The Conversation -- January 9, 2025
⭐Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied ... Donald J. Trump's emergency bid to halt his criminal sentencing in New York, all but ensuring it would proceed as planned on Friday. In a brief unsigned order, a five-justice majority noted that Mr. Trump was not facing jail time and that he could still challenge his conviction 'in the ordinary course on appeal.' Although Mr. Trump had argued that being sentenced 10 days before his inauguration would distract from the presidential transition, the majority held, 'The burden that sentencing will impose on the president-elect's responsibilities is relatively insubstantial.'... Four of the court's conservative justices -- Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh -- noted dissents without providing reasons." ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. received a call on his cellphone Tuesday. It was ... Donald J. Trump, calling from Florida. Hours later, Mr. Trump's legal team would ask Justice Alito and his eight colleagues on the Supreme Court to block his sentencing in New York for falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a pornographic film actress.... The call and its timing flouted any regard for even the appearance of a conflict of interest at a time when the Supreme Court has come under intense scrutiny over the justices' refusal to adopt a more rigorous and enforceable ethics code. The circumstances were extraordinary for another reason: Justice Alito was being drawn into a highly personalized effort by some Trump aides to blackball Republicans deemed insufficiently loyal to Mr. Trump from entering the administration...." Read on for the details. ~~~
~~~ Eloise Goldsmith of Common Dreams: "... Congressman Jamie Raskin was among those Thursday who called for Alito's recusal from the high profile case.... Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, denounced the call as a 'breach of judicial ethics' in a statement Thursday, adding 'especially when paired with his troubling past partisan ideological activity in favor of Trump, Justice Alito's decision to have a personal phone call with President Trump -- who obviously has an active and deeply personal matter before the court -- makes clear that he fundamentally misunderstands the basic requirements of judicial ethics or, more likely, believes himself to be above judicial ethics altogether.'" ~~~
~~~ Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Thursday blasted conservative Justice Samuel Alito for having a conversation with ... Trump amidst Trump's effort to have courts halt his criminal sentencing in New York. 'Brazenly unapologetic, Justice Alito has made impropriety the norm,' Blumenthal wrote on social media.... 'This inexcusable call w/ Trump certainly should compel recusal, disqualifying him from this case & much more. The Court's current supposed ethical standards are an unenforceable sham,' Blumenthal posted on the social platform X." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Obviously, Alito not only failed to recuse himself after his egregious breach of ethics, he sided with Trump in the case, effectively proving he is corrupt.
President Biden delivered the eulogy for President Carter in the National Cathedral. I commend you to hear him. (Sorry, linked earlier then disappeared. It's back now): ~~~
~~~ Here is the New York Times liveblog of the funeral & other proceedings.
Michael Shear: "With Mr. Trump in the audience, Mr. Biden did not single him out by name. But he delivered a message laced with meaning that could have been aimed at the next president."
Peter Baker: "Among the foreign dignitaries on hand are Justin Trudeau, who just announced that he is stepping down as prime minister of Canada, and Martín Torrijos, the former president of Panama. Trudeau's father was prime minister when Carter was president, and Torrijos's father was the president of Panama who signed the treaty with Carter turning over the Panama Canal."
~~~ Marie: When Donald & Melanie passed in front of Mike & Karen Pence, who were seated in the second row of pews, Mike rose & shook hands with Donald. Karen sat staring straight ahead, seeming to pretend the Trumps weren't there. President Obama had the misfortune of being seated right next to Donald Trump & seemed to be very polite to him.
Hadas Gold of CNN: "... Donald Trump’s team was given the questions asked by Fox News anchors at an Iowa town hall last January in advance by someone inside the network, according to a forthcoming book, in what would be a serious breach of journalism ethics. The report, which Fox said it plans to investigate, comes from the forthcoming book ... by Alex Isenstadt, a national political reporter at Politico.... Isenstadt told CNN the anecdote was based on 'multiple people with direct knowledge' of the event and that he was fully confident in the reporting....
"In 2022, CNN reported that [Fox personality Maria] Bartiromo had sent text messages to Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, outlining what she planned to ask in her interview with Trump in November 2020. The texts were revealed as part of Congress' investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.... Isenstadt reports that Trump seriously considered tapping ... Bartiromo as his running mate, before being talked out of it by his team." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Gosh, Donald Trump cheated on not just one test but two -- that we know of. Contrast the Trump team's behavior that Gold outlines with that of Al Gore's team in 2000, when they received copies of George W. Bush's campaign debate book & other Bush campaign material.
