The Conversation -- December 24, 2024

Natalia Vasilyeva of the New York Times: "A Russian court sentenced a U.S. citizen on Tuesday to 15 years in a high-security prison for espionage, state media outlets reported, prompting speculation that the Kremlin might seek to use him as leverage in negotiations for a future prisoner swap. The man, Eugene Spector, was already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for a 2021 bribery conviction when he was charged with spying. On Tuesday, the Moscow City Court convicted him of espionage and sentenced him to an additional 13 years, for a total of 15 years, at the end of a closed-door trial, according to Russian state news agencies."

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It Ain't Funny, McGee. David Sanger & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "Over the past two days..., Donald J. Trump has made clear that he has designs for American territorial expansion, declaring that the United States has both security concerns and commercial interests that can best be addressed by bringing the Panama Canal and Greenland under American control or outright ownership. Mr. Trump's tone has had none of the trolling jocularity that surrounded his repeated suggestions in recent weeks that Canada should become America's '51st state.'... Instead, while naming a new ambassador to Denmark -- which controls Greenland's foreign and defense affairs -- Mr. Trump made clear on Sunday that his first-term offer to buy the landmass could, in the coming term, become a deal the Danes cannot refuse. He appears to covet Greenland both for its strategic location at a time when the melting of Arctic ice is opening new commercial and naval competition and for its reserves of rare earth minerals needed for advanced technology.... On Saturday evening, he had accused Panama of price-gouging American ships traversing the canal, and suggested that unless that changed, he would abandon the Jimmy Carter-era treaty that returned all control of the canal zone to Panama....

~[Mr. Trump's] statements -- and the not-so-subtle threats behind them — were another reminder that his version of 'America First' is not an isolationist creed. His aggressive interpretation of the phrase evokes the expansionism, or colonialism, of President Theodore Roosevelt, who cemented control of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. And it reflects the instincts of a real estate developer who suddenly has the power of the world's largest military to back up his negotiating strategy.... Arctic experts did not dismiss Mr. Trump's Greenland bid as a joke." ~~~

     ~~~ Will Weissert, et al., of the AP: "Trump has long threatened allies with punitive action in hopes of winning concessions. But experts in both countries are clear: Unless he goes to war with Panama, Trump can't reassert control over a canal the U.S. agreed to cede in the 1970s." The reporters then write a brief history of the canal. ~~~

     ~~~ Maria Paul of the Washington Post also writes a brief history of the Panama Canal.

     ~~~ AND Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) seems to think Trump has a voter "mandate" to do what he wants with the Panama Canal & Greenland. Michael Luciano of Mediaite reports. MB: So the whole world has to abide by MAGA wants & wishes. It doesn't matter that the people of, say, Panama and Greenland, would vehemently oppose ceding their lands to the U.S. I know Marsha is not going to win the Stupidest Senator contest, but Lordy, she's tryin'.

Frances Robles of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump signaled a return to his first term's maximum-pressure policies against left-wing regimes on Sunday when he named a longtime foreign policy hawk known for hard-line positions on Cuba to be the special envoy for Latin America. His choice, Mauricio Claver-Carone, 49, is a lawyer, blogger, lobbyist and former Treasury Department official. Mr. Claver-Carone served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council during Mr. Trump's first term."

