The Conversation -- December 27, 2023
Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "House Republicans said Wednesday they were investigating whether President Biden was involved in his son Hunter Biden's decision to defy a congressional subpoena in their latest attempt to link the White House to accusations against the president's son.... 'In light of an official statement from the White House that President Biden was aware in advance that his son, Hunter Biden, would knowingly defy two congressional subpoenas, we are compelled to examine as part of our impeachment inquiry whether the president engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct a proceeding of Congress,' Mr. Comer and Mr. Jordan wrote in their letter [to White House counsel Ed Siskel]."
Julie Bosman, et al., of the New York Times: "The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday gave Donald J. Trump an important victory in the legal battle over his eligibility to return to the White House by allowing the former president to appear on the state's primary ballot in February. But in a narrow ruling, the court left the door open for a new challenge to bar Mr. Trump from the general election ballot in the key battleground state over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. The decision was the latest in the high-stakes efforts to block Mr. Trump from returning to power.&"
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Wednesday to keep ... Donald J. Trump and his lawyers from claiming to the jury in his upcoming election interference trial that the case had been brought against him as a partisan attack by the Biden administration. The move by the prosecutors was designed to keep Mr. Trump from overtly politicizing his trial and from distracting the jury with unfounded political arguments that he has often made on both the campaign trail and in court papers related to the case. Ever since Mr. Trump was charged this summer with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, he and his lawyers have sought to frame the indictment as a retaliatory strike against him by President Biden. Mr. Trump has also placed such claims at the heart of his presidential campaign even though the charges were initially returned by a federal grand jury and are being overseen by an independent special counsel...."
Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump on Tuesday fired off a new attack against Representative Debbie Dingell, the widow of John D. Dingell Jr., the longest-serving member of Congress in American history, calling her a 'loser' and suggesting that she had not been grateful for funeral honors granted by Mr. Trump for her husband. The salvo from Mr. Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race, followed an appearance by Ms. Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, on CNN earlier on Tuesday in which she criticized Mr. Trump's increasingly incendiary language on social media.... Ms. Dingell had been reacting to a grievance-filled Christmas message on Truth Social from Mr. Trump. Referring to his political opponents as 'deranged' and 'thugs' and accusing them of trying to destroy the country, he wrote, 'MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: For every person who has behaved badly in public, for every person who chafes under criticism that s/he is ill-mannered, there is a potential Trump voter, a person who feels vindicated knowing that a person who is even more boorish than s/he can be president*. Trump is indeed their retribution.
** William Grimes of the New York Times: "Tom Smothers, the older half of the comic folk duo the Smothers Brothers, whose skits and songs on 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' in the late 1960s brought political satire and a spirit of youthful irreverence to network television, paving the way for shows like 'Saturday Night Live' and 'The Daily Show,' died on Tuesday at his home in Santa Rosa, Calif., a city in Sonoma County. He was 86." The Hollywood Reporter's obituary is here. Thanks to RAS for the lead. ~~~
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Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Instead of using his majority to methodically flesh out the existing allegations against the president, [Rep. Jim] Comer [R-Ky.] and his allies -- including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee -- found themselves offering up baseless or debunked allegations to a conservative media ravenous for them. Throughout 2023, Comer, Jordan and their allies made little progress toward Comer's stated target [to nail President Biden] -- but did manage to significantly erode their credibility." Bump reviews their hilariously inept efforts to frame Biden.
Heather Knight of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court tossed out the conviction of former Representative Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican, on Tuesday.... Mr. Fortenberry, 62, was convicted by a jury in March 2022 on three felony charges related to lying to the federal authorities about illegal campaign donations he received at a 2016 fund-raiser in Los Angeles.... In the opinion on Tuesday, a three-judge panel determined that Mr. Fortenberry should not have been tried in Los Angeles because he had made his statements about the campaign contributions to federal agents in Nebraska and Washington, D.C. Mr. Fortenberry was charged with and convicted of making false statements, not the receipt of the illegal contributions. 'The constitution plainly requires that a criminal defendant be tried in the place where the criminal conduct occurred,' Judge James Donato wrote on behalf of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The court said Mr. Fortenberry could be retried in a proper venue."
Larry Neumeister of the AP: "Federal prosecutors on Tuesday urged a judge to reject U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's request to delay his bribery trial scheduled for next spring by two months, until July.... Four defendants, including Menendez, have pleaded not guilty to a bribery conspiracy charge that alleges that Menendez and his wife accepted bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen who wanted the senator';s help and influence over foreign affairs."
Robert Jimison of the New York Times: interviews Sen. Laphonza Butler, whom Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) appointed to the Senate to replace Dianne Feinstein. Butler is not standing for election to the post.
Revoke Trump's Bail. Colleen Slevin of the AP: "Police said Tuesday they are investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and providing extra patrols around their homes in Denver following the court's decision to remove ... Donald Trump from the state's presidential primary ballot.... The FBI said it is working with local law enforcement on the matter." (Also linked yesterday.)
