The Commentariat -- January 14, 2020

Kathryn Watson of CBS News: "Tuesday marks the final Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses, as candidates look to shore up their ground game and their televised case for the nomination." The story has info on how to watch. The debate begins at 9 pm ET. Mrs. McC: CNN is a co-sponsor, and the network is so excited about it, there is not currently (@7:45 pm ET Monday) one mention of it on their main Webpage. This is actually one debate I will watch as I have to vote next month, and I'm torn.

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Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Stefan Becket & Olivia Gazis of CBS News: "House Democrats released a trove of documents from an indicted businessman [Lev Parnas] who helped Rudy Giuliani in his campaign to pressure Ukraine, including previously undisclosed handwritten notes and a letter Giuliani addressed to the Ukrainian president-elect requesting a meeting shortly before his inauguration.... Chairman Adam Schiff sent the material to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler on two flash drives, writing in a letter that the Intelligence Committee 'continues to receive and review potentially relevant evidence" in its investigation into President Trump's dealings with Ukraine.'"

Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast: "In a long-simmering rift between factions of the Murdoch family over climate change, Rupert's younger son, James, and his activist wife, Kathryn, are attacking the climate denialism promoted by News Corporation, the global media group, and also by the Fox News Channel overseen by James' older brother, Lachlan. 'Kathryn and James' views on climate are well established and their frustration with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage of the topic is also well known,' a spokesperson for the couple exclusively told The Daily Beast as wildfires rage in Australia. 'They are particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary.'"

Ivana Kottasová, et al., of CNN: "Several people have been arrested in Iran over the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that those responsible would be punished. Gholamhossein Esmaili, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary, was quoted by the semi-official FARS news agency Tuesday as saying that an investigation into the crash had started and several arrests had been made. He did not provide details on how many people had been arrested or what their roles in the incident may have been."

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The House will vote on Wednesday to send the Senate impeachment charges against President Trump, allowing a long-awaited trial to begin, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats privately Tuesday, according to officials in the room.... In a closed-door gathering with Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday morning, Ms. Pelosi detailed her plan to move on Wednesday to appoint the team of lawmakers who will prosecute the case against Mr. Trump, known as the House managers in his impeachment trial. The officials who described her private remarks spoke on condition of anonymity. Unless things change, her timetable means that the House managers would ceremonially walk the articles of impeachment from the House chamber to the Senate well later in the day Wednesday, formally presenting them and prompting a trial to commence. The speaker said she was not yet ready to share the names of the lawmakers she would select as managers...." ~~~

      ~~~ Cristina Marcos, et al., of the Hill: "But the resolution slated to hit the House floor on Wednesday is expected to name the impeachment managers."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "As many as 10 Republican senators are considering bucking President Trump on a resolution that would limit his ability to take military action against Iran. The increasing number is the latest sign of growing GOP frustration over the Trump administration's justification for the drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is circulating a bipartisan resolution that would direct Trump to remove U.S. forces from any hostilities against Iran within 30 days of its enactment.... It needs only a simple majority to pass."

Jeanne points to this post by Driftglass on Rick Wilson's analysis (and book!) on when the GOP went wrong (spoiler: 2010). Mrs. McC: What I didn't know about Wilson is that he made those despicable ads about Max Cleland & Jeremiah Wright. The Cleland ad, in particular, is unforgivable.

David Lynch of the Washington Post: "On Wednesday, Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He are scheduled to sign a partial trade deal, calling a truce in a conflict that has shaken the global economy. Yet ... many of the trade war's casualties have been left on the battlefield. Even as the White House celebrates the president's negotiating accomplishment, the 'phase one' deal offers little relief for countless American businesses -- including chemical makers, apparel retailers and auto parts manufacturers -- that will still face the same punishing tariffs they have confronted for some time." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Lynch writes, "Wednesday's White House ceremony will mark a political triumph for the president as he prepares for a reelection fight." Really? That's only if the media make it out to be a "triumph." From what little I've read about the deal, it's about as impressive as Infrastructure Week. Let's hope the nightly news leads with shots of Pelosi's walking the Articles of Impeachment across the hall to Mitch -- or with whatever new catastrophe Trump launches tomorrow.

Eric Geller of Politico: "Apple on Tuesday rejected the Justice Department's claim that it has refused to help investigators unlock two iPhones that belonged to the shooter in the Pensacola, Fla., naval base attack. The iPhone maker said that Attorney General William Barr was wrong to claim Monday that the company 'has not given us any substantive assistance' in accessing phones associated with the December shooting. 'We reject the characterization that Apple has not provided substantive assistance in the Pensacola investigation,' Apple said in a statement to Politico. 'Our responses to their many requests since the attack have been timely, thorough and are ongoing.'"

Mrs. McCrabbie: Here is, what?, the 20th article I've seen and not linked about how regrettable it is that presidential candidates of color keep dropping out of the race and/or there will be no candidates of color on tonight's debate stage. Yeah, that is regrettable, but it is black voters who have flocked to Joe Biden and are keeping him on top of the heap. He's their choice, fine, but let's not complain about "the lack of diversity" among the top candidates when the largest group of "diversity" voters is voting for an old white guy.

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Assassination "Justification" of the Day. Today. Zachary Cohen of CNN: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr said Monday that killing Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was part of a larger strategy of deterrence, a shift from the Trump administration's previous rationale that the strike was carried out to prevent an 'imminent' attack. Barr's comments were particularly noteworthy as he attempted to push back on criticism over the administration's claim that Soleimani was planning attacks that posed an imminent threat, calling the concept 'something of a red herring.'... 'I think when you're dealing with a situation where you already have attacks underway, you know there is a campaign that involves repeated attacks on American targets, I don't think there's a requirement frankly for, you know, knowing the exact time and place of the next attack. And that certainly was the position of the Obama when it droned leaders of terrorist organizations,' Barr [said]. Pompeo, who has leaned heavily on the assertion that intelligence showed an imminent threat..., [said] Monday during a speech at the Stanford's Hoover Institute '... There's a bigger strategy to this.... President Trump and those of us in his national security team are re-establishing deterrence -- real deterrence ‒ against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

~~~ Yesterday. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump on Monday said it didn't matter if Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani posed an imminent threat to the United States because of his 'horrible past.' Trump also asserted that his national security team agreed on the imminent threat posed by Soleimani that led to the decision to kill him. He made this assertion despite remarks from Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday that undercut Trump's claim that the Iranian general was planning to target four American embassies before a U.S. drone strike killed him in Baghdad on Jan. 3.... 'The Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners are working hard to determine whether or not the future attack by terrorist Soleimani was "eminent" or not, & was my team in agreement,' Trump tweeted morning." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So this is an update to a discussion in yesterday's Comments on whether or not anyone had used "eminent" to mean "imminent" in discussing the fake reason for assassinating Soleimani. Thanks for this contribution, Donnie! On a more serious note, it "matters" because assassinating a foreign state leader -- in a third country, no less -- is certainly provocation for war, and Congress can declare war. In such situations, Congressional leaders, at the least, must be advised, consulted or asked for their permission to act. According to NBC News (story linked yesterday), this assassination plan had been an option since June; there's no excuse for not consulting the Gang of 8. Refusing to notify them -- and then lying about why the leaders were not notified-- is just one more example of Trump's false notion that Article II of the Constitution says, "I can do whatever I want as president*." (Paraphrase. WashPo link.) And it's a big "screw you" to Congress. ~~~

     ~~~ MEANWHILE. I think it's been totally consistent. -- Donald Trump, speaking about the administration's various stated rationales for killing Soleimani to reporters, Monday ~~~