Marie: I had thought of the anti-woke movement as just racist whining & propaganda. It is that, but it's also a massive, childish temper tantrum: ~~~

~~~ Reuters (which now seems to be subscriber-firewalled), via the Guardian: "... Donald Trump has said he will rename Denali, Alaska natives' name for North America's tallest mountain, after William McKinley, the 25th US president who was assassinated in 1901. Democratic former president Barack Obama in 2015 officially renamed the mountain as Denali, siding with the state of Alaska and ending a decades-long naming battle. The peak had been officially called Mount McKinley since 1917.... The mountain ... was named Mount McKinley in 1896 after a gold prospector exploring the region heard that McKinley, a champion of the gold standard, had won the Republican nomination for president.... The US department of the interior, in the 2015 order that was signed by Obama changing the name to Denali, noted that McKinley had never visited the mountain and had no 'significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska.' Denali, the local Athabascan name, meaning 'the High One,' was officially designated as the peak's name in 1975 by the state of Alaska, which then pressed the federal government to also adopt the name." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Brian Stelter of CNN: "The incoming chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is sending a stern message to the owners of television stations and networks. And he is using ABC's recent settlement with ... Donald Trump as a news peg of sorts. Brendan Carr, a Trump-appointed commissioner who will become chairman next month, wrote to Disney CEO Bob Iger over the weekend about the Disney-owned ABC network's negotiations with its affiliated stations across the United States. Carr used that narrow issue to advance some broad points about the state of the industry and to signal that he intends to wield a heavy hand in the top FCC role -- taking a very different approach than his predecessors.... [In his letter to Iger,] Carr cites polling data and says, 'ABC's own conduct has certainly contributed to [an] erosion in public trust. For instance, ABC News recently agreed to pay $15 million to President Trump's future presidential foundation and museum and an additional $1 million in attorney fees to settle a defamation case.' Carr then delineates between national networks and loal stations (which are licensed by the FCC), saying, 'Americans largely hold positive views of their local media outlets.'... In effect, he is positioning himself as a friend to local media -- and an antagonist to corporate owners." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The national networks, as I recall, are each limited to owning no more than seven local affiliates (the O&Os). The FCC does not license the networks, but, as Stelter writes, it does license all affiliates and other local stations. In his letter to Iger, Carr seems to be threatening not to license ABC's O&Os.

Isaac Schorr of Mediaite: "Elon Musk ... is a paid subscriber to a virulently racist X account. Musk not only follows an account called 'Boer' (@twatterbaas) but is one of two accounts to pay it for 'bonus content and extra perks.'... The account has touted rape rates in 'Black ruled countries, used pictures to suggest that the country was better off under racial apartheid, asked 'why do blacks like to destroy and break what white man made?' and urged 'these racist blacks of #SouthAfrica to stop being selfish and transfer the strategical jobs and planning to us whites of this country.'" MB: For some reason, I'm not surprised.

Whoops! They Did It Again. Lisa Friedman & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The initial [continuing resolution to keep the federal government open] included a provision that would have ensured care through about 2040 for victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, as well as the police officers, nurses, firefighters and volunteers who inhaled toxic fumes, dust and smoke at ground zero. [After Elon Musk & Donald Trump objected to the bill,] the House on Friday passed a measure that ... did not include ... the formula to ensure long-term funding for the Sept. 11 health program. Democrats said they put the blame for its elimination squarely on Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump. A spokesman for [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer said that he and Democrats pushed to include the health fund in the final package, but that Republicans rejected it.... Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, said that without the new funding formula, the World Trade Center fund was likely to go into deficit in 2027. He said time was running out to ensure funding."

A Christmas Story. As predicted, your happy holidays report is about to drop. From the New York Times' livebog of Trump transition developments: "The House Ethics Committee is expected to accuse former Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, President-elect Donald J. Trump's former pick for attorney general, of regularly paying for sex, possessing illegal drugs and having sexual relations with an underage girl, according to a draft of the panel's report. The report, which is expected to be released in final form on Monday, found that from at least 2017 to 2020, Mr. Gaetz 'regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him'; and, in 2017, 'engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl,' the draft said. The Ethics Committee found that from 2017 to 2019, Mr. Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy 'on multiple occasions,' and accepted lavish gifts, including transportation to and lodging in the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts. 'Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House,' the draft report stated." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Gaetz has repeatedly denied that he broke any laws. 'These claims would be destroyed in court -- which is why they were never made in any court against me,' he told POLITICO Friday morning. But the committee's 37-page report, which it decided to release in a secret vote earlier this month, alleges several instances of illegal conduct by ... Donald Trump's one-time pick to serve as attorney general. Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump's AG last month as the potential public release of the investigation weighed on his chances of Senate confirmation. 'The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,' the ethics panel said in its report, adding that he 'knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct' the investigation." CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Schmidt of the New York Times lists some takeaways from the committee report. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the Ethics Committee report, via the House. ~~~

     ~~~ Andrew Solender of Axios: "The House Ethics Committee's report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) had been poised to stay officially buried -- until two centrist Republicans on the panel unexpectedly voted to release it.... Reps. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) and Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) sided with the committee's five Democrats in voting to release the report, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios.... The vote, which took place quietly earlier this month, defied House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) urging that the report stay under wraps. Gaetz, who has denied any wrongdoing, filed an 11th-hour lawsuit Monday morning seeking to block the report's publication, alleging it 'contains untruthful and defamatory information.' The effort failed...." ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Gerstein, et al., of Politico: "The House Ethics Committee report about former Rep. Matt Gaetz offers some hints about why the Justice Department decided not to prosecute the former Florida congressman after a wide-ranging federal investigation into whether he committed sex trafficking. The decision likely stemmed from concerns about the strength of the evidence and the department's history of applying sex-trafficking laws narrowly, former prosecutors said Monday.... A law enforcement official said all DOJ decisions about Gaetz were made by career prosecutors." The reporters delve into like DOJ considerations re: existing law. ~~~

     ~~~ David Firestone of the New York Times: "There is so much repellently sleazy behavior documented in the House Ethics Committee report about Matt Gaetz that a reader has to stop every few pages to look away and focus on what still seems astounding: This is the man that Donald Trump wanted to be the attorney general of the United States, the highest-ranking law enforcement official in the land, the leader of the Department of Justice. Trump wanted to give that position to a man who paid at least half a dozen women for sex, according to the report.... 'Representative Gaetz took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter.'

"Trump wanted to give the Justice Department to a man the committee says committed the statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl. A man who is accused of setting up a phony email account at his office in the House to buy illegal drugs and who then used the drugs to facilitate sexual misconduct. A man who accepted impermissible gifts and plane trips, according to the report, and who used the power of his office to help a woman with whom he was having sex.... When you read through the details, you can see the commonality between the two men, and the reasons Trump held Gaetz in high esteem. It's not just the contempt for women as disposable commodities for hire or plunder; it's the contempt for the law." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Just as an aside, I can't help but notice that Mike Johnson has unusual ideas about sex. He encourages his son to monitor his own viewing of online (and presumably legal) porn, but he worked to hide allegations that a Congressman engaged in unlawful sex with young women (which involved the use of a Congressional office to obtain illegal drugs). And Bible Mike opposes family decisions to assist young people in lawful transgender medical treatments. I can't even find a pattern here. Is Mike for illegal sexploitation and against legal sex-related activities and procedures? Even that's not clear.

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Just a few years ago, Representative Kay Granger of Texas made history when she became the first Republican woman to lead the powerful House Appropriations Committee. But her ascent on Capitol Hill reached a coda over the weekend when a conservative outlet in Texas revealed that Ms. Granger had not voted in the House since July and has been living in an independent living facility -- an arrangement her office had not disclosed. Ms. Granger, 81, stepped down as the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee in March and said she would not seek re-election, but she continued to serve out the rest of her term.... A person familiar with the situation .... [said ] that the Texas Republican had been in touch with the party's leaders and would have returned to Washington if she was needed for a vote.... Beyond raising questions about whether Ms. Granger and her team had misled constituents about her fitness to serve, the episode brought renewed attention to how Capitol Hill is powered by a crop of septuagenarians and octogenarians, including some who refuse to relinquish power even far past their primes."

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Shane Lamond, the former head of the Metropolitan Police intelligence unit in Washington who was indicted last year for feeding information to a Proud Boys leader, was found guilty on Monday. Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio is serving 22 years after being convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. Judge Amy Berman Jackson returned the verdict on Monday finding Lamond guilty of four counts, including obstruction of justice and three counts of lying to investigators, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The verdict followed a bench trial which featured contentious testimony from Tarrio, who insisted that he'd been contemporaneously lying to his fellow Proud Boys about receiving information from a source in the Metropolitan Police Department." The Washington Post's report is here.

Darlene Superville of the AP: "President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families. Biden said his administration strongly opposes the provision because it targets a group based on gender identity and 'interferes with parents' roles to determine the best care for their children.' He said it also undermines the all-volunteer military's ability to recruit and retain talent.... The Senate forwarded the bill to Biden after passing it last week by a vote of 85-14. In the House, a majority of Democrats voted against the bill after House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted on adding the provision to ban transgender medical care for children. The legislation easily passed by a vote of 281-140." ~~~

     ~~~ Here's President Biden's statement on the bill, via the White House.

Anthony Adragna of Politico: "President Joe Biden has vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have added dozens of new federal judge positions in the coming years. The president had threatened to veto the bill because he didn't want to give the president-elect new appointment opportunities, according to one of the outgoing president's closest allies."

Ah, a Real Christimas Story. Sara Ruberg of the New York Times: "About one million taxpayers who were eligible for a pandemic-era tax credit in 2021 but did not claim it can expect a lump sum from the Internal Revenue Service in the coming weeks. The I.R.S. announced on Friday that it would start sending automatic payments of up to $1,400 to those who qualified for the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit but did not properly claim it on their tax return. The agency estimates it will send about $2.4 billion out to taxpayers by the end of January. Danny Werfel, the I.R.S. commissioner, said the payments came after the agency reviewed its internal data and noticed that about a million taxpayers overlooked the 'complex credit' when filing in 2021. He said in a statement that taxpayers would not be required to amend their filings and would receive their payments automatically. Here's what you need to know."

David Lynch & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "A high-level government review board has told the White House it is unable to reach a consensus on the national security risks involved in Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel, likely setting the stage for President Joe Biden to kill the deal. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) ... said Monday that allowing the Japanese industrial giant to purchase the once-iconic U.S. company could lead to a reduction in domestic steel output, which would represent 'a national security risk.' Nippon Steel said it could eliminate that risk by appointing U.S. citizens to top management and board of director positions at U.S. Steel. But the committee was divided in its view of whether those remedies would be sufficient. With the Treasury-led panel deadlocked, the final decision now falls to the president, who is legally require to act within 15 days. Biden has publicly opposed the transaction since March, saying it was 'vital' that U.S. Steel, the nation's third-ranked steel producer, remained American-owned." The AP's report is here.

Lola Fadulu of the New York Times: "Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive, pleaded not guilty on Monday as he was arraigned in New York State Supreme Court. The Manhattan district attorney's office has charged Mr. Mangione with first-degree murder, a terrorism-related offense, as well as two variations of second-degree murder and weapons charges. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole." (Also linked yesterday.)

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Arkansas. AP: "A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing 'harmful' materials to minors. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional. 'I respect the court's ruling and will appeal,' Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press. The law would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible to children. The measure was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023, but an earlier ruling had temporarily blocked it from taking effect while it was being challenged in court. 'The law deputizes librarians and booksellers as the agents of censorship; when motivated by the fear of jail time, it is likely they will shelve only books fit for young children and segregate or discard the rest,' Brooks wrote in his ruling." MB: Brooks is an Obama appointee.

New York. Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has ordered that 13 corrections officers and a prison nurse be fired after the fatal beating of an inmate in an attack that their union called 'incomprehensible. 'Officials have released few details about the assault that led to the death on Dec. 10 of the inmate, Robert L. Brooks, beyond that it had occurred the day before at the Marcy Correctional Facility in central New York and had been at least partly captured on video. The state's corrections commissioner, Daniel F. Martuscello III, announced the death of an unnamed inmate on Dec. 15, saying it had occurred after a 'use of force' by Marcy prison staff members. Mr. Brooks, 43, was identified as the victim on Dec. 16. He had been serving a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty in Monroe County in 2017 to first-degree assault in the stabbing of a former girlfriend, according to state prison records and local news reports. The Oneida County medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of Mr. Brooks's death, officials said."

News Lede

Washington Post: "Former president Bill Clinton was hospitalized Monday afternoon in Washington 'for testing and observation after developing a fever,' a Clinton spokesman said. Clinton was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Angel Ureña, deputy chief of staff for Clinton, wrote on X." The NBC News report is here.

The Conversation -- December 23, 2024

Marie: I had thought of the anti-woke movement as just racist whining & propaganda. It is that, but it's also a massive, childish temper tantrum: ~~~

