The Conversation -- June 10, 2024
Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "Hunter Biden's defense team is expected to wrap up arguments in his federal firearms trial in Delaware on Monday, and the jury could begin deliberating by day's end barring any dramatic moves -- like a last-minute decision by Mr. Biden to testify on his own behalf."
CNN's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "More details emerged of the Israeli operation that rescued four hostages held by Hamas but left many Palestinians dead.... Eyewitness said it was 'hell on Earth,' with the Palestinian foreign ministry calling the raid 'a gruesome massacre.' Israeli officials put the death toll lower, but blamed the carnage on Hamas for holding hostages in civilian areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on key war cabinet member Benny Gantz to reconsider after resigning from government over the handling of the war in Gaza. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who traveled to the Middle East on Monday to push for a ceasefire agreement, is set to meet Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant this evening, before meeting Gantz on Tuesday.... The United States on Sunday called for a vote on its UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution backing the proposal for a permanent ceasefire and release of the hostages in Gaza."
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Biden Pays Respects to Soldiers Trump Called "Suckers" & "Losers." Toluse Olorunnipa, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden visited an American cemetery in France on Sunday, a somber setting that allowed him to pay his respects to fallen soldiers while reminding voters of one of the most controversial moments of Donald Trump's presidency. Biden's stop at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery -- a site Trump skipped during a 2018 trip after reportedly calling those buried there 'suckers' and 'losers' -- capped a five-day trip to France in which the president did not say his predecessor's name in public but nonetheless sought to make clear the sharp differences that exist between the two men and their presidencies.... The visit was part of a mounting effort by Biden and his campaign to resurface the worst memories of Trump's turbulent four years in office -- a push that has run squarely into a phenomenon pollsters have branded 'Trump amnesia.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
đș Here's the video of @EmmanuelMacron gifting @POTUS @JoeBiden the @vuarnetofficiel sunglasses. đ https://t.co/W2KLxh8FYr pic.twitter.com/5MNHe1VJpy
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) June 9, 2024
~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. Via digby.
Hamed Aleaziz, et al., of the New York Times: "The Biden administration is considering a proposal to protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation and allow them to work in the country legally.... The officials ... said that no final decision had been made and that the shape of the policy was unclear. Any such program could also provide some spouses an easier route to obtain U.S. citizenship."
National Crime Blotter
Notorious Crime Boss Donnie Short-Fingers Has Probation Hearing Monday. Adam Reiss, et al., of NBC News: "Former President Trump is scheduled to sit for a virtual interview on Monday with a New York City probation officer from his home at Mar-a-Lago with his attorney Todd Blanche at his side.... The probation interview is required by the court as part of the former president's pre-sentencing report. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case, permitted Blanche to be present for the probation interview after prosecutors did not object.... Martin Horn, former commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections and Probation..., noted that the typical purpose of a probation interview is to obtain information on Trump's social and criminal history, financial resources, history of mental health, physical or addiction issues as well as to assess his living situation. Trump could also be asked if he is associating with anyone with a criminal record because he cannot associate with them if he is placed on probation, Horn said." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I suppose this will be the first time in history that the answer to, "Do you associate with known criminals?" will be, "Almost everyone I know is a criminal, but then I pardoned them all." Of course there's still Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Ken Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, et. al, whose most recent crimes Trump couldn't pardon since he lost his pardoning privileges.
Presidential Race
Plus ça Change.... (Well, Except for that Total Fascist-Embrace Thing). Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "Republicans in Congress are preparing to not just extend ... Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts if they win control of Washington in November's elections, but also lower rates even more for corporations, laying the early groundwork for a ferocious debate over taxes and spending next year and beyond.... GOP lawmakers and some of Trump's economic advisers are considering more corporate tax breaks -- which could expand the national debt by roughly $1 trillion over the next decade, according to researchers at Stanford University and MIT.... [President] Biden promises to raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations, allowing the Trump tax law's individual rate cuts to expire and pushing for legislation with taxes on businesses to pay for new investments in child and elder care, affordable housing and education."
