The Ledes

Saturday, March 8, 2025

New York Times: “Officials said [actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa] died of natural causes, he of heart disease and she of a rare viral infection. But it was Ms. Arakawa — the caregiver, lover, protector — who died first, perhaps on Feb. 11, leaving Mr. Hackman, 95 years old with advanced Alzheimer’s, alone in the house for days. He is believed to have died a week later, on Feb. 18. Their decomposing bodies were not discovered for yet another eight days, when a maintenance worker called a security guard to the house after no one came to the door.... Ms. Arakawa died of hantarivus, which is contracted through exposure to excrement from rodents, often the deer mouse in New Mexico.”

The Wires
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To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

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OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

Marie: Sorry, my countdown clock was unreliable; then it became completely unreliable. I can't keep up with it. Maybe I'll try another one later.

 

Public Service Announcement

Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Democrats' Weekly Address

Marie (Feb 23): As far as I can tell, there isn't any. I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like Democrats are so screwed up, they can't even put together a couple of minutes of video to tell us how screwed we are.

Back when the Washington Post had an owner/publisher who dared to stand up to a president:

Prime video is carrying the documentary. If you watch it, I suggest watching the Spielberg film "The Post" afterwards. There is currently a free copy (type "the post full movie" in the YouTube search box) on YouTube (or you can rent it on YouTube, on Prime & [I think] on Hulu). Near the end, Daniel Ellsberg (played by Matthew Rhys), says "I was struck in fact by the way President Johnson's reaction to these revelations was [that they were] 'close to treason,' because it reflected to me the sense that what was damaging to the reputation of a particular administration or a particular individual was in itself treason, which is very close to saying, 'I am the state.'" Sound familiar?

Out with the Black. In with the White. New York Times: “Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the 'NBC Nightly News' over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at 'Dateline,' where he serves as the show’s anchor.... He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until 'the start of summer.' The network did not immediately name a successor.” ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “MSNBC said on Monday that Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who has become one of the most prominent hosts at the network, would anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time. Ms. Psaki, 46, will host a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, replacing Alex Wagner, a longtime political journalist who has anchored that hour since 2022, according to a memo to staff from Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president. Ms. Wagner will remain at MSNBC as an on-air correspondent. Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, has been anchoring the 9 p.m. hour on weeknights for the early days of ... [Donald] Trump’s administration but will return to hosting one night a week at the end of April.”

New York Times: “Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, two people familiar with the changes said. The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, 'The ReidOut,' is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years. MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host 'The Weekend,' which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.” MB: In case you've never seen “The Weekend,” let me assure you it's pretty awful. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: "Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC, the network’s new president announced in a memo to staff on Monday, marking an end to the political analyst and anchor’s prime time news show."

Y! Entertainment: "Meanwhile, [Alex] Wagner will also be removed from her 9 pm weeknight slot. Wagner has already been working as a correspondent after Rachel Maddow took over hosting duties during ... Trump’s first 100 days in office. It’s now expected that Wagner will not return as host, but is expected to stay on as a contributor. Jen Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary, is a likely replacement for Wagner, though a decision has not been finalized." MB: In fairness to Psaki, she is really too boring to watch. On the other hand, she is White. ~~~

     ~~~ RAS: "So MSNBC is getting rid of both of their minority evening hosts. Both women of color who are not afraid to call out the truth. Outspoken minorities don't have a long shelf life in the world of our corporate news media."

As we watch in horror the rapid destruction of our democratic form of government, it is comforting to remember there is life outside politics. I took a break a while ago to enjoy a brief lesson in the history of the moonwalk: ~~~

But it may go back even further:

And this chronological account is helpful:

CNBC: “ CNN plans to lay off hundreds of employees Thursday [Jan. 23] as it refocuses the business around a global digital audience.... The layoffs come as CNN is rearranging its linear TV lineup and building out digital subscription products. The cuts will help CNN lower production costs and consolidate teams, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. Certain shows that are produced in New York or Washington may move to Atlanta, where production can be done more cheaply, said the people. For the most part, the job cuts won’t affect CNN’s most recognizable names, who are under contract, said the people. CNN has about 3,500 employees worldwide.... NBC News is also planning cuts later this week, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. While the exact number couldn’t be determined, the job losses will be well under 50....”

 

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Sunday
Apr242011

The Commentariat -- April 25

This Republican President. Ezra Klein: "... The White House’s [budget] plan is, if anything, substantially more conservative than the Simpson-Bowles [Catfood Commission] framework." ...

... Paul Krugman: "... the only major budget proposal out there offering a plausible path to balancing the budget is the one that includes significant tax increases: the 'People’s Budget' from the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which — unlike the Ryan plan, which was just right-wing orthodoxy with an added dose of magical thinking — is genuinely courageous because it calls for shared sacrifice." Here's a link to the CPC budget, which has a very readable overview. Comments are activiated on the Off Times Square page, and I've posted mine. ...