~~~ Reuters (which now seems to be subscriber-firewalled), via the Guardian: "... Donald Trump has said he will rename Denali, Alaska natives' name for North America's tallest mountain, after William McKinley, the 25th US president who was assassinated in 1901. Democratic former president Barack Obama in 2015 officially renamed the mountain as Denali, siding with the state of Alaska and ending a decades-long naming battle. The peak had been officially called Mount McKinley since 1917.... The mountain ... was named Mount McKinley in 1896 after a gold prospector exploring the region heard that McKinley, a champion of the gold standard, had won the Republican nomination for president.... The US department of the interior, in the 2015 order that was signed by Obama changing the name to Denali, noted that McKinley had never visited the mountain and had no 'significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska.' Denali, the local Athabascan name, meaning 'the High One,' was officially designated as the peak's name in 1975 by the state of Alaska, which then pressed the federal government to also adopt the name." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Season's Greetings. As predicted, your happy holidays report is about to drop. From the New York Times' liveblog of Trump transition developments: "The House Ethics Committee is expected to accuse former Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, President-elect Donald J. Trump's former pick for attorney general, of regularly paying for sex, possessing illegal drugs and having sexual relations with an underage girl, according to a draft of the panel's report. The report, which is expected to be released in final form on Monday, found that from at least 2017 to 2020, Mr. Gaetz 'regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him'; and, in 2017, 'engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl,' the draft said. The Ethics Committee found that from 2017 to 2019, Mr. Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy 'on multiple occasions,' and accepted lavish gifts, including transportation to and lodging in the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts. 'Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House,' the draft report stated." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Gaetz has repeatedly denied that he broke any laws. "These claims would be destroyed in court -- which is why they were never made in any court against me," he told POLITICO Friday morning. But the committee's 37-page report, which it decided to release in a secret vote earlier this month, alleges several instances of illegal conduct by ... Donald Trump's one-time pick to serve as attorney general. Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump's AG last month as the potential public release of the investigation weighed on his chances of Senate confirmation. 'The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,' the ethics panel said in its report, adding that he 'knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct' the investigation." CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Schmidt of the New York Times lists some takeaways from the committee report. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the Ethics Committee report, via the New York Times. I'm looking for a "free" copy. Here's a Document Cloud doc., via CNN; clunky but free. There are a few ways to make the text more readable. I found the best way was to click on "Share," then copy the URL, & use of the options in the lower left-hand corner of the page that comes up. OR ... this is the URL, so you can just click on it & skip those first few steps.