~~~ Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post demonstrate how Trump, over a few days, blew up his lie about an "eminent attack" on the U.S.'s Baghdad embassy. It's also interesting to see how Pompeo has helped Trump along with his own string of lies. ~~~

~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "In the 10 days since it carried out the drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the Trump administration has been struggling to draft an after-the-fact narrative to justify it. On Monday, President Trump put an end to that hash of explanations. 'It doesn't really matter,' he tweeted, 'because of his horrible past.' Until that message on Twitter, the administration had insisted in various ways that General Suleimani, Iran's most important military official, was planning myriad 'imminent' attacks. The unraveling of the explanations accelerated over the weekend after Mr. Trump said four embassies were under immediate threat, a charge that his own administration could not back.... The administration's explanations for the strike have been shifting from day to day...."

Dylan Stableford of Yahoo! News: "In a series of tweets and retweets riddled with typos and offensive images, President Trump lashed out Monday morning against criticism over the way he and his administration have handled the killing of a top Iranian general. Trump' message conflated doubts raised about the process that led to the controversial airstrike on Gen. Qassem Soleimani with 'trying to make terrorist Soleimani into a wonderful guy.'... One of the retweets by the president included a Photoshopped image of [Nancy] Pelosi and ... Chuck Schumer wearing hijabs. Another included the photo of a bloody dead body, presumably in Iran, hanging over barbed wire. 'Question: Who in America supports this mullahs' crime?' the tweet read. 'Answer: Nancy Pelosi.'" Thanks to safari for the lead. See also his commentary in yesterday's thread. Mrs. McC: Yo, mikey. Twentyfifth Amendment. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "After President Trump retweeted a doctored image of Democratic leaders dressed in Islamic garb, the White House offered a curious justification: Trump retweeted that image to send the message that Democrats are on the side of terrorists. This was apparently intended as a defense. Which would appear to mean the White House's official message is now that depictions of Democrats in Muslim garb denote Democratic support for terrorists.... In response to the ensuing blowback, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham defended Trump's actions on Fox News.... 'I think the president is making clear that the Democrats have been parroting Iranian talking points and almost taking the side of terrorists and those who were out to kill the Americans,' Grisham said.... Nowhere in the interview did Grisham send a broader message to Muslims that Trump didn't intend to equate Muslim garb with terrorism. If anything, she actively reinforced that equating of the two."

AFP: "Victims of an Iran-downed jetliner would still be alive were it not for a recent escalation of tensions partly triggered by the US, Justin Trudeau has said. 'I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families,' the Canadian prime minister said in an interview with Global television."

Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Protesters and riot police faced off in at least two cities in Iran on Monday, a third day of angry demonstrations at the country's leaders after the government acknowledged having shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing 176 people.... Videos from inside Iran shared on social media on Monday showed university students in Isfahan and the capital, Tehran, chanting against the country's clerical rulers while riot police deployed nearby. The extent of the protests and the amount of violence used to try to stop them were hard to assess because of tight restrictions on social media and the news media inside the country. Videos from previous days have shown protesters carrying off bleeding comrades while gunshots echoed in the background." (Also linked yesterday.)

** 2016 Hacking Redux. Nicole Perlroth & Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times: "With President Trump facing an impeachment trial over his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, Russian military hackers have been boring into the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the affair, according to security experts. The hacking attempts against Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company on whose board Hunter Biden served, began in early November, as talk of the Bidens, Ukraine and impeachment was dominating the news in the United States.... Experts say the timing and scale of the attacks suggest that the Russians could be searching for potentially embarrassing material on the Bidens -- the same kind of information that Mr. Trump wanted from Ukraine when he pressed for an investigation of the Bidens and Burisma, setting off a chain of events that led to his impeachment. The Russian tactics are strikingly similar to what American intelligence agencies say was Russia's hacking of emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman and the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 presidential campaign." NBC News has a summary report here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is no coincidence. I suspect there's a you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours arrangement -- probably explicitly agreed-upon -- between Trump & Putin. Trump's mysterious affinity for Putin may not be all about Kompromat Putin has on Trump, but a manifestation of their agreement to assist each other's political goals.

CBS News: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is telling his Republican conference he expects the impeachment trial for President Trump to begin on Tuesday, January 21, and last potentially three to five weeks, two GOP senators told CBS News. The House is expected to send over the articles on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.... There aren't enough votes for an outright dismissal of the articles of impeachment, as Mr. Trump had hoped. The trial will run six days a week, including Saturdays, but not Sundays, sources said. McConnell wants to make this 'uncomfortable' for senators, a source added."

Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "The White House is urging Senate Republicans to preserve the option of moving to swiftly dismiss the charges against ... Donald Trump after opening arguments in his impeachment trial, as GOP leaders and Trump's team look for a quick end to the proceedings, according to sources familiar with the discussions.... Once the trial has begun, the Senate can vote on the merits of the articles of impeachment and choose to acquit Trump, something that can be done with only 34 votes because the Constitution requires 67 votes to convict the President and remove him from office. GOP proponents of this move argue Trump would have a stronger argument to say he was exonerated on the merits of the case...." ~~~

~~~ BUT. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters on Monday that the Senate Republican caucus doesn't have the votes to dismiss the articles of impeachment against President Trump, who endorsed an 'outright dismissal' over the weekend. 'I think our members generally are not interested in a motion to dismiss.... Certainly there aren't 51 votes for a motion to dismiss,' Blunt, the No. 4 Senate Republican, told reporters after a closed-door leadership meeting." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Seung Min Kim, et al., of the Washington Post: "Top Senate Republicans on Monday rejected President Trump's call for outright dismissal of the impeachment charges against him, but continued to grapple with the shape of the Senate trial that could begin as soon as this week." ~~~

~~~ Don't Get Your Hopes Up, But.... Ben Tracy & Kathryn Watson of CBS News: "The White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial.... Senior White House officials tell CBS News they increasingly believe that at least four Republicans, and likely more, will vote to call witnesses. In addition to Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, strong> Mitt Romney of Utah and possibly Cory Gardner of Colorado, the White House also views Rand Paul of Kentucky as a 'wild card' and Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee as an 'institutionalist' who might vote to call witnesses, as one official put it." ~~~

     ~~~ Steve M. "... I'm skeptical[.]... When I read this, my first thought was that this group of Republicans would make a great show of wanting witnesses, but they'd find fault with Democrats' list of proposed witnesses and never agree on any motion that can get 51 votes. However, I see that (according to a Hill story from last Friday) Democrats are 'planning to offer multiple motions on specific witnesses, instead of one motion that covered their request writ large.' So this group of Republicans will have to find another way to dodge testimony from the witnesses the Democrats want, while still getting Brownie points for centrism (particularly Collins and Gardner, who are in tough reelection fights in bluish states)." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: And, as Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) told Chris Hayes, there's a big difference between senators telling reporters they "would like to hear from witnesses" and actually stepping up & voting -- against Trump -- to hear witnesses.

