The Conversation -- January 17, 2025
Marie: Now I'm having a genuine sad: ~~~
~~~ John Santucci & Katherine Faulders of ABC News: "... Donald Trump said he is moving his inauguration indoors Monday due to the freezing weather expected in Washington, D.C. Trump said he'll be sworn in and deliver his inauguration address inside the Capitol Rotunda.... 'We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade, Trump [said]. 'I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In.' Due to this change, the 'vast majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the ceremonies in person,' according to the Joint Inaugural Committee. 'Those with tickets for the Presidential Platform and members of Congress will be able to attend in person.'" MB: Sadly, the Capital One Arena is an indoor facility, too. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Wait, they're having a parade inside the arena? Weird. Here's a list of the groups slated to march around in a circle.
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court ruled against TikTok on Friday, rejecting the social media company's First Amendment challenge to the law that effectively bans it in the United States starting on Sunday. The unanimous decision may deal a death blow to the U.S. operations of the wildly popular app, which serves up short-form videos that are a leading source of information and entertainment to tens of millions of Americans, especially younger ones.... The Biden administration has said that given the timing, it would fall to the incoming administration to enforce the law.... Donald J. Trump, who has signaled his support for the app, had explored the possibility of an executive order that could allow TikTok to keep operating despite the pending ban. It is unclear whether the tactic would withstand legal challenges or even how such an order would work." This is a liveblog. Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Oh, don't worry, kids. Pam Bondi, Trump's choice for AG, who is most likely to be confirmed, would not say in her confirmation hearing yesterday whether or not she would enforce a TikTok ban. And as we know, the Supremes do not have their own enforcement arm.
Erica Green & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "President Biden announced on Friday that he would commute the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates serving long prison terms for nonviolent drug offenses, the broadest commutation of individual sentences ever issued by a U.S. president. The commutations are for offenders who received harsher sentences for drug crimes than they would under current practices, a move aimed at reversing longstanding criminal justice disparities, Mr. Biden said. Those disparities disproportionately affected Black people and fueled mass incarceration, many experts say.... Mr. Biden said his latest commutations would help those who received sentences based on now-discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, or faced inflated charges for drug crimes. Mr. Biden said in his statement that he was following the lead of Congress, which over the past two decades has passed legislation to remedy decades-long disparities spurred by tough-on-crime laws, such as mandatory minimum sentences." An NBC News story is here. ~~~
~~~ President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here.
Annie Karni & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: relate how Chuck Schumer finally got around to urging President Biden not to run for re-election. "The roughly 45-minute conversation, which took place on [] July 13, 2024, on] a screened-in porch overlooking a pond, was more pointed and emotional than previously known, and helps to explain how Mr. Biden came to the decision just over a week later to end his campaign. It is a central piece of the untold story of how Mr. Schumer and congressional Democrats, who spent years batting away suggestions that Mr. Biden was too old and mentally frail to be president, ultimately led the effort to pressure him to step aside." Read on. As we all know, it was too little, too late.
~~~~~~~~~~
Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden is ending his time in office as he began, with a burst of executive actions meant to differentiate him from the man who preceded him and will succeed him: ... Donald Trump. Biden's actions have been far-reaching, touching nearly every area of government, and are likely to continue up until his final hours in office, according to administration officials.... When Biden convened his Cabinet in September, he urged department heads to take actions that would burnish his legacy, while preventing a potential future Trump administration from chipping away at it. 'This Cabinet meeting comes at a time when we have four months left in the administration,' he said that day. 'And we're going to keep running through the tape, because the vice president and I are determined to keep making sure that the democracy delivers what the American people are asking for and what we provided.'"
~~~ Trump Wants to Look Like a Movie Villain. He Succeeds. Rachel Raposas of People: "Donald Trump's new official White House portrait bears a striking resemblance to his historic mug shot taken in August 2023. The president-elect's transition team shared the inaugural portrait for his second term on Thursday, Jan. 16, ahead of his swearing-in ceremony on Monday."