Lola Fadulu of the New York Times: "Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive, pleaded not guilty on Monday as he was arraigned in New York State Supreme Court. The Manhattan district attorney's office has charged Mr. Mangione with first-degree murder, a terrorism-related offense, as well as two variations of second-degree murder and weapons charges. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole."

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Marie: Minus One Two Three Degrees here in lovely New Hampshire. I shall not be going to the grocery store today. Therefore, I shall not be having Christmas dinner on December 25. The Christmas goose and paper hats (okay, I've never indulged in either) have received a reprieve of indeterminate duration.

⭐Mark Berman & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden on Monday is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life without parole, taking the unprecedented step ahead of the inauguration of ... Donald Trump, whose incoming administration was widely expected to restart executions.... Those he did not spare are: Dylann Roof, the white supremacist convicted of killing nine Black parishioners at a South Carolina church in 2015; Robert Bowers, who carried out the country's deadliest antisemitic attack when he killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber. 'Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,' Biden said in a statement explaining his decision. 'But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,' he added. 'In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.'" ~~~

     ~~~ President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here.

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump delivered a sprawling address on Sunday that he called a 'small preview of the common-sense revolution' his administration will bring, pledging to slam shut the nation's borders, end federal regulations, lower taxes, prosecute his rivals, 'stop woke' and 'end the transgender lunacy.' In a 90-minute speech at a conservative conference in Phoenix, Mr. Trump offered a triumphant view of his election victory in which he described his liberal adversaries as 'befuddled' and promised that a new 'golden age in America' had begun.... [Trump's] speech was a familiar mash-up of false assertions, self-praise, fierce attacks on his adversaries and promises about how his return to power would change the country for the better."

