The Conversation -- January 1, 2024
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Isabelle Kershner, et al., of the New York Times: "Israel's Supreme Court on Monday struck down a law limiting its own powers, a momentous step in the legal and political crisis that gripped the country before the war with Hamas, and pitted the court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. The court's 8-7 ruling has the potential to throw Israel's national emergency government, formed after the Oct. 7 attacks, into disarray and reignite the grave domestic turmoil that began a year ago over the Netanyahu government's judicial overhaul plan.... The court, sitting with a full panel of all 15 of its justices for the first time in its history, rejected the law passed by Parliament in July that barred judges from using a particular legal standard to overrule decisions made by government ministers."
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: takes a look at Donald Trump's preposterous argument that he cannot be prosecuted for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election: Article I.3.7 of the Constitution reads, "Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States: But the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law." Now, I would say you and I know what that means, but in Trumpsidedown World, they disagree with us: "The clause 'presupposes that a president who is not convicted may not be subject to criminal prosecution,' Mr. Trump's brief said." Trump also argues that "A president who is acquitted by the Senate cannot be prosecuted for the acquitted conduct."
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Chico Harlan of the Washington Post: "Even if its extremes are ultimately eclipsed, as seems inevitable, 2023 will mark a point when humanity crossed into a new climate era -- an age of 'global boiling,' as United Nations Secretary General António Guterres called it. The year [was the hottest on record and] included the hottest single day on record (July 6) and the hottest ever month (July), not to mention the hottest June, the hottest August, the hottest September, the hottest October, the hottest November, and probably the hottest December. It included a day, Nov. 17, when global temperatures, for the first time ever, reached 2 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial levels. Discomfort, destruction, and death are the legacy of those records.... This year, then, will wind up as the first -- and almost surely not the last -- in which temperatures were at or near 1.5 Celsius above preindustrial levels, a threshold the Paris agreement has aimed to avoid."
Don't Know Much about Clarence T., Don't Know Much about Donald T. But I Do Know Some Technology.... What a Wonderful World It Would Be. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. devoted his annual year-end report on the state of the federal judiciary, issued on Sunday, to the positive role that artificial intelligence can play in the legal system -- and the threats it poses. His report did not address the Supreme Court's rocky year, including its adoption of an ethics code that many said was toothless. Nor did he discuss the looming cases arising from ... Donald J. Trump's criminal prosecutions and questions about his eligibility to hold office.... Chief Justice Roberts acknowledged the promise of the new technology while noting its dangers." Politico's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Here's the report, via the Supreme Court. MB: I wonder if "artificial intelligence" doesn't describe John Roberts: someone who excelled in school and got a first-rate education, yet cannot fathom general concepts like the nature of society.
Presidential Race 2024
Kelly Garrity of Politico: "The constitutional amendment that election officials in Colorado and Maine are relying on to block ... Donald Trump from the ballot is clear -- and isn't undemocratic, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) argued Sunday. 'Is it undemocratic that [former California Gov.] Arnold Schwarzenegger and [Energy Secretary] Jennifer Granholm can't run for president because they weren't born in the country? If you think about it, of all of the forms of disqualification that we have, the one that disqualifies people for engaging in insurrection is the most democratic because it's the one where people choose themselves to be disqualified,' Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, said Sunday during an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union.' (Schwarzenegger was born in Austria, Granholm in Canada.) 'Donald Trump is in that tiny, tiny number of people who have essentially disqualified themselves,' [Raskin said].... '... If you don't like the rules of the Constitution, change the Constitution.'"
Soo Rin Kim & Quinn Scanlan of ABC News: "Three women who served in ... Donald Trump's White House are now warning against a possible second Trump term, with one of them saying it could mean 'the end of American democracy as we know it.' For the first time, former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews, and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson sat down together with ABC News 'This Week' co-anchor Jonathan Karl to discuss their roles in speaking out against Trump in the wake of Jan. 6.... The Trump campaign responded to ABC's interview with a statement calling the women 'ungrateful grifters' who 'used the opportunities given to them by President Trump' and had gone 'full Judas.'" Classy!