John Bowden of the Independent: Donald Trump "was in Las Vegas, Nevada for a summertime rally in the searing heat -- high temperatures on the strip were projected to be around 103 degrees Fahrenheit.... At several points in the rally, he addressed the heat.... 'I don't want anybody going on me. We need every voter,' he said. 'I don't care about you. I just want your vote.'... After the rally concluded, local media reports found that nearly two dozen rallygoers had been treated onsite for medical issues resulting from the heat, while six ended up going to the hospital.... Trump spent much of the speech insulting America's immigrant population and describing incoming immigrants and asylum-seekers as criminals, mentally unstable, and 'not productive' members of society." ~~~
~~~ And for a bit more color, see Akhilleus' commentary at the top of today's thread.
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Europe
Things Fall Apart. The Center Barely Holds. Matina Stevis-Gridneff of the New York Times: "Casting ballots in 27 countries, voters largely backed centrists in European Parliament elections, but far-right parties made serious inroads in France and Germany. Partial results made public late Sunday showed that centrist political groups were poised to lose some seats, but still maintain a clear majority of more than 400 seats in the 720-seat assembly. Even so, the outcome seemed likely to steel the far right as a disruptive force and unsettled the bloc's mainstream establishment." This is an update of a story linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
Bad News in France. Roger Cohen & Aurelien Breeden of the New York Times: "President Emmanuel Macron of France, battered by a crushing defeat to the extreme right in European elections, dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Sunday and called for legislative elections beginning on June 30. His decision, announced in a television broadcast to the nation, was a measure of the devastating nature of the European Parliament election result, which gave the National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen and her wildly popular protégé, Jordan Bardella, about 31.5 percent of the vote, to about 15.2 percent for Mr. Macron's Renaissance party. It became the leading party in France by some distance. 'The rise of nationalists and demagogues is a danger for our nation and for Europe,' Mr. Macron said. 'After this day I cannot go on as though nothing has happened.'" Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ CNN's live updates of developments in the European elections are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Israel/Palestine, et al.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here.
Nadeen Ebrahim of CNN: "sraeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has resigned from Benjamin Netanyahu's government, delivering a blow to the prime minister who has been celebrating the rare rescue of hostages held in Gaza. 'Netanyahu prevents us from moving forward to a real victory [in Gaza],' Gantz said in a televised statement Sunday in which he described leaving the government as a 'complex and painful' decision.... He accused Netanyahu of putting his own personal political considerations ahead of a post-war strategy for the Gaza Strip, claiming that 'fateful strategic decisions are met with hesitancy and procrastination due to political considerations,' and urged the prime minister to hold an election in the coming months." (Also linked yesterday.)
Waafa Shurafa & Samy Magdy of the AP: "At least 274 Palestinians, including dozens of children, were killed, and hundreds more were wounded, in the Israeli raid that rescued four hostages held by Hamas, Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday. The Israeli military said its forces came under heavy fire and responded during the complex daytime operation in central Gaza. The killing of so many Palestinians, in a raid that Israelis celebrated as a stunning success, showed the heavy cost of such operations on top of the already soaring toll of the 8-month-old war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack."
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Reader Comments (13)
The Fat Felon, doing his usual schtick at some treason hootenanny in Vegas, offered this description: ââŠcriminal, mentally unstable, and 'not productive' member of society.â
There he goes again. Talking all about himself. Câmon, Donnie, not everything is about you!
Meanwhile, at that same meeting of the Demented Dotard 4 Prezdent fan club in Vegas, a technical thing happened, eliciting this response from the always erudite and weâll spoken guest of dishonor:
âMy elleromper nah work! Szas why I Tok like a idiot!â He followed this up with âShitty, shitty, shitty, shitty, shit, shitty!â which is either the condition of his diaper, or his campaign. AwwwâŠsuch eloquence! No wonder the MAGAts love him. His command of the English language is on a par with their own.
âFormer President Donald Trump fumed about technical issues plaguing his rally in Las Vegas Sunday.
At several points during his speech, Trump complained that his teleprompter was not working. He made light of the issue after trying to say the word âHispanicâ and flubbing it â instead saying âHispanican.â
âI got no teleprompters!â Trump said. âAnd I havenât from the beginning.ââ
After which he said he wasnât gonna pay nothinâ! Harumph! WaitâŠwhen does he ever pay?
And Iâm pretty sure a teleprompter glitch doesnât make you sound like youâve been taking your hourly dose of quaaludes with six fingers of Jack Daniels.
That Donnie! So refined, so eloquent, so calm under the most dire, horrible circumstances, like when a thingamajig doesnât work right for two minutes. But sureâŠletâs give that the guy the nuclear codes again.