Well, we sure don't need to worry the military will be woke, do we? ~~~

~~~ John Ismay of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump named Stephen A. Feinberg as his choice for deputy secretary of defense, Elbridge Colby to be under secretary for policy, Michael Duffey for under secretary for acquisitions and sustainment and Emil Michael as under secretary for research and engineering. All should face Senate confirmation hearings. Mr. Feinberg, the billionaire co-founder of the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, was a major funder of Mr. Trump's presidential campaigns and was considered for a top intelligence post in the first Trump administration. A firearms enthusiast, he invested in businesses that were in bad shape financially, including Cerberus's 2007 acquisition of the gun maker Remington, which declared bankruptcy in 2018 and again in 2020. Mr. Colby, whose grandfather William Colby served as C.I.A. director under Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford, served in the Pentagon during the first Trump administration.... It was Mr. Duffey who asked the Pentagon to freeze $250 million in scheduled military aid to Kyiv after a phone call between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in which Mr. Trump asked Mr. Zelensky to investigate his political rival Joseph R. Biden Jr.... Mr. Michael served as an executive at the ride-sharing company Uber, where he supported hiring investigators to pursue journalists who wrote articles critical of the company. He left Uber in 2017 after a report that he had visited an escort bar in South Korea as part of a business trip, which made some co-workers uncomfortable and led to a complaint to the company's human resources department."

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said on Sunday that he intended to nominate Callista Gingrich, who served as his ambassador to the Vatican during his first term, as ambassador to Switzerland.... Mr. Trump also picked Ken Howery, one of the founders of PayPal, to be the next ambassador to Denmark. Mr. Howery served as the ambassador to Sweden during Mr. Trump's first administration. As part of the announcement of Mr. Howery, Mr. Trump revived the idea, floated during his first term, of buying Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. 'For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,' he wrote on social media." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So we have left behind the impossible task of freeing the world for democracy and are now becoming imperialists. First Canada. Then Panama. Now Greenland. What next? Mexico? Denmark itself? Trump's megalomania is not only domestic; it is international. We have met the enemy and he is us. If I were King Frederik, I would not accept Howery's credentials. ~~~

     ~~~ Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino shot back Sunday after ... Trump suggested the Panama Canal return to U.S. control. 'As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so,' Mulino said in video statement, according to an English translation. 'The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.... The canal is not under direct or indirect control, neither by China, nor by the European community, nor by the United States, nor by any other power.... I strongly reject any manifestation that distorts this reality.... Panama respects other nations and demands respect.'" ~~~

     ~~~ If you were wondering what caused Trump to suddenly announce the U.S. should take over the Panama Canal, contributor Patrick wrote yesterday, " I suspect that DiJiT's threat about the Panama Canal is just revenge for being stripped of his hotel there back in 2018, which probably bruised his ego and may have deprived him of a money laundering outlet."

Yeganeh Torbati of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would nominate Stephen Miran, who previously worked in the Treasury Department, to be chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which helps to formulate U.S. economic policy. Miran served as an economic policy adviser at the Treasury Department in the final year of the first Trump presidency.... In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Miran defended Trump's tariff plans, saying that he expected the fees would be implemented gradually and thus limit stock market shocks." MB: So neither peace nor prosperity.

Priscilla Alvarez & Tierney Sneed of CNN: "... Donald Trump's team is assessing multiple options to fulfill his long-promised pledge to end birthright citizenship, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, teeing up a legal fight with the expectation that the Supreme Court would ultimately have to rule on the matter. Trump has railed against birthright citizenship, which is protected by the 14th Amendment, for years and suggested he'd use executive action to ban it.... [Trump's] allies have been crafting strategies to do that, including directing the State Department to not issue passports to children with undocumented parents and tighten requirements for tourist visas to crack down on 'birth tourism,' according to two sources familiar with the planning. Multiple options are being kicked among Trump allies to tighten the interpretation [of the 14th Amendment??], keenly aware that any action would likely get legally challenged and eventually land before the Supreme Court.... Trump allies argue that the 14th Amendment has been misinterpreted and doesn't apply to children born in the United States to undocumented parents." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Isn't it something that in the season of joy and merriment and Santy Claus, Trump's "team" of super-Grinches is hunkered down trying to figure out new ways to persecute little kids?

Sarah Ellison & Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "... Trump's recent settlement with ABC News and a cascade of lawsuits and other complaints against media entities from him and his allies signal a ramped-up campaign [against the press] from the president-elect. Together, the action has spurred concerns that his efforts could drastically undermine the institutions tasked with reporting on his coming administration, which Trump has promised will take revenge on those he perceives as having wronged him.... According to three people familiar with the company's internal deliberations..., ABC and Disney executives decided to settle not only because of the legal risks in the case but also because of Trump’s promises to take retribution against his enemies."

Ellis Kim, et al., of CBS News: "The congressional office of Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas denied she is in memory care after a report in the Dallas Express said she has not been in Washington in months and that she had been found at Tradition-Clearfork in Fort Worth, which offers assisted living and memory care, in addition to independent living for seniors.... Granger's son confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that she was a resident. However, he said that she's in the independent living wing, not the memory care wing of the facility. He also acknowledged that his mother was 'having some dementia issues late in the year.'... On Sunday, her office released a statement saying, 'Kay Granger is not in Memory Care,' and issued a statement from the congresswoman, who said, 'As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year.'... [Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said on 'Face the Nation' Sunday,] 'I'm not too sure what leadership knew on it or didn't know on it,' he continued. 'I think this goes ... gets back to the root of it. Congress should do its job, and if you can't do your job, maybe you shouldn't be there.'"

Kaanita Iyer of CNN: "Joe Manchin torches Democrats on the way out the door." MB: I'm not going to repeat Joe's remarks, though I will speculate that he's been watching way too much Fox "News."

Ben Brasch & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "A Navy fighter pilot and a weapons system officer ejected over the Red Sea after friendly fire from a warship early Sunday, according to the U.S. military. Both survived after ejecting from their F/A-18 Hornet, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom). Each sustained minor injuries, according to a military official.... Sunday's friendly fire happened when the USS Gettysburg 'mistakenly fired on and hit' the Hornet while the aircraft was flying from the USS Harry S. Truman, according to Centcom.... The U.S. military is patrolling the Red Sea to protect one of the world's busiest commercial waterways from Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have been attacking vessels in the area for months."

Dana Hedgpeth, et al., of the Washington Post: "A year-long investigation by The Washington Post has documented that 3,104 students died at [the federal government's so-called Indian] boarding schools between 1828 and 1970, three times as many deaths as reported by the U.S. Interior Department earlier this year. The Post found that more than 800 of those students are buried in cemeteries at or near the schools they attended, underscoring how, in many cases, children's bodies were never sent home to their families or tribes.... 'These were not schools,' said Judi Gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, whose relatives were sent to Indian boarding schools. 'They were prison camps. They were work camps.' The causes of death included infectious diseases, malnutrition and accidents, records show. Dozens died in suspicious circumstances, and in some instances the records provide indications of abuse or mistreatment that likely resulted in children"s deaths."

River Davis of the New York Times: "Honda Motor and Nissan Motor are exploring a merger to create one of the world's largest auto groups as they seek to better position themselves for the expensive technological transition reshaping the automotive industry. On Monday, Honda and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding to formally begin talks aimed at deepening a partnership that began earlier this year. Over the next six months, the companies will discuss combining their operations under a holding company, with a plan to complete the merger in August 2026. With their plans for a merger, Japan's second- and third-largest automakers join a growing number of legacy auto giants, including General Motors and Volkswagen, that are deepening ties to share the financial burden of developing next-generation vehicles. The deal is seen as a lifeline in particular for Nissan, which has been slashing jobs and production amid faltering sales."

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Oregon. The Trump Effect. Hank Sanders of the New York Times: "A letter circulating in a coastal county in rural Oregon encourages community members to track and report people of color who may be undocumented immigrants, according to the sheriff's office, which discouraged residents from heeding the call. In a news release on Thursday, the sheriff's office for Lincoln County, Ore., condemned the letter and advised residents against 'collecting or sharing information about individuals based on their demographic or perceived immigration status.' The letter told people to write down the license plate numbers of cars driven by people of color in order to identify people who might not have permanent legal status. It told people to send the information to the Department of Homeland Security shortly after Jan. 21 so that the department could 'round up' undocumented immigrants."

The Conversation -- December 22, 2024

⭐Beth Reinhard, et al., of the Washington Post: "When President Joe Biden signed a sweeping pardon for his son this month, he sidestepped the Justice Department's rigorous vetting process for people seeking clemency. Meanwhile, the president kept waiting hundreds of clemency applicants whom the department had recommended to the White House months and even years earlier, according to multiple sources familiar with the clemency process.... Amid the blowback over Hunter Biden's pardon, Biden soon announced almost 1,500 commutations, in what the White House touted as the 'largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.' Like Biden's son, those people were not individually vetted by the Justice Department, which carefully considers the circumstances of each case before issuing a recommendation. A Pennsylvania judge accused of taking payoffs in exchange for sending kids to juvenile detention made the list, sparking another outcry. The mass commutation benefited only those who had been released from prison into home confinement; the hundreds of people whose clemency petitions have been cleared by the Justice Department -- most of whom remain behind bars -- are still awaiting the president's signature."

Trump Threatens Panama. Eric Bazail-Eimil of Politico: "... President-elect Donald Trump threatened on Saturday that the U.S. would reassume control of the Panama Canal if it felt that Panama wasn't honoring the terms of a 1977 treaty regarding the waterway's legal status. In two lengthy Truth Social posts Saturday evening, Trump accused Panama of charging U.S. vessels exorbitant rates to pass through the critical waterway. He also claimed that the treaties enabling Panama to take control of the canal in the first place also allow for the U.S. to take it back.... Analysts, however, do not believe that those provisions in the treaty would allow for the United States to legally retake control of the canal.... It is unclear what spurred Trump's invective about the canal."

Man Who Saved Trump Gets Undefined State Department Job. Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has tapped Mark Burnett, the producer who helped turn him into a household name with 'The Apprentice,' as special envoy to Britain.... The show, which debuted in 2004 on NBC and ran through 2017, was credited with rehabilitating Mr. Trump's image after it was tarnished by financial difficulties. As The New Yorker put it, the reality show 'mythologized him anew, and on a much bigger scale, turning him into an icon of American success.' The show presented Mr. Trump as the ultimate successful, self-made billionaire.... It is unclear what Mr. Burnett's duties as special envoy will be. Mr. Trump has already named Warren Stephens, an investment banker and billionaire, as his choice for ambassador to Britain.... Mr. Burnett ... was born in London... [and] was raised [MB: reared!] in Dagenham, Essex." Friedman reprises how, right after the Washington Post published the "Access Hollywood" tape in 2016, Burnett quashed release of what might have been more damning video footage of Trump. Politico's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Robert Tait of the Guardian: Herschel Walker (Bahamas), Charles Kushner (France) and Kimberly Guilfoyle (Greece) "are among a flurry of ambassadorial nominees rolled out by Trump in recent weeks as he rushes to fill his administration at breakneck speed.... Their lack of credentials has prompted one experienced foreign policy analyst to label them a 'diplomatic clown car' -- and a deliberate affront to the countries hosting them. Some appear conspicuously unschooled in the diplomatic arts; others have business links which experts say risk conflicts of interest. Unlike most countries, which fill ambassadors' roles from the ranks of professional diplomats, it is customary for US presidents to reward allies and financial backers with ambassadorial jobs -- with prize postings like London and Paris almost always going to friends of the man in the oval office. But Trump has broken new ground with the sheer volume of ambassadorial nominations -- and his lack of consideration of their professional suitability." Read on.

A Congress to Remember. Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "The 118th Congress ended almost exactly as it began: with chaos in the House of Representatives that threatened to consume its GOP leader and shut down the government.... [Mike] Johnson's dilemma is the same one that bedeviled his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy (R-California), the always-smiling speaker who proved so ineffective he didn't last nine months in the job. Both found themselves in a predicament in which the House GOP held a majority in principle but in practice could not come together to govern. This cycle of political face-plants threatens to derail ... Donald Trump's agenda, as well as Johnson's hold on power.

"Johnson's first plan ... drew the intense opposition of [Elon] Musk, who acted like the unelected prime minister demanding Republicans oppose the bill.... Dozens upon dozens of Republicans revolted at the massive size of the bill, which included three months of funding and $110 billion in disaster relief that carried an additional 1,400 pages or so of policy riders. [Johnson']s 'Plan B,' a concoction cooked up by Trump, included a few trillion dollars' worth of new treasury borrowing authority. That bill met the same fate as many fallback plans in recent House history when the far right bucked Trump. That left Johnson scrambling Friday to beat a midnight countdown clock and ultimately reverting to a slimmed-down version of the original legislation. A simple extension of government funding and disaster funds passed after 6 p.m. Friday -- but only because, as he has so often done, Johnson pleaded with Democrats to save him." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This seems a fair summary of the week that was, though I had to "edit in" tge sentence about Musk that Kane had laid in further down the story. Anyway, we cannot say that the Washington Post has failed to highlight on it's online main page a story that ridicules Congressional Republicans and doesn't do much for our president*-elect and president*-not-elected, either. ~~~