The Most Dangerous Man in the U.S.A. Eric Bazail-Eilil of Politico: "Voters surveyed by the Daily Mail described ... Donald Trump's political goals as 'corruption,' 'revenge' and 'dictatorship.' On Tuesday..., Trump shared a word cloud with the results of a Daily Mail survey released Tuesday that prominently displayed the words 'corruption,' 'revenge,' 'dictatorship' and 'power,' indicating that those answers were provided by a large number of participants asked about Trump's plans for a second term in office. There was no caption or comment attached to the post.... It's not the first time Trump has called himself a dictator or hinted at his authoritarian desires, but it's the first time he's embraced the label via word cloud.... [President] Biden's word cloud contained the words 'nothing' as well as 'peace,' 'economy' and 'democracy.'" ~~~
~~~ The Daily Mail's report of its survey, which includes pictures of the Biden & Trump clouds, is here.
NEW. Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "One of the Republicans in Michigan who acted as a fake elector for Donald J. Trump expressed deep regret about his participation, according to a recording of his interview with the state attorney general's office that was obtained by The New York Times. The elector, James Renner, is thus far the only Trump elector who has reached an agreement with the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, which brought criminal charges in July against all 16 of the state's fake Trump electors. In October, Ms. Nessel's office dropped all charges against Mr. Renner after he agreed to cooperate. Mr. Renner, 77, was a late substitution to the roster of electors in December 2020 after two others dropped out. He told the attorney general's office that he later realized, after reviewing testimony from the House investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, that he and other electors had acted improperly."
Presidential Race 2024
Melania Trump is reportedly ready for her moment in the spotlight. The former first lady, who's made only a handful of public appearances since Donald Trump left office, was reportedly encouraged by her 'positive reception' at Rosalynn Carter's funeral. She's 'feeling more sure of herself -- as both her husband's representative and her own position as a diplomatic figure,' a Trumpworld source told Page Six. -- Daily Beast report, cited in Balloon Juice ~~~
~~~ Melanie Rising. Betty Cracker of Balloon Juice: "The report strikes me as weird on two levels, firstly because it implies the Third Lady thinks she earned a 'positive reception.'... The Carters and former first ladies who interacted with the wife of The Beast at the funeral were gracious because they have class and dignity, and they have some respect for the roles they play in national life. Maybe Melania Trump doesn't understand that, having spent years among garish rich people.... Maybe she never saw what Michelle Obama said publicly about putting aside her personal feelings of dismay, anger and disgust during the 2016 transition to be pleasant to Mrs. Trump for the good of the country.... Reason #2 that this is weird: the Third Lady wasn't interested in the job when she was in the White House, so why now?... Perhaps [Donald's] awful other half sees [another presidential* term for him] as a second opportunity to renegotiate the prenup, and this is her way of angling for a higher payout."
Palliative Care. Marie: I missed this quote from a New York Times story published December 24 because I don't read many of the GOP Who's-on-Third? stories, but it is another data point in Ron DeSantis' faltering campaign: "Ryan Tyson, Mr. DeSantis's longtime pollster and one of his closest advisers, has privately said to multiple people that they are now at the point in the campaign where they need to 'make the patient comfortable.'..."
Larry Neumeister of the AP: "Criminal prosecutors may soon get to see over 900 documents pertaining to the alleged theft of a diary belonging to President Joe Biden's daughter after a judge rejected the conservative group Project Veritas' First Amendment claim.... The documents were produced from raids that were authorized in November 2021. Electronic devices were also seized from the residences of three members of Project Veritas, including two mobile phones from the home of James O'Keefe, the group's since-fired founder." Project Veritas is considering appealing the decision.
That Boring Tie You Got Boosted the Economy. Rachel Siegel & Aaron Gregg of the Washington Post: "On Tuesday, fresh retail sales data from Mastercard showed that consumers spent big on gifts, meals and apparel in November and December despite inflation's lingering bite. Add on strong consumer confidence, and the S&P 500's approaching an all-time high, and it's clear that the U.S. economy is in a far better place than just about anyone expected, zapping any hints of a recession and bolstering hope that people will keep opening their wallets in 2024."
Capitalism Will Kill You. Reed Abelson & Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times: "The rate of serious medical complications increased in hospitals [link fixed] after they were purchased by private equity investment firms, according to a major study of the effects of such acquisitions on patient care in recent years. The study, published in JAMA on Tuesday, found that, in the three years after a private equity fund bought a hospital, adverse events including surgical infections and bed sores rose by 25 percent among Medicare patients when compared with similar hospitals that were not bought by such investors. The researchers reported a nearly 38 percent increase in central line infections, a dangerous kind of infection that medical authorities say should never happen, and a 27 percent increase in falls by patients while staying in the hospital."