Football Isn't Just Dangerous; It's Corrupt. David Fahrenthold & Billy Witz of the New York Times: "... using cash from fan 'collectives' to woo and keep [football] players -- has gone from an anomaly to a necessity in big-time college sports. These 'name, image and likeness' payments through collectives -- permissible under N.C.A.A. rules since July 2021 -- along with the loosening of transfer restrictions, have shifted how powerhouse teams are built. But they have also prompted red flags from the Internal Revenue Service, threatened to create a sense of imbalance within teams, and fostered a culture of secrecy and an uncomfortable push-pull between collectives and schools. They have also undermined the push for gender equity by immensely favoring male athletes.... [All] four football playoff schools: Michigan, Texas, Washington and Alabama ... have reached this point by adapting to -- and exploiting -- this flood of cash from fans to players."
Abby Livingston & Pooja Salhotra of the Texas Tribune: "Retired U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson has died, her family said Sunday on social media. She was 88. A towering Dallas political figure -- once a nurse, state legislator and congresswoman -- Johnson was the dean of the Texas Congressional delegation before retiring from office in 2022. She proved effective at her work due to her long tenure serving in the U.S. House -- nearly 30 years at the time of her passing -- and a pragmatist streak that made her open to working with Republicans."
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Adeel Hassan of the New York Times: "A spate of new state laws, including on guns, minimum wage and gender transition care, went into effect as the calendar flipped to 2024. Perhaps the most significant change bans programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion at publicly funded colleges and universities in Texas.... Here are some other new and noteworthy state laws[.]"
California. Colbi Edmonds of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Saturday allowed California's ban on the carrying of firearms in most public places to take effect in 2024, halting a lower court judge's ruling that had blocked enforcement of the law.... Judge Cormac Carney of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California blocked enforcement of the law in December, saying that the ban.... 'is sweeping, repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court.' But the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals paused the injunction, allowing the law to go into effect on Monday while the court takes more time to decide on the constitutionality of the law." The AP's report is here.
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Denmark. Jasmina Nielsen & Alan Yuhas of the New York Times: "Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the longest-serving monarch in Europe, unexpectedly declared that she would abdicate her throne after more than a half-century, announcing in her New Year's speech on Sunday that her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, would succeed her. In her speech, Margrethe, 83, said that her age and health were factors in her decision after more than 50 years as queen."
Israel/Palestine. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari closed out the year with a warning that Israel's war objectives "require prolonged fighting" and that the IDF is 'preparing accordingly' as it heads into 2024." ~~~
~~~ CNN's live updates for Monday are here.
News Lede
CNN: "A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck western Japan on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey and the Japan Meteorological Agency. Tsunami warnings have been issued along coastal regions of western Japan and people have been urged to evacuate. The first tsunami waves of 1.2 meters (4 feet) and under hav hit a number of areas along Japan's western coast. The earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), and struck at 4:10 p.m. local time northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa prefecture, according to USGS. Several aftershocks have been reported, with Japan's weather agency warning they could continue over the next three days to a week." This is a liveblog.
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Reader Comments (17)
If anyone knows any climate change deniers, send them to my garden
here in West Michigan. It's January and I still have roses and other
perennials blooming. Normally everything would be covered with
about 2 feet of snow and temps would be around zero.
The snow is a good thing since it insulates the plants in case the
temps suddenly drop to zero.
I'll be planting those banana trees that I've always wanted this coming
summer.
Ronda DeSantis said in his latest campaign speech that if The Bahamas
were to send missiles attacking Florida that he would flatten The
Bahamas.
I've been to The Bahamas. It's already quite flat, Ron. You should
visit there sometime. Lots of gambling, like your presidential run.
https://news.yahoo.com/ron-desantis-keeps-talking-blowing-
180047891.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=0_00
Forrest,
A couple of palm trees would be interesting next to the rose bushes. And don’t forget a few tropical birds for the garden, just to give it that equatorial je ne sais quoi. And a Panama hat. Don’t forget that.
John Roberts worrying about AI when his tattered, disgraceful court is hoisting the flag of anti-rule of law authoritarianism and unbridled capitalism is a hoot.
Instead of artificial intelligence, he should be concerned with artificial morality and artificial (ie, not real) ethics. His pinky swear ethics code tells us all we need to know about what to expect in 2024. Little Johnny has already started in on his New Year’s resolution: don’t do anything to piss off the Court’s wealthy bosses. Look the other way. Just like racism, all the criticism will disappear and everything will be jake.
Sure wouldn't want none o' that diversity, equity, and inclusion stuff now, would we?
