trump or partisan issues, underscoring the president's continued popularity in areas where the local economy has continued to suffer." The protest has been going on since July 29. "The Labor Department has sought an injunction to prevent Blackjewel from moving the rail car, which is estimated to have about $1 million in coal, according to local media reports."
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"Trade Wars Are Good & Easy to Win." Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "President Trump's trade war with China entered new territory on Sunday as his next round of tariffs took effect, changing the rules of trade in ways that have no recent historic precedent and driving the world's two largest economies further apart. American tariffs on foreign goods had already climbed higher than any time since the 1960s before Sunday, when the United States imposed a new 15 percent tariff. The levies on food, clothing, lawn mowers and thousands of other 'Made in China' products come as the president prepares to tax nearly everything China ships to America. The move will bring average tariffs on Chinese imports to 21.2 percent, up from only 3.1 percent when Mr. Trump came into office, according to data from the Peterson Institute for International Economics. China has responded by raising barriers to American companies and their products, while easing them for other nations.... China, which had long been America's biggest trading partner, dropped to third place in the first half of the year, behind Mexico and Canada.... [Peterson research] shows that the trade war is entering a period of rapid escalation." The Guardian story is here. ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: This is what you get with international relations by threats, lies, petulance & clueless bravado. If Trump's goal is to increase Treasury receipts -- after having ballooned the deficit with a huge tax cut for corporations & rich Americans -- then tariffs are not going to do it. Treasury won't see a rise in tariff receipts if Americans can't afford to buy anything. Trade wars are bad & everybody loses. America Last. #MAGA, my ass. Baby ain't gonna get a new pair of shoes.
Now That Dorian Is Not Expected to Hit Miami or Mar-a-Lago.... Darlene Superville of the AP: "... Donald Trump visited his private Virginia golf club for several hours Saturday as Hurricane Dorian bore down on the Southeast coastline. Trump traveled by helicopter from the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland to his property in Virginia. The president gave the impression as he left the White House on Friday that he would spend Saturday at Camp David with experts monitoring what has developed into a powerful Category 4 storm."
The Trump "Presidential"* Grift. Jonathan O'Connell, et al., of the Washington Post: "When President Trump decided to keep ownership of his company and continue to do business with foreign governments, he said nobody could stop him. But voters could trust him to police himself, he said. 'I will be leaving my great business in total,' Trump said, pledging to do more to keep his roles separate than was required of him in the Constitution. 'There are lines that we would never cross, and that's mixing business with anything government,' said Eric Trump, one of two Trump sons who would be taking over day-to-day control of the Trump Organization. Over time, [Donald] Trump has repeatedly crossed that line, routinely visiting his properties and talking them up on television and Twitter. The most overt example came last week, when Trump said he was likely to award next year's Group of Seven summit to his company's Doral golf resort in Florida -- a plan that would direct millions of dollars to benefit his own business.... Lawsuits alleging he is violating the Constitution by taking money from foreign and U.S. governments have stalled in the courts. Congressional Democrats have been stymied in their role overseeing the executive branch. And Republicans have expressed little interest in reining him in."
The Trump "Opportunity Zone" Grift, Ctd. David Yaffe-Bellany of the New York Times: "President Trump has called it 'the hottest thing going,' a multibillion-dollar tax break designed to channel investments into poor neighborhoods, leading to new housing, businesses and jobs. The tax benefit allows people to delay paying taxes on profits from stocks or other investments for years. To qualify, they have to direct their untaxed gains into federally certified regions known as opportunity zones. Profits on those investments are then tax-free.... The most visible impact so far has been to set off a feeding frenzy among the wealthiest Americans. They are poised to reap billions in untaxed profits on high-end apartment buildings and hotels in trendy neighborhoods, storage facilities that employ only a handful of workers or student housing in bustling college towns.... Here are four high-profile beneficiaries of the tax break who have personal or professional connections to Mr. Trump.... Anthony Scaramucci...; Richard LeFrak..., a longtime confidante of Mr. Trump's and a major campaign donor...; the Kushners...; Chris Christie." The story provides details on the investments of each of Trump's buddies cited.