Marie: It's 10 degrees here as I write this, but here's the sort of forecast I was hoping for: ~~~
~~~ Jason Samenow of the Washington Post: "Before the coldest air of the season arrives on Inauguration Day, a fresh coating of snow is possible in the D.C. area. A storm system may develop along the Arctic cold front that will pass through the area Sunday.... Then, the coldest air of the season will barge into the area, resulting in the coldest Inauguration Day since President Ronald Reagan's in 1985." MB: May the billionaires freeze their asses off.
⭐Implementing the Oligarchy, Ctd. Bessent: Tax Cuts for the Rich Are Our Number One Priority. Jennifer Bahney of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump's pick for Treasury chief, billionaire Scott Bessent, received blowback on social media after claiming that Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy would prevent 'economic calamity.'... 'This is the single most important economic issue of the day -- this is pass/fail,' Bessent said. 'If we do not fix these tax cuts, if we do not renew and extend, then we will be facing an economic calamity and, as always with financial instability, that falls on the middle and working-class people.'" ~~~
~~~ BUT. Taylor Giorno of the Hill: "Scott Bessent ... said Thursday that he would not support raising the minimum wage. Bessent, if confirmed, would not have the authority to raise wages, which would require an act of Congress. But Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who introduced a bill in the 117th Congress to raise the minimum wage to $15, asked Bessent, a hedge fund manager, to work with him and other lawmakers who want to implement a 'living wage.' 'I believe that the minimum wage is more of a statewide and regional issue,' Bessent said during his confirmation hearing.... 'So you don't think we should change the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour?' Sanders asked. 'No, sir,' Bessent responded." ~~~
~~~ Marie: These people see nothing wrong with letting the peasants starve while billionaires skate. Pitchforks required.
~~~ New York Times: "Senate confirmation hearings for the Trump cabinet have resumed. They include Doug Burgum for interior secretary, Scott Turner for housing secretary, Lee Zeldin for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary. Mr. Bessent, appearing before the Senate Banking Committee, called for extending the expiring 2017 tax cuts and for tougher sanctions on Russia." This is a liveblog. (Also linked yesterday.)
Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times: "As Mr. Trump's pick for ambassador to Denmark, [tech investor Ken] Howery is expected to be central to what Mr. Trump hopes will be a real-estate deal of epic proportions. The only hitch is that Denmark, which counts Greenland as its autonomous territory, says the island is not for sale.... Mr. Trump has been explicit about his expectations for his new ambassador filling a once-sleepy post. When he announced Mr. Howery for the role, which requires Senate confirmation, he reiterated his designs on Greenland for the first time since winning the presidency."
Andrew Solender of Axios: "House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is staring down surprise and frustration from lawmakers in both parties for removing Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as chair of the House Intelligence Committee.... The ouster of Turner, a staunch foreign policy hawk and defender of the intelligence community, was a blow to the large bipartisan bloc of national security-minded lawmakers in Congress. Turner's replacement is Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), who is closer to MAGA world on issues like Ukraine, Axios' Hans Nichols reported." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Former Rep. Dave Jolly (R-Fla.) has a theory for why Trump wanted Turner removed from the Intel Committee (Johnson removed Turner from not just the chair but also the entire committee). The chair of the House Intel Committee is a member of the Gang of Eight, who are briefed on high-level intelligence matters. Jolly said on MSNBC yesterday that Turner probably knew more than Jack Smith did about Trump's little coup plot. Jolly's theory, which makes a lot of sense to me, is that Trump doesn't want someone like Turner, whom he deems insufficiently loyal to him, to be privy to any of Trump's future extra-Constitutional antics.
Earlier this week, PBS found out what Americans think of Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Bobby Kennedy, Jr. & Elon Musk. As Ken W. noted, they do seem to like Bobby Junior the most. MB: In fairness to these opinionated Americans, I would posit that a substantial percentage who have expressed their favorable opinion of Junior think he is RFK Sr. One way or another, these people are not very bright. (Also linked yesterday.)