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Peter Baker of the New York Times: "A weeklong series of tributes to former President Jimmy Carter culminates on Thursday with a solemn state funeral in Washington that will bring together all five of the nation's living presidents.... Mr. Carter, who has lain in state for the past two days at the Capitol, will be brought to Washington National Cathedral for a 10 a.m. service featuring all the rituals of a national send-off. Then he will be flown back to his hometown, Plains, Ga., for burial outside the modest ranch house where he lived most of his life and died last week. The service represents the pinnacle of America's honors to its 39th president, who sought to heal the nation after the traumas of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War as he presided over a tumultuous time, from 1977 to 1981. President Biden will deliver a eulogy, as will Jason Carter, the former president's grandson, and Stuart E. Eizenstat, a longtime friend and White House domestic adviser to Mr. Carter. Eulogies that former President Gerald R. Ford and former Vice President Walter F. Mondale wrote before their own deaths will be read by their sons, Steven Ford and Ted Mondale." ~~~
~~~ Marie: My prayer for Jimmy Carter includes a wish that Trump not figure out a way to gum up the funeral.
Brett Samuels of the Hill: 'President Biden will no longer travel to Italy this weekend as fires rage in Los Angeles County, the White House said Wednesday. 'After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel fighting the historic fires raging in the area and approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,' press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement." ~~~
~~~ You know who didn't cancel her trip abroad? The mayor of Los Angeles! ~~~
~~~ Alex Nieves of Politico: "Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced mounting criticism Wednesday for her handling of deadly wildfires that continued to rage across the region, taking blame from influential city figures as she traveled back from a trip to Africa. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, slammed Bass in an X post claiming the mayor slashed the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget, despite the high risk of wildfires in the region, and raised questions about reports that some fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades had run dry.... Moderate Democrat Rick Caruso, a real estate mogul who lost his mayoral bid to Bass in 2022, spent the morning making local TV appearances blasting Bass for traveling to Ghana, despite reports as early as last week about an impending wind storm."
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden acknowledged in a new interview released on Wednesday that he might not have had the vitality to serve another four years in office, even as he insisted that he could have won re-election had he stayed in the race.... Mr. Biden also confirmed ,,, that he was considering granting pre-emptive pardons to some of Mr. Trump's perceived enemies to protect them against what the incoming president has vowed wll be 'retribution.' Among those known to be under consideration are figures like former Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, who led the response to the coronavirus pandemic. During his meeting with Mr. Trump after the election, Mr. Biden said he tried to dissuade him from pursuing his adversaries.... The interview with USA Today itself demonstrated how the White House tried to shield him from encounters that might throw him off. After four years in office, it was he first time he has ever given an interview to any reporter from a major mainstream newspaper." (Also linked yesterday.)
Alexandra Marquez of NBC News: "President Joe Biden welcomed his first great-grandchild in California on Wednesday after his granddaughter Naomi Biden gave birth.... Biden said his granddaughter gave birth to 'a 10-pound, 4-ounce baby girl' before he quickly corrected himself to say 'baby boy.' Biden is the first modern president to have a great-grandchild born while in office. First lady Jill Biden shared a photo of herself and the president holding their great-grandson on Instagram later Wednesday with the caption 'We are proud to introduce you to our great-grandson: William Brannon Neal, IV.'"
Alan Feuer & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors tacitly signaled on Wednesday that the public may never see a portion of a report by the special counsel, Jack Smith, detailing his investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's refusal to give back a trove of classified documents he took from the White House.... Mr. Trump's legal team has been fighting a pitched battle in recent days to keep the report out of the public eye. In court papers on Wednesday, the Justice Department said that Attorney General Merrick B. Garland did not intend to release the volume about the documents inquiry until legal proceedings have ended against two co-defendants who were charged along with Mr. Trump.... The case against Mr. Trump's co-defendants is likely to continue into his second term starting Jan. 20, when he could pardon the men and end the case altogether. His appointees would then have the power to continue keeping Mr. Smith's report secret....