~~~ Washington Post Editors: "Mr. Trump should not have spurred a last-minute frenzy to keep the government running during the holidays when a reasonable bipartisan compromise had already been reached. The negotiators' job was made harder by the fact that Mr. Trump and Elon Musk, the president-elect's confidant..., seemed to be at cross-purposes in their demands. Mr. Musk said the stopgap's spending levels were 'criminal' and called for shutting down the government until Mr. Trump's inauguration.... Chiming in later, Mr. Trump criticized some of the spending but also issued a very different demand: that Congress lift the debt limit or eliminate it entirely.... If Mr. Trump wanted to assure Americans that his second term will be less chaotic than his first, this was not the way. If anything, the addition of Mr. Musk to the mix appears to have made things even more volatile.... Last-minute, ad hoc legislative theatrics will gain Mr. Trump -- and the country -- far less than a more reasonable approach would." ~~~

~~~ Minho Kim of the New York Times: "President Biden on Saturday signed the spending package that allowed federal funds to keep flowing until mid-March, formally ending the week's unexpected drama over the issue a few hours after the deadline for a shutdown had technically passed." The AP report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Minho Kim of the New York Times: "... two of the measures that had been dropped from the final bill, which continued most government spending..., were salvaged as separate bills and passed by the Senate. The bills, which include funding for pediatric cancer research and changes in the terms of the lease of a Washington, D.C., stadium, passed the House in the spring, allowing them to quickly clear the Senate without amendments and through a voice vote that required unanimous consent. Here's a rundown of how those two bills were revived at the last minute.... But three other cancer-related measures were scrapped at the end of 118th Congress. Those include a new policy that would have made it easier for low-income children on Medicaid to cross state lines for specialized cancer treatment, and two bills aimed at incentivizing pediatric cancer drug development."