Cornyn Fears Catching Jordan, Gaetz Cooties. Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "With Speaker Nancy Pelosi poised transmit articles of impeachment against ... Donald Trump to the United States Senate, all eyes are on who each side will choose as impeachment managers for the Senate trial. Trump allies have considered selecting impeachment managers from among the combative members of the House Republican caucus who interrupted impeachment proceedings during the inquiry phase: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC). But Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the former Republican Whip, urged against such a move, as reported by CNN congressional reporter Manu Raju. 'My advice to [Trump] would be: Let's not infect the Senate trial with the circus-like atmosphere of the House,' Cornyn counseled. 'And I think there would be an increased risk of doing that if you start inviting House members to come over to the Senate and try the case,' he explained."

Jeremy Diamond & Pamela Brown of CNN: "... Rudy Giuliani, whose dealings with Ukraine are a key facet of the impeachment case, has been lobbying the President to join his legal team on the Senate floor during his upcoming trial. Giuliani has pressed Trump to make him part of the team of lawyers who will argue the case against his removal from office on the Senate floor, a White House official and two sources close to the President told CNN. Giuliani has argued that he knows the case against the President inside-out. The White House declined to comment." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: As a matter of course when reading the "news headlines," Anderson Cooper described Rudy as "Trump's teevee lawyer and alleged bagman."

Kara Scannell of CNN: "An attorney for Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, has turned over photos, dozens of text messages and thousands of pages of documents to House impeachment investigators in an effort to win his client an audience with lawmakers. Joseph A. Bondy, Parnas' New York attorney, traveled to Washington, DC, over the weekend to hand-deliver the contents of an iPhone 11 to Democratic staff on the House Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, according to a series of Bondy's tweets."

Brandi Buchman of Courthouse News: "An informal adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign who testified in the Mueller probe pleaded guilty Monday to charges of child sex trafficking and possessing child pornography. George Nader, 60, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia's Eastern District.... Nader was first charged in June 2019 with transporting and possessing pornographic images of children including some featuring toddler-age boys, baby goats and other farm animals. A month later in July, prosecutors added a sex-trafficking charge<, saying Nader had arranged the transport to his Washington home of a 14-year-old boy from the Czech Republic in February 2000. Nader allegedly held onto the child's passport after flying him through Dulles International Airport. Once at his residence, he assaulted him nightly and kept the child silent by threatening him and his mother with imprisonment should they ever attempt to report him, according to the indictment." The story reprises Nader's role in the Trump campaign, transition & early administration. The Washington Post report is here.

Joe Palazzolo & Michael Rothfeld of TPM have "an in-depth look at the events leading up to the FBI's pre-dawn raid on Michael Cohen's hotel, office and apartment in spring 2018." --s

Trump's Most Shameless Lie Yet. Aaron Rupar of Vox: "Trump -- who in 2017 pushed health care legislation [link fixed] that would've resulted in 23 million Americans losing coverage, and whose administration is currently fighting in federal court to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its protections for people with preexisting conditions -- nonetheless claimed in a tweet attacking Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg on Monday that 'I was the person who saved Pre-Existing Conditions in your Healthcare, you have it now.' Alluding to the aforementioned lawsuit, Trump went on to write that 'if Republicans win in court and take back the House of Represenatives [sic], your healthcare, that I have now brought to the best place in many years, will become the best ever, by far. I will always protect your Pre-Existing Conditions, the Dems will not!'" Rupar allows that "The possibility Trump knows so little about health care policy that he actually believes he saved protections for preexisting conditions can't be ruled out." Mrs. McC: Ignorance of his own actions is no excuse; this is a horrible lie Trump is trying to kill Americans, and those Americans he plans to kill come in every color & political persuasion. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Chait examines why Trump has to lie about pre-existing conditions: "The [Republican] party's formal legislative and legal stance remains wedded to overturning protections for people with preexisting conditions." Mrs. McC: The tacit deal Trump made with the GOP "establishment" is that he would follow their policies, no matter how little he cared about them or how blatantly he had to lie about them. So this is just another lie in the what's-good-for-me vein. Trump doesn't give a rat's ass whether or not you can afford good health insurance; he might even prefer you had adequate coverage. But he needs support from both the GOP & ordinary voters, so a bald-faced lie is in order here. No problem.

I Can Do Whatever I Want, Ctd. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "President Trump is preparing to divert an additional $7.2 billion in Pentagon funding for border wall construction this year, five times what Congress authorized him to spend on the project in the 2020 budget, according to internal planning figures obtained by The Washington Post. The Pentagon funds would be extracted, for the second year in a row, from military construction projects and counternarcotics funding.... A federal-district court in El Paso ruled last month that the White House broke the law when it commandeered funds for the border wall that had been authorized by Congress for another purpose. The court froze $3.6 billion the administration budgeted for new barriers. But ... last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, lifted the injunction, saying work could proceed while legal challenges to the government are pending. The president and his administration viewed that ruling as additional encouragement to take the money again this year, according to administration officials familiar with the plans."

Thomas Franck of CNBC: "The United States removed China from a list of countries considered currency manipulators just two days before top trade negotiators for Washington and Beijing sign a key 'phase one' trade deal, the Treasury Department announced Monday. The decision to strike China from the currency manipulator list comes more than five months after the Treasury Department formally made the designation.... Donald Trump and China Vice Premier Liu He are scheduled to sign a preliminary trade agreement in Washington on Wednesday. China is now on a 'monitoring list' for currency practices along with nine other countries, including Germany, Italy and Japan.... 'China is a currency manipulator -- that is a fact,' [Sen. Chuck] Schumer said in a statement. 'Unfortunately, President Trump would rather cave to President Xi than stay tough on China. When it comes to the president's stance on China, Americans are getting a lot of show and very little results.'"

Katie Benner of the New York Times: "Attorney General William P. Barr declared on Monday that a deadly shooting last month at a naval air station in Pensacola, Fla., was an act of terrorism, and he asked Apple in an unusually high-profile request to provide access to two phones used by the gunman. Mr. Barr's appeal was an escalation of an ongoing fight between the Justice Department and Apple pitting personal privacy against public safety.... The technology has frustrated law enforcement officials, who accuse Apple of providing a safe haven for criminals."

Adam Federman of the Guardian: "A group of US environmental activists engaged in non-violent civil disobedience targeting the oil industry have been listed in internal Department of Homeland Security documents as 'extremists' and some of its members listed alongside white nationalists and mass killers, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.... The document ... listed two of the group's members alongside violent white supremacists and other extremists who have engaged in mass killings, including the man [Dylann Roof] behind the racist 2015 slaying of 9 black church-goers in Charleston, South Carolina." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Declan Walsh of the New York Times: "An American imprisoned in Egypt for six years on what he insisted were false charges, and whose case had been championed by Vice President Mike Pence, died on Monday after a long hunger strike, the State Department said. Moustafa Kassem, 54, a dual Egyptian-American citizen from New York, was arrested in central Cairo in August 2013 during a bloody crackdown following the military takeover that brought to power Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, then an army general and now the president of Egypt. Mr. Kassem insisted he had no links to opposition politics and had been wrongfully detained by Egyptian soldiers who snatched his American passport and stomped it on the ground. After years in dire conditions at a high-security prison, where he said his diabetes and a heart ailment went largely untreated, he was sentenced to 15 years in September 2018.... Mr. Trump has regularly lavished praise on Mr. el-Sisi, hailing him for doing a 'fantastic job' and calling him 'my favorite dictator,' even as the Egyptian leader has overseen Egypt's harshest crackdown on freedom of speech and political opposition in decades." An NPR story is here.