Marcy Wheeler has a good piece in the New Republic on the DOJ inspector general's report on Jim Comey's leaked memos. "It turns out Comey didn't fare too well when his own standards were applied to him." But Wheeler's main contention is that the IG "piled on the accusations against Comey to provide basis for a headline-grabbing censure, even where there was no basis for prosecution. Indeed, Trump made the most of the inspector general's rebuke, asserting that Comey had been 'thoroughly disgraced and excoriated' by the report's conclusions." Wheeler compares Comey's actions with those of Dubya's AG Alberto Gonzales who "had some of the most sensitive information in government wrapped inside two envelopes marked Top Secret at either his home or a briefcase he didn't always lock." The DOJ did not prosecute Gonzales. ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: I think there are two important things to keep in mind here: the first, as Josh Marshall pointed out in a post I linked yesterday, Comey was acting as a whistleblower. The other is that he had a big whistle to blow: within weeks of taking office, the POTUS* violated his oath to uphold the Constitution when he attempted to persuade Comey to end an investigation into possible criminal activity by a top government official (Michael Flynn), an investigation in which Trump himself was implicated in still more impeachable offenses. The Congress & the American people had a right to know this timely. Congress should have impeached & convicted Trump forthwith. Of course, that would have left us with a terrible president (pence), but at least he would have been a conventional terrible president on the order of Dubya. (And, true, pence's chances of being re-elected probably would have been greater than Trump's.) ...
... MEANWHILE. Rachel Frazin of the Hill: "President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani accused former FBI director James Comey of trying to 'frame' the president after the publication of an inspector general report found that Comey's handling of memos was in violation of FBI policies. 'In a case involving the President of the United States, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that what Comey was trying to do was to frame Trump,' Giuliani said on John Catsimatidis' radio show that aired Sunday. 'Law enforcement officers that frame people ... they're horrid.' He later said that Comey 'orchestrated' the investigation by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller." Mrs. McC: See, Rudy, "frame" does not equal "report what he did."
John Bowden of the Hill: "Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to take up legislation that would expand background checks on gun purchases following a shooting Saturday in Texas in which five people were killed. Schumer tweeted that the Senate should take up H.R. 8 in response to the shooting, which would expand background checks to gun purchases between private individuals and require a licensed firearm dealer take possession of the weapon during the process." See yesterday's News Ledes for context.
Presidential Race 2020
Justin Wise of the Hill: "Numerous Democratic presidential candidates spoke out Saturday after a gunman in West Texas killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others. Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D) called the situation 'f[uc]cked up' at a campaign stop in Virginia and tweeted the same thing afterward."
Harry Enten of CNN: "A new national Quinnipiac University poll finds that former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg all lead ... Donald Trump by significant margins in potential 2020 matchups.... No incumbent president has ever polled this poorly against his likely challengers at this point in the campaign."
Orion Rummler & Gigi Sukin of Axios: "The third round of Democratic debates will be held on Sept. 12 in Houston, Texas, with 10 candidates on the stage." The report provides the "standing chart" of where candidates will appear on the stage. Biden & Warren are at center-stage.
Zach Montellardo of Politico: "The fourth Democratic presidential primary debate will be held on Oct. 15 and 16 in Ohio, according to a memo the Democratic National Committee sent to presidential campaigns. The memo, which was obtained by Politico, says the second night will only be held if necessary. The DNC has previously said it will not have more than 10 candidates on stage at a time."
Jessica Gresko of the AP: "Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsbur said Saturday she's 'alive' and on her way to being 'very well' following radiation treatment for cancer. Ginsburg, 86, made the comments at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington. The event came a little over a week after Ginsburg disclosed that she had completed three weeks of outpatient radiation therapy for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas and is now disease-free."; The Washington Post story is here.
Lenny Bernstein, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Sackler family, which grew into one of the nation's wealthiest dynasties through sales of the widely abused painkiller OxyContin, could emerge from a legal settlement under negotiation with its personal fortunes largely intact, according to an analysis reviewed by The Washington Post and people familiar with the discussions. Under a novel plan to bankrupt their company, Purdue Pharma, and resurrect it as a trust whose main purpose would be to combat the opioid epidemic, the Sacklers could raise most, if not all, of their share of the $10 billion to $12 billion agreement by selling their international drug conglomerate, Mundipharma, according to the documents and those close to the talks. Yet the proposed settlement -- built on the projected value of drugs not yet on the market -- offers gains for both sides if the company and more than 2,000 cities, counties, states and others that have sued Purdue and the family can craft a deal."