"The Justice Department does plan to release the portion of Mr. Smith's report focusing on the election interference charges, the court papers said. In their filing to the appeals court, prosecutors said that Mr. Garland would make Mr. Smith's report about the classified documents case available to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, except for information that is covered by a grand jury secrecy rule." (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Justice Department revealed Garland's decision Wednesday morning in a court filing opposing Trump's effort to block Smith from releasing his final report altogether, 'since the President-elect is no longer a defendant in any Special Counsel matter.' Both cases against Trump were dismissed after he won election to a second term in November, with prosecutors citing long standing DOJ policies against prosecuting a sitting president.... In the filing, prosecutors asked the 11th Circuit to overturn Cannon's order, which appears to block the release of any portion of the entire report for the time being. The Justice Department is awaiting a ruling from the 11th circuit on this request before setting a timeline for releasing the 2020 election report." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The DOJ's court filing, an "Opposition to Motion for Injunction," is here. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~
~~~ Jonathan Last of the Bulwark has another idea: Jack "Smith's report should be public. As a matter of tradition (all previous special counsel reports were published) and also as a matter of morality.... [Now, under the Supreme Court's blanket of immunity,] if President Biden were to publish the report this afternoon in violation of Judge Cannon's order, he would do so with total immunity. Or, if the attorney general were to publish the report, putting himself at risk of being held in contempt of court, he could be pardoned by President Biden. That would all be perfectly above-board. Yet, amazingly, Biden and Garland seem to still be in 2015 mode.... President Biden should publish both volumes of Smith's report before leaving office.... Joe Biden didn't make these rules; but like it or not, the country is now governed by them. Unilateral disarmament is for suckers and hippies." Thanks to laura h. for the link
Trump Asks Supremes to Save Him Again. Josh Gerstein & Erica Orden of Politico: "... Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to halt his Friday sentencing for his hush money criminal conviction after a New York appeals court judge declined to intervene. Trump's lawyers filed an emergency application with the high court early Wednesday after the New York appeals court on Tuesday turned down his request to indefinitely postpone the sentencing.... The trial court judge scheduled to sentence Trump on Friday, Justice Juan Merchan, has indicated he doesn't plan to send Trump to jail and will permit him to attend the proceeding virtually. Still, Trump's lawyers told the Supreme Court that the sentencing will result in 'burden, disruption, stigma, and distraction' to him as he carries out his duties as president-elect. A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office prosecuted the case against Trump, said: 'We will respond in court papers.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Right. It's a stigma and a distraction. And a burden on accounta Trump can't handle two things at once. He can't handle one thing at once. ~~~
~~~ Ben Protess & Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump argues that he is entitled to full immunity from prosecution, and even sentencing, now that he is the president-elect. His lawyers have based that claim on a Supreme Court ruling last year that granted former presidents broad immunity for official acts.... A Supreme Court stay might scuttle Mr. Trump's sentencing for good." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Lisa Rubin pointed out on MSNBC that the Justice who would handle a New York request for a stay is Sonia Sotomayor. Although Rubin speculated that Sotomayor will likely hand the motion over to the full Court for a decision, she has the power to just tell Trump to faggedaboudit. Lordy, I hope she does.
Marie: I've been having a sad about Sam Alito because despite his willingness to accept bribes from rich Americans with business before the Court, he hasn't pulled in nearly as much swag as has his buddy Clarence (as far as we know). Luckily for Sam, there is more than one way to bribe him or turn his head: ~~~
~~~ Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. spoke with ... Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, not long before Mr. Trump's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to delay his sentencing following his conviction in New York in a case arising from hush money payments. Justice Alito said the call was a routine job reference for a former law clerk whom Mr. Trump was considering for a government position. It was not clear, however, why Mr. Trump would make a call to check references, a task generally left to lower-level aides. Gabe Roth..., director of Fix the Court..., said the call was deeply problematic given the ethics controversies swirling around the court in general and Justice Alito in particular.... 'Typically,' he added, 'Trump and Alito are better at hiding their ethics issues, at least for a few months.... But with the Supreme Court greenlighting near-absolute presidential immunity last year, and with Congress refusing to pass enforceable ethics for the justices, it appears there's no reason to even try." The ABC News story, which broke the story, is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: As usual, none of this is Sam's fault, and he is happy to ID & finger a former clerk: "'William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position,' Justice Alito said. 'I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon.'" According to the ABC News report, "Levi is being considered for various legal jobs in the incoming administration, including general counsel of the Department of Defense, sources said. Levi, who clerked for Justice Alito from 2011-2012, served in the first Trump administration as chief of staff to then-Attorney General Bill Barr." I suppose I feel better about this, now that I know Levi is a jerk. ~~~
~~~ Update. Liptak notes that "It was not clear ... why Mr. Trump would make a call to check references, a task generally left to lower-level aides." Well, maybe not to Liptak, but it was clear to Akhilleus. See his commentary at the top of today's thread.
Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: "Since winning a second presidential term, Donald Trump has made a curious pivot to a kind of performative imperialism.... This time around... , we cannot simply assume that Trump's most harebrained schemes will fizzle.... Trump has long insisted that the United States should seize smaller countries' natural resources, and that American allies should be paying us protection money, as if they were shopkeepers and America were a mob boss.... [Also,] Trump seems to grasp the need for public dramas to entertain the MAGA base. Spectacles of domination play an important role in Trump's political style.... Trump could very well blunder from performative imperialism into a live shooting war.... More likely, he will antagonize allies and provoke voters in those countries to elevate nationalist leaders of their own who will stand up to the United States rather than cooperate with it." Thanks to laura h. for this gift link. (If it doesn't work, the link her comment in today's thread does work.) (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Leigh Kimmins of the Daily Beast, republished by Yahoo! News: "The man shown in a video posted by ... Donald Trump to Truth Social pleading for the U.S. to buy Greenland is a convicted drug dealer, according to local media reports. Taking to his social media site, Trump shared a clip of the heavy-set bearded man barking at the camera whilst wearing a MAGA cap. 'Denmark is taking advantage of us too much,' he told Trump representatives who were recording him after a chance meeting. 'Buy us! Buy Greenland! We don't want to be colonized by the Danish government anymore.'... [The MAGA enthusiast Timmy] Zeeb is a convicted drug dealer, violent criminal, and serial offender, according to Danish media outlets DR News and B.T.... Donald Trump Jr. touched down on the territory after his father suggested it was an 'absolute necessity' for the U.S. to have 'ownership and control' of it." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Don't you worry, Mr. Zeeb. I'm sure Donald Sr. will pardon you once the U.S. takes Greenland by force.
~~~ Jamey Keaten & Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,' [Donald the Larger] Trump wrote. 'The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!' Supporters later posted video of Trump speaking by phone to locals. In a statement, Greenland's government said Donald Trump Jr.'s visit was taking place 'as a private individual' and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him." (Also linked yesterday.)
Emily Brooks of the Hill: "Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) will introduce a bill that would authorize the president to purchase the Panama Canal and put it under U.S. control, an acquisition that ... Trump has been pushing over the last several weeks."
Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: "Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) on Wednesday warned senators not to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next health and human services secretary, sharing a dark story about Kennedy fueling an anti-vaccine misinformation campaign that Green said led to dozens of children dying in Samoa amid a measles outbreak. 'This is an absolute life-or-death decision that the Senate ... and frankly the incoming president is poised to make over our future,' Green, who is also a physician, said at a Capitol Hill press conference with other lawmakers who are medical professionals."
Theodore Schleifer, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's inaugural committee is no longer selling tickets for major donors to attend his swearing-in and accompanying private events in Washington.... The committee has raised over $170 million.... The haul is so big that some seven-figure donors have been placed on wait lists or have been told they probably will not receive V.I.P. tickets at all because the events are at capacity.... Leftover money is likely to be transferred to a committee for the eventual Trump presidential library." MB: How embarrassing to be a fat cat who doesn't get a ticket to the Fat Cats' Ball!