We're all for (white) homogeneity, inequity and exclusion. Always have been, always will be. MAGA!
Bad Faith
"remember that old joke about the man who murdered both of his parents and then asked for mercy as an orphan? It needs to be replaced by a new joke about the ex-president who trashed democracy when he had the power, and then pleaded for the protection of democracy so he could have one more chance to trash democracy again."
Pwnallthethings lampoons 14th Amendment punditry
RAS,
It's the American Way.
Remember all those Tea Partiers who railed against the ACA, shouting "Keep your hands off my Medicare?"
As always, the American Right is the very definition of irony.
Is it ignorance or hypocrisy? Whatever it is, it's both funny and sad.
Watched an interesting documentary last evening. I should contact
Marjorie T Greene because it would be most educational for her and
her like minded friends.
Title is "Harriet". The life and times of Harriet Tubman and the
underground railroad.
Slaves may have learned some skills but the learning obviously came
with life threatening whip lashings, harassments and rape.
Roses in January in Michigan. @Forrest Morris: Truly mind-boggling. No such luck here in the REAL North Country!
I don't remember seeing this mentioned, but Rhonda Santis has an interesting and different take on SCOTUS and the Dred Scott decision.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/650671-ron-desantis-dred-scott/
@Bobby Lee: I hate to say it, but I think Rhonda got it pretty much right. Some of the commenters to the post bring up the issue of "judicial activism," but contemporaneous Republicans -- as well as the two justices who dissented in Scott -- thought the same: that the Taney court had been "legislating from the bench" without cause or justification.
And meanwhile in Israel...
https://www.axios.com/2024/01/01/israel-supreme-court-judicial-overhaul-netanyahu-gaza
Now that is it officially a presidential election year, I start to wonder: What would happen if President Biden took the ***** legal filings to heart, and said that because HE is president now, he is immune from prosecution, so he will do illegal acts X, Y and Z to stay in power.
Would the Faux Bots still support the legal filings as written, or would they declare there is an orange-colored asterisk buried within them, when brushed with lemon juice and heated gently?
This bullshit double jeopardy scam the Trumpies are flogging ignores a central fact: impeachment is a political process not a legal one. Escaping impeachment because your cowardly buddies refuse to acknowledge your sleaziness isn’t the same as being tried and found not guilty in a court of law.
This is like saying “Hey, I wrote a book and all my friends liked it so actual book reviewers should be barred from criticizing it.” It’s two different things. There is no double jeopardy. In fact, if you want to get technical about it, even pols who acknowledged that Trump was a scumbag (lookin’ at you, Mitchy), didn’t vote for impeachment, so Trump escaped purely—and only—because of hyper partisanship. The whole thing was rigged from the get go.
But this double jeopardy scam works on the idiots, so they’ll keep waving it around.
And not for nothin’, but doesn’t the tsunami of different excuses mean anything to the MAGAts? First it’s “Nothing happened! It was peaceful!” then it’s “I didn’t do it!”, then “Antifa did it”, the “FBI did it!”, “Nancy Pelosi did it!” The last three creating serious problems for the first contention that nothing happened. I guess dead bodies might be a problem also.
@NiskyGuy: If the Supremes are stupid enough to grant a president* absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, there's not much to keep President Biden from declaring he won the 2024 election, whether he did or not, declaring a national emergency, and attempting to stay in office. He could be declared the loser by the Congress & by the courts, he could be impeached and convicted, Congress could refuse to grant the administrations any funds, and so forth. But the president has the army.
I think maybe even Clarence the Unrecused can figure that out.
Salon
"During their set on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special on Sunday night, Green Day found an opportunity to make one last swipe at Donald Trump to cap 2023.
While performing the song "American Idiot," the title track of their 2004 album which was originally a poke at George Bush, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong changed the lyric “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda," causing people to flood social media with their takes on the matter."
Marie,
Nope. PoT apparatchiks, charlatans, and grifters like Clarence and Hit Man Sam know implicitly that it’s only Republican presidents* (and candidates) who engage (or promise to engage) in truly awful criminality. There are Democrats who operate beyond the law or rules (Menendez, eg) but that’s mostly for money, or sex. Stuff like treason, insurrection, destruction of democracy and stealing state secrets are the domain of their party, so in conferring total immunity on a president*, they’re not worried that Democrats will see that as an excuse to start shooting the place up and locking up people they don’t like. Certainly not Biden.