So the Internet has been spending the entire week having good fun at [Bret Stephens's] expense, because he was taking himself way too seriously. And then he had to find a way to take himself that much more seriously, by using his column space in the New York Times to call me, a Jew, a Nazi. -- Prof. David Karpf, comment to the WashPo, Saturday
That Bret Stephens column that not-so-subtly references Dave Karpf should be retracted. It knowingly slanders Karpf in the Paper of Record, likening a mild Twitter insult to the stuff of Nazis, and all because he got his feelings hurt. Children shouldn't have @nytimes columns. -- Jamil Smith in a tweet, Friday ...
... Hannah Knowles of the Washington Post reviews Bedbug Stephens' excellent argumentum ad Hitlerum. See yesterday's Commentariat for more. "Conservatism" means having a thin skin, a vile disposition & a poison pin. For a Never-Trumper, Bedbug is very Trumpy.
Beyond the Beltway
Arkansas. Hannah Knowles of the Washington Post: "Time was running out for Debra Stevens. But the 911 dispatcher didn't seem concerned. 'Somebody save me!' Stevens screamed as the water level crept up inside her car, which was stranded in floodwater. 'I don't know why you're freaking out,' the dispatcher, Donna Reneau, responded. '"I';m going to die,' Stevens cried later. 'Yeah, I know,' Reneau said. Stevens did die, but only after the dispatcher told the Fort Smith, Ark., woman to 'shut up,' chastised her for worrying that the phone call would cut off and berated her for driving into water -- water the frantic flood victim swore she had not seen. 'Well, this will teach you,' Reneau can be heard saying in audio of the call released this week by Fort Smith police.... Police have launched an internal investigation but said that Reneau -- who submitted her resignation earlier in August and was on her last shift when Stevens's call came in, according to the Southwest Times Record -- will probably not face formal repercussions for the way she treated Stevens in the woman's last minutes alive.... Stevens's SUV was swept off the road and into trees by flash flooding last Saturday as she delivered papers for the Times Record, police said." See also the linked Times Record story.
For men who are allegedly so 'proud' of being straight, they seem to show real incompetence at attracting women to their event. Seems more like a 'I-Struggle-With-Masculinity' parade to me. -- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in a tweet ...
... Boston, Mass. Sarah Betancourt of the Guardian: "A controversial 'straight pride' parade in Boston on Saturday drew more than 1,000 counter-protesters and a few hundred supporters. The rightwing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was 'grand marshal' of the event, for which a group calling itself Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) acquired a permit in June.... Guarded by hundreds of Boston police officers and berated with yells of 'Nazi scum', the rightwing group made its way to Boston city hall for a speaking program. Students pressed their noses against windows of Emerson College dorms, next to signs reading 'Be gay' and 'No need for straight pride'. The school is known for its large LGBTQ student body and inclusivity.... Thousands of people videotaped the marchers and exchanged chants as a float with giant letters saying 'Trump built the wall' moved down the streets.... Despite denying being anti-LGBTQ, the organization allowed several people to the mic to complain about 'LGBTQ curriculums in public schools' and children being gay. People clad in Maga hats and 'How can I offend you?' shirts cheered. Some featured speakers had ties to a far-right organization, the Proud Boys, which has incited violence." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: "Trump built the wall"? So besides being obnoxious bigots, the "straight pride" people are delusional, too.
Texas. Justin Wise of the Hill: "A slate of new Texas laws that loosen regulations for firearms went into effect Sunday after a month in which the state experienced multiple mass shootings. The bills, which were passed during the 86th Texas legislature, ease restrictions surrounding access to guns on school grounds and churches, among other provisions."
Way Beyond
Hong Kong. Lily Kuo of the Guardian: "Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have descended on Hong Kong's international airport, blocking roads and filling a bus terminus, in the latest wave of political unrest to hit the city. Less than 24 hours after protesters and police clashed in running battles on Saturday, demonstrators attempted to paralyse the airport, a major regional hub, on Sunday." ...
... Simon Gardner & Jessie Pang of Reuters: "Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon on Saturday and pro-democracy protesters threw petrol bombs in the latest in a series of chaotic clashes that have plunged the Chinese-ruled city into its worst political crisis in decades. Police fired round after round of tear gas and protesters took cover behind umbrellas between the local headquarters of China's People's Liberation Army and the government. Protesters also threw bricks dug up from pathways at police. Many shops and restaurants in protest areas popular with tourists were shuttered...."