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Israel/Palestine. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israel said it is expanding combat operations in refugee camps as it targets Hamas, as a hospital director said the toll from a strike on a residential block in a central Gaza in Maghazi camp rose to 80. At the White House, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan held talks with Ron Dermer, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about 'the transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets' as well as 'governance and security in Gaza' after the war, an official said.... The United Nations appointed Dutch politician Sigrid Kaag to the new role of senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, responsible for facilitating and accelerating aid deliveries. The position was mandated as part of the U.N. Security Council's resolution last week to expand aid to civilians in the enclave." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Wednesday are here. CNN's live updates are here: "Israel's military chief said the war against Hamas in Gaza will continue for 'many more months,' echoing comments from Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the conflict is far from ending. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said Israel is in a 'multi-arena war' in the region."
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Reader Comments (14)
"Just how dumb do you have to be?" could be the standard introduction to any number of questions about health issues.
....to believe that smoking and overeating are good for you?
....to believe that vaccines should be avoided because they kill you?
....to believe that Lysol, bleach and Ivermectin scare the little Covid cooties away?
....that health care for financial profit is not a deadly contradiction in terms?
(See how many entries you can add to the list....You could be the winner.)
Some great new photos from the James Webb Space Telescope.
And here's an old planet watchers tip: Go outdoors just after sunset on a clear, mild, summer day. Face due West and, if you bend over far enough, you'll see Uranus.
@Ken Winkes: How about "... to think that 'socialized medicine' -- i.e., something like 'Medicare for all' -- will turn the U.S. into a communist nation full of slackers and deadbeats"?
@D in MD: What good advice. Darn it, my eyes aren't what they once were; neither am I able any longer to bend over double to properly position myself for, um, planet-gazing. I do have a small mirror, though. Will that work?
Marie,
Sure. All large telescopes use mirrors.
D,
Good one. Reminds me of that old joke, what do toilet paper and the Starship Enterprise have in common? They both travel around Uranus looking for Klingons.
Ba dum bum.
Soooo…Melanie…a “diplomatic figure”?
Sure. Why not. Mrs. Trump, what are your thoughts on third world hunger?
“I really don’t care if smelly poor people are hungry. But now, let me show you my ass. Is hot, no?”
Mrs. Trump, do you have a hopeful Christmas message to share with the world?
“Christmas sucks. I hate it!”
Oooohkay.
Remember. Melanie was not chosen for her graciousness, decency, civility, respectfulness, tact, or aplomb. She was chosen for T and A. Pretty much everyone connected to that fat fuck is a money grubbing, narcissistic asshole. She is no different.
But yeah.. Diplomatic. Like you read about.
The wheels are grinding....far too slowly...but grinding nonetheless:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2023/12/26/kari-lake-trouble-richer-defamation-lawsuit-proceeds/72030775007/
@Marie: You asked D in MD about using a mirror.
That works only if it's a 'rear view' mirror.
Projection.
They all do it.
So, would be dictator and scourge of those weaker and less well protected by money, power, political weaponization, and self-satisfied braggadocio, Ronito DeSantolini, sez “Trump is a meanie who goes after those he doesn’t like!”
Yeah…and…? But you’d never do that, right?
Where do these people come from? I’m so tired of hearing about how smart this guy is. Clearly, as in the domiciles of other blood sucking monsters, there are no mirrors in the Guv’s mansion in Florida.
Jacksonville, Florida is back in the news. Not for aa racially themed shooting this time but for after a decades long fight removing the last Confederate memorial in the city. There will be quite an uproar and tomorrows Florida Times-Union will be interesting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/12/27/jacksonville-florida-confederate-memorial-removed/
Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brother comedy duo dies at 86. NYT obit.
Edie Falco has a message to the profound losers
I'm back in the New Hampshire-adjacent television market, watching the Kennedy Center Honors on the teevee. The show is a celebration of artists who have made the world better but, being network TV, there are advertisements.
Along comes a spot from nikki haley. She starts out something like: "I'll just say it, Biden is too old." If she thinks the president has to be able to do everything, part of me hopes she gets the job and crumbles under the weight of the realization that she can't do everything. A real President is an excellent manager, assembling a team do do the job. Biden is leading a fabulous team.
nh then goes on today that we need to "defeat China and restore our economy." Two things: I really don't think a nation of 350 million, of which some seventy million are blind followers of an orange turd, can defeat a nation of more than a billion people. The Chinese people are not our enemy. Keep their government's worst actions in check and prevent them from exploiting their people and ours, absolutely. But defeat them? I don't know what that means.
And "restore our economy"? How? Pass infrastructure funding? Aid children in need? Protect workers? These are just a few things Biden and his team have done over the objections of republicans. And despite the incessant gloom and doom from certain media outlets, real economists think the economy is doing pretty darned well, having recovered from the hell hole it was in three years ago. Give Biden and his team some credit.