Kenneth Chang of the New York Times: "The seventh test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket failed on Thursday as the vehicle's upper stage experienced a catastrophic malfunction as it headed upward to space. SpaceX was able to achieve some success by repeating the feat of catching the gargantuan Super Heavy booster back at the launchpad.... Videos posted on the social media site X appeared to show debris raining down from the sky over the Caribbean, likely parts of a disintegrated rocket. In his own post on X, Mr. Musk shared video footage of the debris and wrote 'Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!'" MB: Falling rocket shards that could kill are so entertaining, Elon.
Stefanos Chen & Sean Piccoli of the New York Times: "Rudolph W. Giuliani has reached a settlement with two Georgia election workers who he repeatedly, and falsely, claimed had helped to steal the 2020 election. The former mayor of New York was at risk of losing millions of dollars worth of personal mementos, valuables and real estate that he had gathered over his decades practicing law and then in public office. He had previously been ordered to pay down some $11 million of a $148 million judgment he owed the election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, who he claimed had manipulated ballots. The full details of the settlement have yet to be released, but a letter signed by both sides in the case said that, once certain conditions were met, it would result 'in the conclusion of all litigation.' Mr. Giuliani declared victory and said he was going to hang onto all of a treasure trove of items that included a 10-room apartment on the Upper East Side, a vintage Mercedes-Benz convertible and a signed Joe DiMaggio jersey." A Politico story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: This seriously saddens me, because I really wanted to see those two women tooling around Georgia in Rudy's old Mercedes convertible. With the top down, of course.
Know Thy Neighbors. The New York Times has a detailed map of how voters voted in the 2024 presidential election, and how that compared to the vote in the 2020 election. MB: I'm happy to say that where I live, Kamala Harris beat Trump by 27 points & only a little less than the percentage by which Biden beat Trump in 2020. Thanks to laura h. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~~~~~~~~
Florida. Matt Dixon of NBC News: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed state Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate, setting her up to fill the seat of Sen. Marco Rubio, whom ... Donald Trump tapped to be secretary of state.... he will have to run in a 2026 special election to keep the seat for the final two years of Rubio's term." (Also linked yesterday.)
New York. Mayor Adams Does the Mar-a-Lardo Knee-Bend. Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, his re-election chances in doubt and a federal indictment looming over him, flew to Florida on Thursday to meet with ... Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago just four days before the inauguration. The mayor, a Democrat, made the trip with no advance announcement. His aides said only that the two men would discuss 'New Yorkers' priorities' when they meet on Friday. Mr. Adams joins a diverse roster of leaders from around the world who've made the trip to Mar-a-Lago since the election, and he is not the first Democrat. John Fetterman, the Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, met with Mr. Trump last week. Other recent visitors have included Viktor Orban, the authoritarian prime minister of Hungary, and Justin Trudeau, the liberal prime minister of Canada, who is leaving office soon. The mayor requested the meeting, according to two people with knowledge of the trip. The city is funding the trip because it has a 'city purpose,' the mayor's spokeswoman said." Politico's story is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Canada. Amanda Holpuch of the New York Times: "A couple in Canada were [was!] returning home from walking their dogs some months ago when they found a burst of dusty debris on their walkway. They turned to their security-camera footage for answers and found it showed a mysterious puff of smoke appearing on the tidy walkway where the mystery splotch was. The source of the splotch was officially registered on Monday as the Charlottetown meteorite, named after the city on Prince Edward Island, in eastern Canada, where it landed.... 'To the best of my knowledge, it's the first time that a meteorite hitting the surface of the Earth has been recorded on video with sound,' said Dr. [Chris] Herd [of the University of Alberta], who identified the space rock after the couple sent the video to the University of Alberta's meteorite reporting system." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yeah, or maybe it was some of Elon's entertaining SpaceX debris.
Israel's Wars. The New York Times' liveblog of developments Friday in Israel's wars is here: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a meeting of Israel's political security cabinet on Friday to vote on the Gaza cease-fire deal after Israeli and Hamas negotiators worked out their remaining differences." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here.
News Ledes
The New York Times' live udpates on the Los Angeles-area fires are here.