~~~ Sylvan Lane of the Hill: "The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee accused Elon Musk of tanking a bipartisan spending bill because it included a provision that could limit his businesses' ability to operate in China. In a Friday letter to congressional leaders, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) claimed Musk derailed the deal that would have avoided a government shutdown 'in order to protect his wallet and the Chinese Communist Party at the expense of American workers, innovators and businesses.' The spending agreement released Tuesday included a bipartisan provision to limit and screen U.S. investments in China, among dozens of other proposals attached to the 1,500-page bill. As the CEO and largest stockholder in Tesla, Musk has extensive business connections to China. The company operates a major manufacturing plant in Shanghai and has sought to build deeper connections with Chinese companies.... [In his torrent of posts lambasting the original compromise bill,] Musk ... did not appear to mention restrictions on investments in China." Thanks to Patrick for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course we can't know what's in Musk's heart (because it's an impenetrable stone harder than diamonds), but a sensible person would share DeLauro's suspicions. Several stories, including a WashPo one I first linked last Thursday, reported on the provisions re: doing business with China. I assume Musk has legislative analysts who warn him about every piece of pending legislation that could be unfavorable to his businesses, but even if the analysts failed him, the media gave him fair warning. Musk's tirade was Wednesday; Reuters, for one, reported on the China provisions Tuesday. (The story, also republished by Yahoo! News, cites DeLauro's advocacy for the provisions. Naturally, she's hopping mad Johnson stripped the China restrictions; she's ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, so it's likely her staff wrote the provisions.