Presidential Race

M.J. Lee of CNN: Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Sanders met for a one-on-one in her Washington apartment in December 2018 and agreed to a non-aggression pact for the presidential campaign. Then Sanders told her he did not believe a woman could win the presidency. "The description of that meeting is based on the accounts of four people: two people Warren spoke with directly soon after the encounter, and two people familiar with the meeting. Sanders denied the characterization of the meeting in a statement to CNN. '... Do I believe a woman can win in 2020? Of course! After all, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in 2016.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Astead Herndon & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said on Monday night that Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont told her in 2018 he did not think a woman could win the presidency.

Ali Vitali, et al., of NBC News: "Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., announced Monday he is dropping out of the Democratic presidential race." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. Steve Neavling of the Detroit Metro Times: "An anti-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer group on Facebook devolved into a vile platform that promoted violence against Democrats and Muslims and churned out degrading comments about women. But on Friday afternoon, the group's creator deactivated the page in response to questions from Metro Times.... Metro Times identified dozens of recent posts promoting or threatening violence, primarily against Whitmer, U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Elissa Slotkin, American Muslims, and Dearborn. Hundreds of comments were posted each day, and many included vulgar insults against women, Muslims, Democrats, and LGTBQ+ communities.... Tlaib, who is a Muslim American from Detroit, was a common target of the vitriol. 'She needs a bullet between her eyes,' Spencer Hayward wrote. Carl Wilhelm Sr. posted, 'How many teeth you figure you could knock out with one swipe with a baseball bat.' Mike Nixon suggested, 'set that bitch on fire.'... The creator of the page, Charlie Gillett ... had done little, if anything, to stop the threats and posts promoting violence, and blamed the anger on Democrats." Warning: pretty shocking content. --s

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "An Ozaukee County judge found the state Elections Commission and three of its members in contempt of court Monday, saying they had flouted his December order to remove thousands of people from Wisconsin's voter rolls. 'I can't be any clearer than this,' Judge Paul Malloy said. 'They need to follow my order.' Hours later, the state Supreme Court ruled it would not get involved in the case for now, leaving it to a Madison-based appeals court to handle. That decision gave liberals hope they could stop the voter purge. Malloy ruled the commission must pay $50 a day until it starts taking people off the rolls. In addition, he fined the three Democrats on the commission who have fought taking people off the rolls -- Ann Jacobs, Julie Glancey and Mark Thomsen -- $250 a day each."

Way Beyond

Libya. AFP: "Libya's eastern strongman Gen Khalifa Haftar has left Moscow without signing a ceasefire agreement to end nine months of fighting in the country, leaving the future of a fragile truce uncertain.... The commander's abrupt departure in the early hours of Tuesday was a setback for an international diplomatic push in recent days, though Moscow insisted it would continue mediation efforts. Haftar and his allies were in Moscow on Monday for talks with the UN-recognised government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj and based in Tripoli.... The two sides agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that took effect at the weekend and were in Moscow to sign a long-term agreement." --s

U.K. Tim Shipman of the [U.K.] Times: "Britain must prepare to fight wars without America, the defencesecretary has warned, amid concerns that President Donald Trump will pursue an ever more isolationist foreign policy. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ben Wallace admitted that the prospect of America withdrawing from the world 'keeps me awake at night'. He said the government needed to rethink military assumptions, in place since 2010, that the UK would always be fighting alongside the Americans -- and should use the upcoming defence review to buy new kit to ensure that the armed forces do not have to rely on US air cover and spy planes in future conflicts." [article firewalled] --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Karla Adam & William Booth of the Washington Post: "Queen Elizabeth II announced Monday that she and her royal family were' entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life' and that she had agreed to a 'period of transition' during which her grandson and his wife would split their time between Canada and Britain. In a statement, the queen wrote, 'Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.' The queen acknowledged that Harry and Meghan 'made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives,' but she did not describe their new duties or ventures. She cautioned there is more work to be done on the 'complex matters for the family to decide' and said she expects final decisions to be made in the coming days.' The announcement from the 93-year-old sovereign and leader of the House of Windsor followed a meeting at her Sandringham estate attended by princes Harry, William and Charles. It is believed that Meghan, who is in Canada, participated by phone." Here's an AP story. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ The Guardian of course liveblogged developments & reactions. (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

NBC News: "A Delta flight injured more than 50 people after dumping fuel on a Los Angeles schoolyard and school buildings when it declared an emergency shortly after departing for China from the Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday. At least 20 children were were treated for minor injuries after being exposed to the jet fuel, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The department said it had a total of 44 patients from four schools...."

The Commentariat -- January 13, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Dylan Stableford of Yahoo! News: "In a series of tweets and retweets riddled with typos and offensive images, President Trump lashed out Monday morning against criticism over the way he and his administration have handled the killing of a top Iranian general. Trump's message conflated doubts raised about the process that led to the controversial airstrike on Gen. Qassem Soleimani with 'trying to make terrorist Soleimani into a wonderful guy.'... One of the retweets by the president included& a Photoshopped image of [Nancy] Pelosi and ... Chuck Schumer wearing hijabs. Another included the photo of a bloody dead body, presumably in Iran, hanging over barbed wire. 'Question: Who in America supports this mullahs' crime?' the tweet read. 'Answer: Nancy Pelosi.'" Thanks to safari for the lead. See also his commentary below. Mrs. McC: Yo, mikey. Twentyfifth Amendment.

Trump's Most Shameless Lie Yet. Aaron Rupar of Vox: "Trump -- who in 2017 pushed health care legislation [link fixed] that would've resulted in 23 million Americans losing coverage, and whose administration is currently fighting in federal court to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its protections for people with preexisting conditions -- nonetheless claimed in a tweet attacking Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg on Monday that 'I was the person who saved Pre-Existing Conditions in your Healthcare, you have it now.' Alluding to the aforementioned lawsuit, Trump went on to write that 'if Republicans win in court and take back the House of Represenatives [sic], your healthcare, that I have now brought to the best place in many years, will become the best ever, by far. I will always protect your Pre-Existing Conditions, the Dems will not!'" Rupar allows that "The possibility Trump knows so little about health care policy that he actually believes he saved protections for preexisting conditions can't be ruled out." Mrs. McC: Ignorance of his own actions is no excuse; this is a horrible lie. Trump is trying to kill Americans, and those Americans he plans to kill come in every color & political persuasion.

Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Protesters and riot police faced off in at least two cities in Iran on Monday, a third day of angry demonstrations at the country's leaders after the government acknowledged having shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing 176 people.... Videos from inside Iran shared on social media on Monday showed university students in Isfahan and the capital, Tehran, chanting against the country's clerical rulers while riot police deployed nearby. The extent of the protests and the amount of violence used to try to stop them were hard to assess because of tight restrictions on social media and the news media inside the country. Videos from previous have shown protesters carrying off bleeding comrades while gunshots echoed in the background."

Karla Adam & William Booth of the Washington Post: "Queen Elizabeth II announced Monday that she and her royal family were 'entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life' and that she had agreed to a 'period of transition' during which her grandson and his wife would split their time between Canada and Britain. In a statement, the queen wrote, 'Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.' The queen acknowledged that Harry and Meghan 'made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives,' but she did not describe their new duties or ventures. She cautioned there is more work to be done on the 'complex matters for the family to decide' and said she expects final decisions to be made in the coming days.' The announcement from the 93-year-old sovereign ... followed a meeting at her Sandringham estate attended by princes Harry, William and Charles. It is believed that Meghan, who is in Canada, participated by phone." Here's an AP story. ~~~

~~~ The Guardian of course is liveblogging developments & reactions.

Ali Vitali, et al., of NBC News: "Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., announced Monday he is dropping out of the Democratic presidential race."

Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump on Monday said it didn't matter if Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani posed an imminent threat to the United States because of his 'horrible past.' Trump also asserted that his national security team agreed on the imminent threat posed by Soleimani that led to the decision to kill him. He made this assertion despite remarks from Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday that undercut Trump's claim that the Iranian general was planning to target four American embassies before a U.S. drone strike killed him in Baghdad on Jan. 3.... 'The Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners are working hard to determine whether or not the future attack by terrorist Soleimani was "eminent" or not, & was my team in agreement,' Trump tweeted Monday morning." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So this is an update to a discussion in today's Comments on whether or not anyone had used "eminent" to mean "imminent" in discussing the fake reason for assassinating Soleimani. Thanks for this contribution, Donnie! On a more serious note, it "matters" because assassinating a foreign state leader -- in a third country, no less -- is certainly provocation for war, and only Congress can declare war. In such situations, Congressional leaders, at the least, must be consulted or advised of the Pentagon's plans. According to NBC News (story linked below), this plan had been an option since June; there's no excuse for consulting the Gang of 8. Refusing to notify them -- and then lying about why the leaders were not notified-- is just one more example of Trump's false notion that Article II of the Constitution says, "I can do whatever I want as president*." (Paraphrase. WashPo link.) And it's a big "screw you" to Congress.

Tim Shipman of the [U.K.] Times: "Britain must prepare to fight wars without America, the defence secretary has warned, amid concerns that President Donald Trump will pursue an ever more isolationist foreign policy. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ben Wallace admitted that the prospect of America withdrawing from the world 'keeps me awake at night'. He said the government needed to rethink military assumptions, in place since 2010, that the UK would always be fighting alongside the Americans -- and should use the upcoming defence review to buy new kit to ensure that the armed forces do not have to rely on US air cover and spy planes in future conflicts." [article firewalled] --s

Adam Federman of the Guardian: "A group of US environmental activists engaged in non-violent civil disobedience targeting the oil industry have been listed in internal Department of Homeland Security documents as 'extremists' and some of its members listed alongside white nationalists and mass killers, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.... The document ... listed two of the group's members alongside violent white supremacists and other extremists who have engaged in mass killings, including the man [Dylann Roof] behind the racist 2015 slaying of 9 black church-goers in Charleston, South Carolina." --s

~~~~~~~~~~

First snow of the year! ❄️ pic.twitter.com/kgSLQX6QxK

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 13, 2020

~~~ Extreme Climate Change Denial. That's an actual White House tweet sent out last night. Matt Stieb of New York: "D.C. on Sunday hit a high of 69 degrees, and bottomed out at 49 degrees." No, it was not a snowy eve in Washington, D.C.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said on Sunday that he never saw any specific piece of evidence that Iran was planning an attack on four American embassies, as President Trump had claimed last week as a justification for the strike on an Iranian general that sent the United States and Iran to the brink of war. 'I didn't see one with regard to four embassies,' Mr. Esper said on CBS's 'Face the Nation.' But he added: 'I share the president's view that probably -- my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies....' The muddled message on Sunday by Mr. Esper and other administration officials only added to the public debate regarding the Jan. 3 strike that killed Iran's most important general, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani and whether there was appropriate justification for the killing. The administration has offered shifting justifications for the strike.... Appearing on 'Fox News Sunday,' Robert O'Brien, the national security adviser, had also played down Mr. Trump's claim of specific, imminent threats to four American embassies in the region. 'Look, it's always difficult, even with the exquisite intelligence that we have, to know exactly what the targets are,' Mr. O'Brien said. 'We knew there were threats to American facilities, now whether they were bases, embassies -- you know it's always hard until the attack happens." The CBS News story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The Secretary of Defense is confirming on national TV that the POTUS* & Secretary of State lied about the reasons for setting the U.S. on a war footing. Oh, Nancy, could you bring us another Article of Impeachment, please. ~~~

~~~ Daniel Politi of Slate: Some Senators are pissed off that obnoxious Fox "News" host Laura Ingraham got more details about the assassination of Qassem Suleimani than they did in a classified briefing.

Rishika Dugyala of Politico: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that the Trump administration was not 'straight with Congress' about its killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani.... Pelosi on Sunday reiterated Democratic concerns with ... Donald Trump's justification for killing Soleimani the way he did and when he did.... On Sunday, [Sen. Mike] Lee [R-Utah] said the briefing didn't provide much information that wasn't already public. 'When something like this happens, when events are unfolding quickly, events that will have a profound impact on national security and military strategy, Congress does need to know about it, in part so we can evaluate the scope of our authority to act or choose not to act,' Lee said on CNN's 'State of the Union.' 'We didn't get that. And that was disappointing.'"

** Trump Okayed Soleimani Assassination Last June. Carol Lee & Courtney Kube of NBC News: "... Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani seven months ago if Iran's increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials. The presidential directive in June came with the condition that Trump would have final sign-off on any specific operation to kill Soleimani, officials said. That decision explains why assassinating Soleimani was on the menu of options that the military presented to Trump two weeks ago for responding to an attack by Iranian proxies in Iraq...." Read on for details. Mrs. McC: In case you thought Trump honchos, including Trump himself, just might be lying to you -- yeah, big-time.

David Stern & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Within hours of Iran's stunning admission Saturday that its missile mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, Ukraine ... put out photos, taken a day earlier, showing wreckage riddled with small holes, suggesting damage from shrapnel. Well before Iran admitted shooting down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 outside Tehran on Wednesday, Ukraine realized the plane had been destroyed by a missile. But the country's leaders tread a careful diplomatic path.... Soon after the plane went down..., U.S. officials and the leaders of Canada and Britain told the world they believed the plane was likely shot down by Iran. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked them to share their information with him, but held off announcing any of Ukraine's conclusions -- a strategic decision.... [Ukrainian] officials were careful to avoid sharp criticism of Iran during this time to ensure its cooperation in the probe. Zelensky, caught between the United States and Iran after a U.S. drone strike killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani..., had the difficult task of securing the 'cooperation of Western backers and Iran without being drawn into either side's narrative of the Iran-U. S. conflict,' said Katharine Quinn-Judge, a Kyiv-based analyst for International Crisis Group." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's kind of amazing that a year ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was a teevee comic. Right now he looks like about the smartest politician on the world stage. Let's hope he stays honest.