New York Times: "Bob Uecker, the clubhouse wit who turned his tales of inferiority as a major league catcher into a comic narrative that animated his second career as a sportscaster and commercial pitchman, died on Thursday at his home in Menomonee Falls, Wis. He was 90. His family announced the death in a statement released by the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom he had long been a broadcaster."
Share Article
Reader Comments (14)
I thought Crudey Rudy couldn’t find his Joe DiMaggio shirt. Did it all of a sudden reappear? Likewise the title for his Mercedes which he “couldn’t find” when he was supposed to turn it over to the women he viciously attacked.
If I weren’t a nice guy, I’d hope for Runny Hair Dye Man to die a painful death bewailing the fact that he pissed away his reputation in service to a cheap hood and lying rapist who doesn’t even know he exists now.
Bad weather for Fat Hitler’s coronation? Lemme see. He’ll need to show how macho he is (that official inauguration photo is a six year old trying to look mean) so maybe he won’t wear a hat and coat and maybe…if we’re lucky…we get a repeat of William Henry Harrison’s post inauguration fun times.
Sorry…just let me enjoy the fantasy…
Akhilleus...
Ah, are you saying...
Much as they loved the Fat Fuck's fake "do,"
They'll soon be bending the knee to Jaydee, too?
or somesuch?
Thom Hartmann
"The Grievance Machine: How Republicans Weaponize Fear to Win
Why Democrats must build their own outrage machine now: it’s time for a coordinated attack on Trump’s grievance empire…"
Trying again:
The Supremes letting the Pretender know who's still Top Dawg.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/17/us/tiktok-ban-supreme-court?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg44wpzx12o
Great selections, don't you all think?
Misogynistic...anti-semitic......perfect Hollywood fit.
Everyone should order from Prime for cherries to be delivered to the WH next Tuesday. In appreciation.
Ken,
The billionaires will all be out couch shopping in case Shady comes to visit. He’ll get his own room where he can have his special “executive time”.
Patrick,
You mean Taylor made cherries…nice idea. If the cold don’t get ‘im, maybe the cherries will. Gotta try something!
@Patrick: I'm thinking it wasn't the cherries but the milk that did in old Zach.
I'm planning to send Trump gallons of raw milk with a gift card that says it came from RFK Jr. Junior has been complaining about the FDA's "aggressive suppression" of raw milk, which is very good for you, sez he. Till it isn't.
Too cold for manly man Fatty and his couch humping VP. Coronation moved indoors. No biggest crowds ever. Waaaahhh.
In announcing the decision to move the Fat Hitler coronation indoors, Trump sounded wicked concerned for all the MAGAts who might show up:
“I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses…”
Awww…isn’t that nice? He’s even worried about the doggies and the horsies! And law enforcement too! What a nice guy. Not at like that vicious punk-ass prick who didn’t give a shit about safety four years ago when he sicced his mob of armed thugs on the Capitol, storming the building, beating cops and looking to string up the Vice President while stopping the democratic process and overthrowing the government. What was that guy’s name again? A fat guy, kinda stupid, bad spray tan, full of himself. Geeez. What a piece of shit. We’re lucky that asshole’s not still in the White House. We might not have a country left when he’s finished with it.
Can’t remember his name now. You know who I mean…he had a stupid family too. Crooks and grifters, all of ‘em.
Well anyway…at least now we have a guy who is Concerned™ for the little people.
Lucky us.
(By the way, I see the Park Service has decided they won’t be announcing inauguration crowd size anymore. They don’t want the headaches of having to correct Fatty’s self-serving lies. One more nice little bit of Americana gotten rid of so as not to piss off Fat Hitler.)
I don't believe that it's being moved inside due to the weather.
I'll bet the spawn will be at the doors collecting entrance fees.
Gotta get some dough to pay for those habits. (Why did spellcheck
keep changing that to rabbits?).
If there were anything that disqualified a Pretender nominee, this one should come close to topping the list:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/health/rfk-jr-covid-vaccines.html?