     ... NEW. For a delicious taste of incomparable parody, I direct you to Krugman Comment #36, the work of one Winnie Regressivita. (You have to be at least a semi-regular Times comments reader to appreciate the art of the comment.) Please recommend it, and no, I didn't write it. But I wish I had.

     ... Update: I've also added a comments page for Ross Douthat's column on Off Times Square. Have at it. Update 2: My comment, which I submitted within minutes of the time Douthat's column went up, has been "disappeared." I guess the moderators didn't like my definition of Douthat's Hell, but you can read my comment in Off Times Square. Update 3: now there are more excellent comments on Douthat. Like mine, Akhilleus' comment likely won't make the Times cut because it's too true.

Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker writes a long, riveting piece about the evolution of Barack Obama's international policy.

Peter Finn of the Washington Post: "A cache of classified military documents obtained by ...WikiLeaks presents new details of the whereabouts [of Al Qaeda leaders] on Sept. 11, 2001, and their movements afterward. The documents also offer some tantalizing glimpses into the whereabouts and operations of Osama bin Laden and his Egyptian deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The documents, provided to European and U.S. news outlets, including The Washington Post, are intelligence assessments of nearly every one of the 779 individuals who have been held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2002." New York Times story by Charlie Savage, et al., here.

Peter Finn & Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post: "... the failed effort to close Guantanamo was reflective of the aspects of [President] Obama’s leadership style that continue to distress his liberal base — a willingness to allow room for compromise and a passivity that at times permits opponents to set the agenda."

The Republicans are looking at this as just another opening to force the president’s hand, to hold everything hostage again. The White House shouldn’t cave, and the Republicans shouldn’t count on that. The White House needs to be tough on this one. -- Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) on the vote to raise the debt ceiling. McGovern also said House Democrats would vote against a GOP-Obama deal with too many GOP cuts attached to it.

Michael Grunwald of Time wants to ask Fed Chair Ben Bernanke why he's failing. "I’ve described Bernanke as the most transparent Fed chairman ever — which, granted, is a bit like being the most intelligent Real Housewife ever — and I think it’s really cool that on Wednesday he’ll hold the first press conference in Fed history." So maybe Grunwald will ask Bernanke that question at the presser, OR ...

... Grunwald could read Paul Krugman, who already knows the real answer: "... what we’ve had is a much downsized version of the policy, more than offset by other government actions — a lot like the fiscal stimulus. And we’re supposed to be surprised that it proved disappointing?" ...

... Benjamin Wallace-Wells profiles Paul Krugman in New York magazine. The print version, which saves your clicking through, is here, but it wanted for some punctuation when I called it up.

"He Broke the Law." Glenn Greenwald has a terrific post on President & Constitutional Scholar Obama's stunning pre-trial declaration that Bradley Manning was guilty as charged. ...

... M. J. Lee & Abby Phillip of Politico cite experts who agree with Greenwald. ...

... Teddy Partridge of Firedoglake compares President Obama's statement & the follow-up/cover-up with President Richard Nxon's declaration that Charles Manson was guilty of murder -- while the jurors were still deliberating. A big difference: the Manson "jurors were not in a directly subordinate relationship to the commander-in-chief, as any jurors in a possible Bradley Manning court-martial would be."

Marcia Dunn of the AP on the launch of the Shuttle Endeavor this Friday, which Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, will captain. Giffords & the Obama family will attend.

Rose George in a New York Times op-ed: the shipping industry is rife with abuse of crews, because of the system of “open registries” [which] are used by over 60 percent of shippers, up from 4 percent in the 1950s. Under the flags of convenience system, registries have been divorced from government oversight."

Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic: it isn't just Medicare, Medicaid & the Affordable Health Act the GOP has voted to end/dismantle. The Ryan/Republican budget, already voted in by House Republicans, will end the food stamp program (now know as SNAP) as we know it.

"They Lied." The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee whacks Republicans who promised during the 2010 campaign to preserve Medicare, then voted to gut it shortly after they took office:

... Meanwhile, Alexander Bolton of The Hill reports that "Senate Democratic aides expect Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to force Senate Republicans to vote on the Paul Ryan budget plan. Reid hasn’t made a formal decision yet, and won’t until he returns from an overseas trip."

It’s like a big hustle. It’s like being a car salesman. Don’t go out there and say things unless you can back them up. How dare you? That’s awful to do. To just go out and speak and say these terrible things? Unless you just wanna get over and get the job. It’s crazy. -- Actor Robert De Niro, on Donald Trump's birther tour

Right Wing World *

Rick Hertzberg: "For the Donald, thinking less and less seems to be working more and more." ...

... Andy Borowitz: "A threat to the fledgling presidential campaign of Donald Trump emerged today, as a group of activists charged that Mr. Trump is not eligible to hold the nation’s highest office because his hair does not originate from the U.S. The group, who call themselves 'Balders,' claim that the hair-like substance that crowns Mr. Trump’s head is from a foreign country, which would mean that the candidate is less than one hundred percent American."