@Akhilleus: I think a "Hispanican" has potential, I'm just not sure for what. In Trump's mind it's probably something racist, but a "Hispanican" could be someone who speaks Spanish but is from the Americas and not Europe.
As for that string of "shitty"s, I think what Trump meant to say was, "Shitty, shitty, bang bang." But he suddenly realized he was a convicted felon, and somebody took his guns away, and now he has to skip the bang-bang part so he's reduced to extended scatological fulminations.
Marie,
Scatological fulminations are all well and good, but Iâm hoping for a lengthy penological culmination come July 11. I know that (too) many commentators are wearing down the finish on their pearls with all the high pressure clutching going on about what horrors might occur should the Fat Felon get jail time, especially for a first offense, and something âso minorâ.
First, itâs only a first offense technically. This asshole is a career criminal. And itâs only âminorâ if you completely overlook the context. He pulled a fast one on voters in order to steal the presidency, the effects of that fraud are almost incalculable, starting with his being then put in a position to destroy the Supreme Court.
Also, Judge Merchan is allowed to consider things like Fattyâs incredible disrespect during the trial, repeated violations of a gag order, his attempts to bribe and bully witnesses, his personal attacks on the judge, his family, the jury, and the legitimacy of the court system itself. Iâve read also that a very important element in sentencing is whether or not the defendant exhibits remorse, and whether it appears likely that he or she will not repeat their criminal actions if granted leniency. Thatâs a big NOT on both counts.
Finally, itâs important that the next Trump understand that pulling this kind of maneuver WILL land your ass in jail. I donât care that he doesnât get a year or two or three, but it has to be enough to make it hurt. Iâd say at least two days for each count, say 68 days in the klink.
And no special treatment. And NO house arrest either.
I want him to hear that jail door slam shut.
Paul Waldman
"Trump's Conviction Has Liberated the GOP
Trump doesnât argue that he is clean, but that everybody is dirty: Everybody cheats on their taxes, everybody cheats on their wives, everybody falsifies business records, everybody gives bribes and takes bribes. Everybodyâs venal, everybodyâs corrupt, everybodyâs worst selves are their truest selves, and heâs the honest one because his worst self is his only self.
The permission to be your worst self lay at the heart of Trumpâs appeal in 2016. He didnât use dog whistles or pretend to be a better person than he was; his bigotry, resentments and anger were right on the surface, and he encouraged his followers to be like him. Let your freak flag fly, stop being polite, grab âem by the pussy and tell those bastards what you think of them, right to their face."
Wait, where are all those RWNJs who lambasted Obama for using a teleprompter. No comments about Orange guy? Is Donnie going to wear a tan suit next?
Wait, his entire incoherent rant is on a teleprompter??
And Hew Hewit in the WaPo declares that the conviction will be thrown out because the judge gave $35 to dems in some election, I forget which one, and I didn't read the entire rant, just skipped to comments. And I know I misspelled the name but I like it like that.
Pat,
I kinda like that spelling too. Another traitor trying to chop up democracy and put it through the wood chipper to be used as mulch surrounding the dead roses at the Trump mausoleum.
But we could try other variations:
Skew
Screw
Stew
Pee-yoo
Blew (as in ââŠout his brains)
Flew (as in ââŠinto the cuckooâs nest)
Few (brain cells)
But Hew works nicely.
The ability of these galumphing goo-goos to craft protean pronouncements that change daily or even hourly, as their previous promises of earth-shattering truths sink into the sand is a blunder to behold.
"Railing against Bidenâs D-Day rhetoric, right gives away the game
In 2017, on the 4th of July, NPR published a series of tweets with the text of the Declaration of Independence. It seemed like a simple, patriotic gesture to help celebrate our Independence Day. A surprising number of Republicans didnât quite see it that way.
The more NPR published portions of the Declaration of Independence, the more rank-and-file conservatives â who apparently didnât recognize the words of the document â assumed that the media outlet was publishing anti-Trump âpropaganda.â
âA Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people,â one tweet read, sparking particular outrage from the right, who assumed the missive was directed at the then-Republican president.
And while there are plenty of other similar examples, the issue returned to the fore late last week when President Joe Biden delivered a pair of speeches in France in recognition of the anniversary of D-Day. The incumbent Democrat did not utter his predecessorâs name, but Biden did celebrate democracy and U.S. alliances, while condemning tyranny, authoritarianism and isolationism.