You may not be surprised to learn Republicans have become aggressively rude even in situations where at least a pretense of comity is traditional & expected: ~~~
~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "On Friday, [Bruce] Fischer, who stood beside his wife [Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)] holding the Bible on which she swore her oath, appeared to snub [Vice President Kamala] Harris by declining to shake her hand or even make eye contact with her afterward. Footage of the awkward interaction circulated widely online, with Democrats accusing Mr. Fischer of being racist, sexist and disrespectful of Ms. Harris, and MAGA commenters defending him.... The frostiness began before the vice president read the oath, when Ms. Fischer introduced her husband and positioned him next to Ms. Harris to hold the Bible for her. He appeared so reluctant to stand close to the vice president that she commented. 'It's OK, I won't bite. I'm not going to bite, don't worry,' Ms. Harris said." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Not very Christian of you, Bruce. I'm going to guess (with no specific knowledge) that Bruce there considers himself a good Christian. Yet he thinks it's fine to openly (and in front of cameras) show disrespect to a woman who has offered her hand in friendship. While he was holding a Christian Bible. I guess Bruce is not familiar with that part of the Sermon on the Mount which credits Jesus with saying, "You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." [Matt 5:43-44]
Philip Marcelo of the AP: "Disgraced former congressman George Santos, facing a federal prison sentence, has won a few months' freedom to come up with more than half a million dollars in court fines -- including from work on his new podcast. A New York judge on Wednesday granted the Republican's request to delay his Feb. 7 sentencing after he pleaded guilty this summer to federal fraud and identity theft charges. U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert set the new court date for April 25, which is about three months less than Santos sought."
Marshall Cohen of CNN: "The disgraced former FBI informant who falsely accused President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden of taking a $10 million bribe from Ukraine was sentenced Wednesday to six years in federal prison, according to court records. The ex-informant, Alexander Smirnov, who is a dual US-Israeli citizen, has been in jail since his arrest last February. The sentencing in Los Angeles wraps up one of the final remnants of special counsel David Weiss" investigation into Hunter Biden and related matters. The only order of business that appears to be unsettled is Weiss' final report, which, per federal regulations, will be submitted to the attorney general, who can then release it to the public."
On the Waterfront. Lauren Gurley of the Washington Post: "Port terminal operators and the longshoremen's union reached a tentative deal Wednesday that averts a port strike that would have shut down the major East and Gulf coast ports next week. The deal must still be voted on by union members but offers workers new protections against automated technology replacing jobs in addition to hefty wage gains. The International Longshoremen's Association, the union representing dockworkers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, representing container carriers and port operating employers, called the deal a 'win-win' in a joint statement.... Trump had declared his support for the union, after inviting ILA President Harold Daggett, who according to the union has decades-long ties to the incoming president, to his Mar-a-Lago estate in December."
Noam Scheiber & Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "Two prominent labor groups are joining forces in an attempt to expand union membership and protect members' interests as they face the likelihood of a less union-friendly federal government under Donald J. Trump. The Service Employees International Union, which represents nearly two million workers in industries like home health care and janitorial services, said on Wednesday that it would become part of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., an umbrella group of more than 50 unions that represent more than 12.5 million workers. The boards of the two groups formally approved the affiliation arrangement earlier in the day."
Springtime for Bankers. Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Banks are on a winning streak, one that's poised to intensify as President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office. Biden-appointed regulators at the Federal Reserve and other agencies presided over a relatively fruitless era of bank oversight.... The rules [they proposed] were considered so onerous -- including by some top Fed officials -- that they died of their own ambitions.... During his first term, Mr. Trump appointed a slate of conservative judges who then slowly but significantly shifted the legal environment against strict federal oversight.... Big banks have been notching major victories that could allow them to avoid regulatory checks that were drawn up after the 2008 financial crisis.... And with Mr. Trump once again poised to run the White House, analysts predict that the regulations and supervisory practices that are supposed to prevent America's biggest and most interconnected financial institutions from making risky bets could be further chipped away...."
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Lebanon. Mohamad El Chamaa & Suzan Haidamous of the Washington Post: "Lebanon's parliament voted Thursday to elect Gen. Joseph Aoun, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the country's new president, ending a years-long leadership vacuum that hobbled the government, delayed key reforms and raised fears of a wider collapse as the nation faced numerous crises. Aoun, 60, was widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, which funds, trains and arms the Lebanese military and helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah in November. He received 99 out of 128 votes from across the political spectrum, including Hezbollah lawmakers and their rivals in parliament."