Joseph Krauss & Jon Gambrell of the AP: "Iranian demonstrators defied a heavy police presence Sunday night to protest their country's days of denials that it shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane carrying 176 people, the latest unrest to roil the capital amid soaring tensions with the United States. Videos posted online showed protesters shouting anti-government slogans and moving through subway stations and sidewalks, many around Azadi, or Freedom, Square.... Other videos suggested similar protests were taking place in other Iranian cities. Protesters often wore hoods and covered their faces, probably to avoid being recognized by surveillance cameras. Some online videos purported to show police firing tear gas sporadically, though there was no immediate wholesale crackdown on demonstrators. Meanwhile, in an emotional speech before parliament, the head of the Revolutionary Guard apologized for the shootdown and insisted it was a tragic mistake." The New York Times story is here.

To the leaders of Iran - DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet, Sunday

... the president's claim of supporting reporters abroad directly contradicts his messaging at home, where he has casually and consistently eroded the relationship between the White House and the press. -- Matt Stieb of New York

Kendall Karson of ABC News: "... a majority of Americans said they disapprove of President Trump's handling of the situation with Iran and feel less safe, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.... The poll showed a majority of Independents, 57%, and all U.S. adults, 56%, disapproving of Trump's handling of the situation with Iran, with 43% of both Independents and U.S. adults approving." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

"Impeached for Life." Elise Viebeck & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that President Trump is 'impeached for life' regardless of 'any gamesmanship' by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whom she accused of orchestrating a 'coverup' of Trump's actions as the Senate waits for the House to transmit the articles of impeachment. Challenging McConnell to hold a serious trial that includes testimony from witnesses, Pelosi did not rule out the possibility that the House would subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton if the Senate chooses not to. She repeatedly chastised McConnell for signaling that he is not interested in fully weighing the House's charges." Politico has the story here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "President Trump on Sunday injected fresh instability into final preparations for the Senate's impeachment trial, suggesting that senators should dismiss the House's charges of high crimes and misdemeanors against him outright rather than dignifying them with a full tribunal. That unexpected statement, arriving amid a flurry of tweets, not only appeared to put the president at odds with Republican Senate leaders moving toward a full trial but also contradicted Mr. Trump's own words from just hours earlier, when he argued for a trial that would include as witnesses Democratic House leaders who are prosecuting him. 'Many believe that by the Senate giving credence to a trial based on the no evidence, no crime, read the transcripts, "no pressure" Impeachment Hoax, rather than an outright dismissal, it gives the partisan Democrat Witch Hunt credibility that it otherwise does not have,' Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday afternoon. 'I agree!'"

Susan Hennessey & Benjamin Wittes in a New York Times op-ed: "What is on trial [in the Senate], at the most basic level, is Mr. Trump's vision of the American presidency.... The Ukraine scandal presents a near-perfect distillation of Mr. Trump's conception of his office -- and the House's articles of impeachment will put many of the elements of his vision before the Senate for judgment. Fundamentally, Mr. Trump proposes that the purpose of executive power is to serve the individual interests of the president. It serves the public good only coincidentally and only when convenient."

How the Food-Stamp Work Requirement Really Works. Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: "Four years ago, thousands of poor people ... in ... [nine] counties in West Virginia that were affected by a state policy change found themselves having to prove that they were working or training for at least 20 hours a week in order to keep receiving food stamps consistently. In April, under a rule change by the Trump Administration, people all over the country who are 'able-bodied adults without dependents' will have to do the same.... The most visible impact has been at homeless missions and food pantries, which saw a big spike in demand that has never receded. But the policy change was barely noticeable in the work force...."

Presidential Race

Shane Goldmacher & Sydney Ember of the New York Times: Elizabeth "Warren said on Sunday she was 'disappointed' that [Bernie] Sanders's campaign had been using a script for volunteers that suggested she was appealing mainly to highly educated voters and would not be able to expand the Democratic Party coalition.... In a rare question-and-answer session with reporters after his final event of a weekend Iowa swing, Mr. Sanders -- in response to a question on whether he approved of his campaign's criticism of Ms. Warren -- denied responsibility for the script, saying he himself had never attacked Ms. Warren." Politico's story is here. Mrs. McC: "Disappointed"? Wow. That's what my father used to say about me when I'd screwed up, and it was way more effective than my mother's more traditional ways of punishing me.