But given what the Democrat actually said and the principles he touted, some on the right are saying more than they intended with their complaints and condemnations of Bidenâs inoffensive, patriotic rhetoric.
Actually I love the idea that the Fat Felonâs screeching rants are all on a prompter.
I can see him trying to direct the people scrolling through the litany of lies and douchebag diatribes:
âHey! Hey! Did we skip over the part where I call Joe Biden a murderer? Wait. There it isâŠno, no..thatâs where I say Judge Merchanâs daughter is a hooker working out of Hillary Clintonâs kiddie porn studio. WaitâŠback upâŠthatâs my favorite slur.
OkayâŠnow can we skip over to the part where I talk about public hangings? Hold onâŠwhatâs that word? âPubic hangmeesâ did I say that? You transcribed my last speech verbatim? Shit. I sound like Clarence Thomas!â
Cut! Cut! Cut that part out! It makes Trump look bad!
Editors at Fox earn their money finagling Trumpâs own words to keep him out of trouble.
So here he is, fucking up yet another softball interview where all he has to do is follow the interviewer, whose sole purpose in life is to make him look good, and not step on any rakes.
But, as usual, TrumpBrain is a rake-rich environment.
Hereâs how it goes. The idea here is to make Fatty look like a true believer in transparency and truth, heroically getting to the bottom of things.
SoâŠ
Faux interviewer: Would you disclose information on 9-11?
Fatty: Sure.
Faux interviewer: Information on the JFK assassination?
Fatty: Yes!
Faux interviewer: Jeffrey Epstein?
Fatty: UmâŠ.yeah/
Hard edit. Cut, cut, cut. Right there where he says âyeahâ
BecauseâŠ.
Right after that, he immediately starts to backpedal. Furiously.
Jeffrey Epstein? What? UmâŠwell, I dunno. Jesus. Epstein [holy shit!] I mean people could get hurtâŠblah, blah, blahâŠthe way he diedâŠthe babes IâŠI mean those poor young girlsâŠ
All he had to do was say âAbsolutely!â then, of course, not do it. But as soon as the name âJeffrey Epsteinâ worked its way down to the hippocampus, a red warning light started flashing in that lizard brain saying âDanger, danger, Will Robinson! Run away!â Because Trump was buddy-buddy with Epstein. Does anyone doubt he had sex with underage girls?
And Fox? Producers saw this panic attack followed by Trumpâs ba-dee, ba-dee, ba-dee word salad and decided to save the day. The edited version hit the air. The uncut version played online. Oops!
Them rakes is everywhere!
Rollingstone
"Justice Samuel Alito spoke candidly about the ideological battle between the left and the right â discussing the difficulty of living âpeacefullyâ with ideological opponents in the face of âfundamentalâ differences that âcanât be compromised.â He endorsed what his interlocutor described as a necessary fight to âreturn our country to a place of godliness.â And Alito offered a blunt assessment of how Americaâs polarization will ultimately be resolved: âOne side or the other is going to win.â
The justiceâs unguarded comments highlight the degree to which Alito makes little effort to present himself as a neutral umpire calling judicial balls and strikes, but rather as a partisan member of a hard-right judicial faction thatâs empowered to make life-altering decisions for every American."
Audio of the Alito conversation.
Politico
"The capital of one of the worldâs most stable democracies is gripped by growing panic about foreign agents working in elected office. A bombshell report by Canadian lawmakers has unnerved Parliament Hill, alleging that unnamed politicians have been covertly working with foreign governments.
The new report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is the first to suggest that lawmakers in Canadaâs parliament may have helped foreign actors meddle in political campaigns and leadership races.
The all-party NSICOP said Monday that it has reviewed intelligence that suggests âsemi-witting or wittingâ parliamentarians have worked with foreign missions to mobilize voters during a political campaign; have taken cash âknowingly or through willful blindnessâ from foreign missions or their proxies; and have shared privileged information with foreign diplomatic officials.
Its report said China remains the largest foreign interference threat to Canada with India the second.
The intelligence included a claim that unnamed parliamentarians are taking direction from unnamed diplomats to âimproperly influenceâ their colleagues or parliamentary business to the benefit of a foreign state."