U.K. Donna Ferguson, et al., of the Guardian: "From Bodmin to Berlin, Bristol to Oxford, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in towns and cities across England, Scotland and Wales on Saturday to vent their fury at [PM Boris] Johnson's plan to suspend parliament.... Demonstrations more than 1,000-strong were seen in cities including Manchester, Newcastle and York.... The anger was particularly vocal in London. Outside Downing Street, demonstrators chanted 'Shame on you'.... A sizeable group had brought Trafalgar Square to a standstill by sitting in the road."
News Ledes
New York Times: "The 36-year-old man who terrorized two West Texas towns with an assault-style rifle Saturday had been fired from his trucking job a few hours before he led the authorities on a chaotic high-speed chase that ended with his death and the deaths of seven others. Along a 15-mile stretch between the sister cities of Midland and Odessa..., he indiscriminately fired on motorists and police officers with an AR-15-style rifle while driving.... On Sunday, the authorities continued to collect evidence from more than 15 crime scenes, scattered along highways, car dealerships and shopping malls, marked by police tape, bullet-riddled cars and a wrecked postal van the gunman had hijacked. The authorities initially refused to name the gunman on Sunday, wanting not to give him 'any notoriety for what he did,' said Michael Gerke, the police chief of Odessa. But they later issued a statement identifying the gunman as Seth A. Ator, of Odessa.... The chief said it was not immediately known whether the gunman had legally purchased the rifle." ...
... The AP story identifying the killer is here. ...
... AP: "The death toll in a West Texas shooting rampage increased to seven Sunday as authorities investigated why a man stopped by state troopers for failing to signal a left turn opened fire on them and fled, shooting more than 20 people as he drove before being killed by officers outside a movie theater. Odessa police spokesman Steve LeSueur said that at least one person who was shot remained in life-threatening condition Sunday. Authorities say the gunman was a white male in his 30s, but police have not released a name or possible motive."
Weather Channel: "A hurricane warning has been issued for a portion of Florida's east coast as Dorian crawls over the northwestern Bahamas as a Category 5. The dangerous hurricane is still a threat to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Dorian made its first landfall on Elbow Cay, in the Abacos of the northwestern Bahamas, at 12:40 p.m. EDT Sunday. It then made a second landfall on Great Abaco Island near Marsh Harbour at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday. Maximum sustained winds remain at 185 mph, putting Dorian in a tie for the second-highest sustained wind speed among all Atlantic hurricanes.... The northwestern Bahamas are still taking the brunt of Dorian's eyewall." The Weather Channel's front page, with links to related stories, is here. ...
... The Miami Herald front page links to numerous hurricane-related stories. The paper is providing free, unlimited access to all of its stories as Hurricane Dorian approaches Florida. Dorian has been upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane as it is about to make landfall in the Bahamas. New York Times live updates are here. ...
... "The [Washington] Post has removed article limits on coverage of Hurricane Dorian to make these stories available without a subscription."
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Reader Comments (5)
Another reported shooting spree in West Texas:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/01/us/odessa-texas-shooting-sunday/index.html
So now these sick fucks are even shooting you during traffic stops––we can add this to schools, concerts, Walmarts, movie houses, houses of worship, etc. And we will still dither about gun control because.....why not? It's the Merican WAY!
Will Trump bother to visit the scenes of the latest mass shootings, or weren't they horrific enough? More likely he'll dust off the DVD of an old speech blaming it on "mental illness".
@Bobby Lee: So far, Trump is just calling the mass murder in Odessa "A very tough and sad situation!" The shooter reportedly was white, I'm pretty sure you're right that we're going to find out he suffered from a "mental illness" once his name is released & we find out something about him.*
* Unless it turns out the shooter worked for the ACLU and had a faded O'Rourke sticker on his bumper.
A friend wandered over to see the Boston Assembly of Insecure Ninnies (hmm: Bain. Coincidence?) yesterday afternoon. This morning she said she was sorry she did, but the AOC quote brought joy to her. And me!
Looking at the pictures (video) of the Straight Pride Parade in Boston, struck me as hilarious to see the flag-waving dinosaur in the lead. Think that sez it all!