Here's a peculiar story about the 118th Congress: ~~~

~~~ WCBM (Baltimore): "Rep. Kay Granger [R] has served as the representative for Texas's 12th Congressional District since 1997. However, she suddenly disappeared from the public eye around July this year....[Carlos Turcios,] a ... reporter at the local Dallas Express newspaper did some digging on Granger's whereabouts. [He wrote,] 'We ... received a tip from a Granger constituent who shared that the Congresswoman has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood.... Two employees [at the home] confirmed that Granger is indeed living at the facility.'... Granger had already announced her retirement at the end of this Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is a sitting member of Congress. It is odd that she just "went missing" and nobody, including the Speaker of the House, whose caucus held the slimmest of majorities, seemed to notice. What about her staff? There's more to this story.

After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate. -- Lara Trump, on X, Saturday ~~~

~~~ Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: "Lara Trump announced on Saturday that she was removing herself from contention for a Florida U.S. Senate seat.... Donald Trump had previously communicated to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that he wanted Lara Trump to take the seat, which would be open if Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) is confirmed to serve as secretary of state. DeSantis is tasked with appointing Rubio's replacement. Speculation that Lara Trump, who is married to Trump's son Eric, would take the role increased this month after she stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.... Asked on Monday whether he expected DeSantis to appoint her, Donald Trump told reporters: 'No, I don't, I probably don't.... Ron's going to have to make that decision, and he'll make the right decision.... I also know that Lara's got so many other things.... People want her to be on television, they want to give her contracts.'" As to those "many other things," Lara wrote, "I do have a big announcement that I'm excited to share in January, so, stay tuned." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, we will, Lara, we will. We're so "incredibly" interested in your personal journey. On another note, I wonder what Lara Trump credits as an "incredible amount of thought and contemplation" as opposed to a "credible amount of thought and contemplation." Indeed, the meaning of incredible being "impossible to believe," I do find it impossible to believe that Lara Trump puts much, if any, "thought and contemplation" into her decisions. It appears in this instance, it was Daddy Donald, he of the very good brain, who did all the thought and contemplation.

Really, My Dear, One Hasn't the Time to Report. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two additional trips from a billionaire patron that had not previously come to light, Senate Democrats revealed on Saturday after conducting a 20-month investigation into ethics practices at the Supreme Court. The findings were part of a 93-page report released by Democratic staff members of the Judiciary Committee along with about 800 pages of documents. It said the two trips, both of which had been previously unknown to the public, took place in 2021 and were provided by Harlan Crow, a real estate magnate in Texas and a frequent patron of Justice Thomas&;s. One trip took place that July by private jet from Nebraska to Saranac N.Y., where Justice Thomas stayed at Mr. Crow's upstate retreat for five days. The other came in October, when Mr. Crow hosted Justice Thomas overnight in New York on his yacht after flying him from the District of Columbia to New Jersey for the dedication of a statue.... Justice Thomas had not disclosed the trips, even after refiling some of his past financial forms, and the committee learned about them through a subpoena to Mr. Crow, the report said." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Senate Democrats wrapped up their extensive investigation of Supreme Court justices' ethics practices Saturday, issuing a report blasting two conservative justices [Clarence Thomas & Samuel Alito] for accepting expensive gifts from wealthy benefactors and slamming Chief Justice John Roberts for a lackadaisical response to ethical lapses by his colleagues. 'Now more than ever before, as a result of information gathered by subpoenas, we know the extent to which the Supreme Court is mired in an ethical crisis of its own making,' outgoing Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said in a statement. 'Whether failing to disclose lavish gifts or failing to recuse from cases with apparent conflicts of interest, it's clear that the justices are losing the trust of the American people at the hands of a gaggle of fawning billionaires.'" MB: Gee, Dick, couldn't you find a better time to bury this story than the Saturday before Christmas? AND Hanukkah? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The Senate Majority report, via Politico, is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

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New York. Hurubie Meko, et al., of the New York Times: "New York City's top uniformed police officer, the chief of department, abruptly resigned Friday night following allegations of sexual misconduct, setting off local and federal investigations and extending years of turmoil at the Police Department. The former chief, Jeffrey Maddrey, submitted his resignation and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted it, according to a statement from the department on Saturday. Mayor Eric Adams had vocally supported Mr. Maddrey, a close ally, as recently as October. But on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the mayor, Kayla Mamelak Altus, said that he was working with Commissioner Tisch to conduct a 'separate departmentwide review to ensure no high-ranking officers are using their power inappropriately.'"

News Ledes

New York Times: "Rickey Henderson, the thrilling and charismatic Hall of Fame outfielder who, with his signature crouched stance, blazing speed and unlikely home run power, was widely regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter in Major League Baseball history, died on Friday. He was 65."

New York Times: "Five people were injured on Saturday after a man drove his pickup truck through the glass doors of a J.C. Penney in a mall in Killeen, Texas, and continued to drive through the building before he was shot and killed by the police, the authorities said. At about 5 p.m., the driver, whose identity was not released, was in a black pickup truck on a highway when officers tried to stop him for possible drunken driving, said Sgt. Bryan Washko with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Instead of stopping, the driver drove to the Killeen Mall and smashed his car through the doors of the J.C. Penney, Sergeant Washko said. The man drove through the mall and hit multiple people, five of whom had injuries that were minor to severe. Those injured ranged from 6 to 75 years old, Sergeant Washko said.