One Way to Cover up a Lie -- Erase It. Nick Carbone of Time: (1) on the Senate floor Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) asserted that more than 90 percent of Planned Parenthood's services were abortion-related. (2) Confronted with the fact that the number is closer to 3 percent, Kyl issued a statement that his remark was "not intended to be factual." (3) When that "excuse" proved to be a ridicule bomb (see, e.g., Colbert below -- about 2 min. in), he just had the remark erased from the Congressional Record.

... Or You Can Go into Hiding. Cameron Joseph of the National Journal: "Republicans who used seniors’ rage over health care changes to sweep into office last fall are now facing the same type of heat over the same issue: Modifications in Medicare and Medicaid. Many who voted for the plan House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., laid out to privatize the programs in future years have been in constituents’ crosshairs during Easter recess town-hall meetings. Others have simply avoided meeting with constituents."

Rick Santorum wants to be President so he can screw up EVERYTHING:

     ... Tanya Somanader of Think Progress lays out Santorum's Choice: "Failure to raise the debt ceiling would force Congress to make devestating cuts that would eviscerate basic government services (including national security and social safety net programs), would increase unemployment and retard economic growth, and would erode confidence in the U.S. Treasury bonds creating widespread panic in global financial markets. But if Congress pays Santorum’s 'price,' it would not only jeopardize popular provisions such as insurance pools for people with pre-existing conditions but 'cripple existing Medicare programs' by preventing the government from making payments to cover seniors. What’s more, as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office noted, defunding health care would actually increase government spending by $5.6 billion by 2021 and, ironically, increase the federal deficit anyway."

* Where facts never intrude.

News Ledes

"Preposterous Charges." Jay Carney defends the President against Franklin Graham's conspiracy theories:

AP: "Proponents of California's same-sex marriage ban filed a motion Monday seeking to vacate the historic ruling that overturned Proposition 8 because the federal judge who wrote it is in a long-term relationship with another man. Lawyers for the ban's backers said that Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker should have removed himself from the case, or at least disclosed his relationship status, to avoid a real or perceived conflict of interest."

AP: "U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to [NFL] the lockout Monday, siding with the players in their bitter fight with the owners over how to divide the $9 billion business. The fate of the 2011 season remained in limbo: The NFL responded by filing a notice of appeal questioning whether Nelson exceeded her jurisdiction, seeking relief from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. Hours later, the league filed a motion for an expedited stay, meaning it wants Nelson to freeze her ruling to let the appeals process play out."

AP: "Republican Gov. Haley Barbour bowed out of presidential contention Monday with a surprise announcement just as the 2012 campaign was getting under way in earnest, 18 months before Election Day. The Mississippi governor said he lacked the necessary 'absolute fire in the belly' to run." Barbour's full statement is here. ...

... BUT National Journal: "Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, whose outspoken libertarian views and folksy style made him a cult hero during two previous presidential campaigns, will announce on Tuesday that he's going to try a third time. Sources close to Paul ... will unveil an exploratory presidential committee.... He will also unveil the campaign’s leadership team in Iowa."

AP: "House Speaker John Boehner said Monday that Congress should 'take a look at' repealing the multibillion-dollar tax subsidies enjoyed by the major oil companies. The Ohio Republican told "ABC World News" that the government is low on revenues and that oil companies "ought to be paying their fair share." A gallon of gasoline exceeds $4 in some parts of the country." Video here.

Politico: "In a real victory for supporters of same-sex marriage -- and marking what seems like real marginalization for its foes -- a major law firm has reversed course and will refuse to represent the House of Representatives in defending the Defense of Marriage Act." ...

... Politico: "Former Solicitor General Paul Clement resigned Monday from his law firm, King amp; Spalding, over the firm's abrupt and belated decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act on behalf of the House of Representatives."

Wall Street Journal: "The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to consider an early legal challenge to the new federal health-care law before the case has been fully litigated in the lower courts. The justices, without comment, rejected Virginia Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's bid for early Supreme Court review." TPM story here.

AP: "Taliban militants dug a lengthy tunnel underground and into the main jail in Kandahar city and whisked out more than 450 prisoners, most of whom were Taliban fighters, officials and insurgents said Monday. The massive overnight jailbreak in Afghanistan's second-largest city underscores the Afghan government's continuing weakness in the south despite an influx of international troops, funding and advisers."

 Al Jazeera: "Syrian troops backed by tanks and heavy armour have stormed the southern town of Deraa and also Douma, a suburb of the capital Damascus, resulting in many deaths and dozens of arrests. Security forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, the country's president, have also continued a crackdown in the coastal town of Jableh for a second day.An activist said late on Monday that 18 people had been killed in Deraa alone."

However, the government insists the army was invited in to rid the town of gunmen.

... Haaretz: "The Obama administration is drafting an executive order to freeze the assets of senior Syrian officials and bar them from engaging in any business dealings with the United States...."

AP: "A Jordanian security official says Syria has sealed the border with Jordan and is preventing people from leaving the country. The Jordanian border crossing lies close to the southern Syrian town of Daraa, where government forces were launching a sharp crackdown on protesters Monday. Some of the fiercest protests against the Syrian regime have taken place in Daraa."

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