Putting a Lot of Money Where His Mouth Is. Jason Lange of Reuters: "U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg told Reuters he is ready to spend much of his vast fortune to oust ... Donald Trump from the White House in 2020, rejecting criticism from rivals for the Democratic nomination that the billionaire is trying to buy the U.S. election." ~~~

~~~ AND Judge Judy is campaigning for Mike Bloomberg. (Link is to a NYT story.)

Blabbermouth Benedict Breaks Vow of Silence. Again. Chico Harlan of the Washington Post: "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has issued an ardent defense of clerical celibacy, breaking his pledged silence on major church affairs just as Pope Francis is considering an exception that would allow some married men to serve as priests. Benedict's remarks, revealed in a new book excerpt published Sunday by the French newspaper Le Figaro, cast light on a once-unthinkable dynamic inside the Roman Catholic Church: A former pope trying to influence his successor in whether the church heeds or breaks with its traditions.... But no matter what Francis decides, Benedict's willingness to speak out risks the kind of inner-church tension that analysts worried about when he abdicated seven years ago. After he stepped down, Benedict -- who lives inside a Vatican monastery -- vowed silence on key issues to give room for Francis. But he has twice broken that vow in less than a year, with the excerpt Sunday and the release in April of a lengthy letter devoted to clerical sexual abuse in which his theories often contradicted Francis's."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Australia. David Crowe of the Sydney Morning Herald: "Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he wants to take further action to tackle climate change and flagged a royal commission into the horror bushfire season but indicated the crisis would not lead to any increase in his government's target to reduce carbon emissions by 2030.... Mr Morrison has come under criticism from political opponents, climate change experts and sometimes global celebrities during the bushfire crisis for not doing enough on climate change, while appearing reluctant to talk about the issue."

The Commentariat -- January 12, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Thomas Gibbons-Neff of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said on Sunday that he never saw any specific piece of evidence that Iran was planning an attack on four American embassies, as President Trump had claimed last week as a justification for the strike on an Iranian general that sent the United States and Iran to the brink of war. 'I didn't see one with regard to four embassies,' Mr. Esper said on CBS's 'Face the Nation.' But he added: 'I share the president's view that probably -- my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies....' The muddled message on Sunday by Mr. Esper and other administration officials only added to the public debate regarding the Jan. 3 strike that killed Iran's most important general, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, and whether there was appropriate justification for the killing. The administration has offered shifting justifications for the strike.... Appearing on 'Fox News Sunday,' Robert O'Brien, the national security adviser, had also played down Mr. Trump's claim of specific, imminent threats to four American embassies in the region. 'Look, it's always difficult, even with the exquisite intelligence that we have, to know exactly what the targets are,' Mr. O'Brien said. 'We knew there were threats to American facilities, now whether they were bases, embassies -- you know it's always hard until the attack happens." The CBS News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is the Secretary of Defense confirming on national TV that the POTUS* & Secretary of State lied about the reasons for setting the U.S. on a war footing. Oh, Nancy, could you bring us another Article of Impeachment, please.

David Stern & Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: "Within hours of Iran's stunning admission Saturday that its missile mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, Ukraine ... put out photos, taken a day earlier, showing wreckage riddled with small holes, suggesting damage from shrapnel. Well before Iran admitted shooting down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 outside Tehran on Wednesday, Ukraine realized the plane had been destroyed by a missile. But the country's leaders tread a careful diplomatic path.... Soon after the plane went down..., U.S. officials and the leaders of Canada and Britain told the world they believed the plane was likely shot down by Iran. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked them to share their information with him, but held off announcing any of Ukraine's conclusions -- a strategic decision.... [Ukrainian] officials were careful to avoid sharp criticism of Iran during this time to ensure its cooperation in the probe. Zelensky, caught between the United States and Iran after a U.S. drone strike killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani..., had the difficult task of securing the 'cooperation of Western backers and Iran without being drawn into either side's narrative of the Iran-U. S. conflict,' said Katharine Quinn-Judge, a Kyiv-based analyst for International Crisis Group." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's kind of amazing that a year ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was a teevee comic. Right now he looks like about the smartest politician on the world stage. Let's hope he stays honest.

Kendall Karson of ABC News: "... a majority of Americans said they disapprove of President Trump's handling of the situation with Iran and feel less safe, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.... The poll showed a majority of Independents, 57%, and all U.S. adults, 56%, disapproving of Trump's handling of the situation with Iran, with 43% of both Independents and U.S. adults approving."

"Impeached for Life." Elise Viebeck & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that President Trump is 'impeached for life' regardless of 'any gamesmanship' by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whom she accused of orchestrating a 'coverup' of Trump's actions as the Senate waits for the House to transmit the articles of impeachment. Challenging McConnell to hold a serious trial that includes testimony from witnesses, Pelosi did not rule out the possibility that the House would subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton if the Senate chooses not to. She repeatedly chastised McConnell for signaling that he is not interested in fully weighing the House's charges." Politico has the story here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Anton Troianovski, et al., of the New York Times: "Iran's stunning admission that its forces errantly downed a Ukrainian jetliner -- reversing three days of denial -- did little to quell growing fury inside the country and beyond on Saturday as the deadly tragedy turned into a volatile political crisis for Tehran's leaders and overshadowed their struggle with the United States. Ukrainian officials criticized Iran's conduct, suggesting that the Iranians would not have admitted responsibility if investigators from Ukraine had not found evidence of a missile strike in the wreckage of the crash, which killed all 176 people aboard. Protests erupted in Tehran and other Iranian cities as dumbfounded citizens found a new reason to mistrust Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, and other officials. Protest videos even showed some shouting 'Khamenei is a murderer!' and anti-riot police tear-gassing violent demonstrators." ~~~

~~~ Marty Johnson of the Hill: "President Trump tweeted a message in support of Iranian protesters in Farsi Saturday, as demonstrators took to the streets to speak out against the government following the country's admission that it inadvertently shot down a Kyiv-bound commercial plane.... 'To the brave and suffering Iranian people: I have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my government will continue to stand with you,' Trump's said. 'We are following your protests closely,' he added. 'Your courage is inspiring.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: It would be extraordinary if Trump bumbled his way into regime change in Iran -- and with a little help from Ukraine. ~~~

~~~ Carla Herreria of the Huffington Post: "Iranian officials arrested and briefly detained Robert Macaire, the British ambassador to Iran, according to the United Kingdom's foreign secretary. Macaire was arrested amid a protest outside of a university in Tehran and detained for more than an hour. He was eventually released, the Iran-based Tasnim News Agency reported. 'The arrest of our Ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law,' British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement Saturday.... The U.S. State Department also denounced the arrest and called on the Iranian regime to formally apologize in its own statement Saturday."

** Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "The operation that took out General [Qassem] Suleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, propelled the United States to the precipice of war with Iran and plunged the world into seven days of roiling uncertainty. The story of those seven days, and the secret planning in the months preceding them, ranks as the most perilous chapter so far in President Trump's three years in office after his decision to launch an audacious strike on Iran, and his attempt through allies and a back channel to keep the ensuing crisis from mushrooming out of control. The president's decision to ratchet up decades of simmering conflict with Iran set off an extraordinary worldwide drama, much of which played out behind the scenes." ~~~

~~~ Paul Waldman & Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "In an interview, Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told us there's 'no doubt' in his mind that the assassination of [Qassem] Soleimani and the effort to target [Abdul Reza] Shahlai ... -- a financier and key commander of Iran's elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen ... -- are part of a wider effort that's mostly being concealed from Congress. 'The more you hear, the more you realize that you've been fed a bunch of untruths,' Engel told us. 'Was Shahlai an imminent threat? I think not.' Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, added that this news badly complicates the rationale offered for the Soleimani killing.... 'If the objective was to weaken the Quds Force irrespective of any intelligence about imminent attacks on Americans, then where does that end?' Malinowski said. 'And is it over?'... Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been invited to testify next week to the Foreign Affairs Committee. But Engel told us that Pompeo has not said whether he'll appear. 'Right now it looks like he's not coming,' Engel told us. 'We haven't heard from him.'"

Ryan Nobles of CNN: "Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has agreed to co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders' legislation that would freeze funding for any military action in Iran without express approval from Congress. Sanders ... introduced the bill shortly after the Trump administration held a classified briefing in which advisers outlined the case for their military strike last week that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Sanders was sharply critical of the briefing, saying afterward that the administration's briefers gave no proof of any imminent attack by Iran against US targets." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate and House Democrats have different strategies over how to limit President Trump's power to take military action against Iran. Senate Democrats are debating among themselves whether to take up a concurrent resolution passed by the House on Thursday limiting Trump's war powers, or to stick with a proposal sponsored by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). As a concurrent resolution, the House measure doesn't require Trump's signature. But it's not clear whether it would actually tie Trump's hands. The Supreme Court may ultimately have to decide if it has the binding force of law. The Senate bill would have the force of law, and it would be significant if approved by the GOP-controlled chamber. But it does require Trump's signature and has almost no chance of becoming law since it would be vetoed...."

Barbie Nadeau of the Daily Beast: "... Donald Trump concocted a blatant lie in a tweet Saturday morning, accusing Democrats of 'defending the life of Qassem Soleimani' who he called 'one of the worst terrorists in history.' There is no evidence that any Democrats have made such a defense. After Trump ally Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) made a similar assertion earlier this week, he apologized soon thereafter.... Earlier in the week, Nikki Haley, Trump's former Ambassador to the United Nations, claimed on Fox News that Democrats were 'mourning' the loss of the Iranian general. When pressed on what she meant, she doubled down."

Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "... President Trump suggested 'Nancy Pelosi will go down as the absolute worst Speaker of the House in U.S. History!' Trump's morning tweet is the third time in 24 hours the president has made this prediction about the California Democrat's legacy, placing the first woman in the role below the 53 ... men to have served as speaker since 1789. 'She is obsessed with impeachment, she has done nothing. She is going to go down as one of the worst Speakers in the history of our country,' Trump said Friday night during an interview with Fox News's Laura Ingraham. 'And she's become a crazed lunatic. But she will go down as -- I think maybe the worst speaker in the history of our country.' But some Twitter users were quick to point out the track record of other past speakers, namely [Dennis] Hastert (R-Ill.), the longest -running Republican speaker..., and an admitted sex offender who molested teenage boys he had coached in high school wrestling. Hastert was convicted of bank fraud in a scheme to buy the silence of his victims.... Several others mentioned former speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who resigned in part due to an extramarital affair he was having with a younger staffer at the same time he was impeaching President Bill Clinton for lying about his affair with an intern. Some nominated recent speakers John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), both of whom left Congress rather than lead the divided Republicans." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Another example of perfect Trumpian projection: Trump himself is rated by historians & political scientists as the worst or one of the worst presidents in U.S. history. And as for who is "obsessed with impeachment," well ...

Thirteen Previous Press Secretaries and WH Officials, in a CNN opinion piece: "All of us have experienced the challenges of a regular press briefing.... But day after day, we persisted.... public has a right to know what its government is doing, and the government has a duty to explain what it is doing.... In times of military conflict and international crisis, these briefings take on even more importance. Americans want to know the latest developments and seek the truth. On social media, wild rumors can fly, and our adversaries can manipulate disinformation to their advantage.... For that reason, among many, the country needs trusted sources of information delivered on a timely and regular schedule.... We respectfully urge the resumption of regular press briefings across our government, especially in the places where Americans want the truth, our allies in the world want information, and where all of us, hopefully, want to see American values reflected." --s

Jack Morse of Mashable: "The president's daughter and failed businesswoman was at the annual technology convention in Las Vegas, Nevada [last week] to give a talk on the future of work.... According to [Ivanka] Trump, the workers of tomorrow will be graced with an 'interoperable learning record' which will allow them to bring a list of all their skills with them wherever they go. That's right, Trump's big idea for the American worker is some kind of standardized LinkedIn. But, wait, there's more! This 'résumé of the future,' as Trump at one point referred to it, will do more than just list your job skills -- it was also send you push notifications.... [T]here's no denying Trump's boldness in just charging right ahead and pretending professional social networks and digital résumés don't already exist. 'We need to harness technology and data to enable people to have their information in their iPhone,' insisted Trump." --s

David Shortell & Evan Perez of CNN: "More than a dozen Saudi servicemen training at US military installations will be expelled from the United States after a review that followed the deadly shooting last month at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, multiple sources told CNN. The Saudis are not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killed three American sailors in the December shooting, two sources said, but some are said to have connections to extremist movements, according to a person familiar with the situation. A number are also accused of possessing child pornography, according to a defense official and the person familiar with the situation."

Alexander Kaufman & Chris D'Angelo of Mother Jones: "The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled plans to gut one of America's most important environmental laws -- a move experts say is as much of a handout to polluting industries as it is a slap in the face to science and local communities. The proposed rules would change how the federal government implements the National Environmental Policy Act, a 50-year-old law that protects air, water and land by requiring federal agencies to conduct detailed environmental assessments of major infrastructure projects. Agencies would no longer be required to consider climate change when evaluating the environmental effects of pipelines, power plants, oil and gas drilling, airports, highways and other development." --s

DOJ Issues Barefoot-and-Pregnant Opinion. Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN (January 8): "The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel is arguing that the deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment has expired, a blow to supporters' push to enshrine the long-sought effort. 'We conclude that Congress had the constitutional authority to impose a deadline on the ratification of the ERA and, because that deadline has expired, the ERA Resolution is no longer pending before the States,' the OLC said in an opinion released Wednesday. The opinion, issued in response to a lawsuit filed by three conservative-leaning states, effectively prevents the archivist of the United States, who administers the ratification process, from verifying that the amendment is valid and part of the Constitution after the necessary number of states approve it. But his authority doesn't prevent states from acting on their own to ratify the amendment -- or preclude them from legally challenging the Justice Department's opinion in court.... The OLC also says that Congress cannot revive a proposed amendment after it has exceeded its deadline for ratification, suggesting instead that Congress restart the ratification process from scratch. The ERA Coalition, which supports the amendment, said it 'strongly disagrees with the OLC's opinion that the time limit cannot be removed' and intends to pursue it regardless." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: P.D. Pepe mentioned this in yesterday's Comments, and it's a story I missed timely. Bill Barr and the boys really don't like women, do they?

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration and a coalition of conservative states that have been challenging the Affordable Care Act said Friday that ... the [Supreme Court] should not grant a motion by the House of Representatives and Democratic-led states to expedite review of a decision by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit last month. The panel struck down the law's mandate that individuals buy health insurance but sent back to a lower court the question of whether the rest of the statute can stand without it." ~~~

~~~ Susannah Luthi of Politico: "The Trump administration and Republican-led states are urging the Supreme Court to swat away Democrats' request to immediately review a lawsuit threatening Obamacare, which would ensure the politically fraught case doesn't get resolved until after November's election."

Bob Brigham of RawStory: "Misogynistic men who identify as part of the 'Involuntary Celibate' movement are domestic terrorism threats, according to a new report. The Texas Department of Public Safety included the warning in their 2020, 'Texas Domestic Terrorism Threat Assessment' (PDF).... 'What begins as a personal grievance due to perceived rejection by women may morph into allegiance to, and attempts to further, an Incel Rebellion. The result has thrust the Incel movement into the realm of domestic terrorism,' the report explained." --s

Way Beyond the Beltway

U.K. Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "The Queen has summoned senior royals to an emergency summit at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Monday to discuss the future of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The meeting, to be attended by the Queen, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, will be the first time the four have met since the Sussex crisis exploded on Wednesday.... The meeting will be an opportunity for them to discuss proposals, drawn up after a series of consultations between palace officials and representatives of the UK and Canadian governments over how Meghan and Harry can achieve their aim of carving out new 'progressive' roles as hybrid royals. The country's most senior civil servant, cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, was reportedly one of the senior figures around the negotiating table, along with senior aides from Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace." ~~~

~~~ Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears a Tiara. Maureen Dowd: "Given the state of the world and the implosion of the British Empire -- with Scots once more contemplating an off ramp, Irish unity in play, Australia on fire and Boris Johnson tricking the queen into suspending Parliament in a Brexit ploy -- it is hard to feel sorry for the Duchess of Sussex complaining that her diamonds are heavy.... I think Meghan Markle should have wielded her wokeness where it is most needed -- in Buckingham Palace. She could have channeled the Obamas, who did a magnificent job of rising above racist taunts and working within the institution to imprint a new image of racial possibility in America. Markle had already successfully brought a refreshing dose of semi-radical chic to the royal family.... What's the rush to give up real influence to be an Instagram influencer? Besides, who unfollows their own grandmother?"