Mexico. "America Mexicana": President Trolls Trump. Emiliano Mega of the New York Times: "President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico used her Wednesday morning news conference to show a world map dating from 1607. The map labeled North America as Mexican America and already identified the Gulf of Mexico as such, 169 years before the United States was founded. 'Why don't we call it Mexican America? It sounds pretty, no?' Ms. Sheinbaum said while pointing to the map and smiling. In response to Mr. Trump's comment that Mexico was 'essentially run by the cartels,' Ms. Sheinbaum told reporters on Wednesday that, 'with all due respect,' the president-elect was ill-informed." Politico's report is here.
News Ledes
New York Times: "A new wildfire that raced across the Hollywood Hills early Thursday, threatening a wealthy area indelibly tied to the American film industry, put additional strain on millions of Los Angeles area residents already stressed by catastrophic blazes that have erased entire neighborhoods and streaked the sky with smoke and embers. The fires have killed at least five people, put tens of thousands under mandatory evacuation orders or warnings and burned more than 27,000 acres, equivalent to nearly 20,000 football fields. The largest ones, the Palisades and Eaton fires, have destroyed at least 2,000 structures and are already the two most destructive ever to hit Los Angeles." This is a liveblog. ~~~
~~~ The New York Times reproduces a number of maps, some of them satellite imagery, tracking the fires.
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ANOTHER perfect phone call?
This is getting to be a regular thing with the Fat Felon. So here’s the underhanded way of getting this latest perfect phone call off the ground: Hit Man Sam Alito has this former clerk who’s by way of looking for a job with the incoming Nazi administration. Maybe a little…um…chit chat with Fatty regarding this former clerk guy’s resume.
Such bullshit. First, by all accounts, this Levi dude has impeccable PoT street cred. He was a big mucky muck working with Bill (dis)Barr, and worked alongside noted liar, schemer and konstitushunal skolar, Mike Lee. This isn’t some jamoke off the streets who applied online through his Stormfront account. No phone call was needed. But it gives Trump an excuse to “check in” with one of the traitors on the Court who has already handed Fatty a get out of jail card, mere hours before the court gets ready to help him out yet again.
“Ohhh…we didn’t talk about the case at all!” sez Sam. “Why, that wouldn’t be ethical-like!” sez the guy for whom court ethics rules are about as important as the latest hit rap records.
So this morning I listened on NPR to a “communication” guy for Fatty’s laughable transition team (you know, those guys who thought Matt Gaetz, in between snorting coke and sex trafficking minors, would make a kickass Attorney General), a Ron Bonjean. At first I thought they were saying “Jon Bon Jovi”, and I thought that was unusual. But no, the unusual thing was how this guy was pooh-poohing the latest Perfect Phone Call.
“Well” says the Bon Jovi guy, “it’s perfectly reasonable to check on the resume of people who want to work for you”. Say what? For the FUCKING President Elect to check resumes for a low level staffer? It’s not like they’re considering this guy for a cabinet position, and besides, Trump doesn’t bother checking on ANY of those people.
No. This was Trump seeing if his latest get out of trouble plea was going to sit well with the traitors on the Court.
And there’s no need to talk directly about it to get a feel for how it will go. Crime bosses don’t get on the horn to make sure their hit men have the right address of the person they want whacked.
“Hey, Sammy, whadaya know, whadaya say? How’s things? The wife find any new flags to troll the neighbors with?”
“Yo, Big Don, nah, we like to keep that theocracy stuff on the down low these days, but hey, everything is jake on this end. Howzby you?”
“Oh, you know. So I really like your guy (wink wink)”
“Great. Then it’s all good. Good luck with…um…you know. Everything.”
Perfect phone call.
Mob boss to fixer.
But according to Jon Bon Jovi, nothing to see here.
China, "if" you are listening release the audio of the Trump-Alito call. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.
"Marie: Don't you worry, Mr. Zeeb. I'm sure Donald Sr. will pardon you once the U.S. takes Greenland by force."
Or Trump will order his execution. According to Senior he thinks all drug dealers need to end up on death row. If Mr Zeeb wants to bet on Donald making an exception for him, good luck with that.
@RAS: Good point. But Zeeb probably slipped a baggie full of whatever they're snorting in Greenland to Trump's Man on the Island, Don Jr. So you know, extenuating circumstances. He's a drug dealer, but he's our drug dealer. In Trump's America, you can't lose your head while you're wearing a MAGA cap.
Rigged
"President-elect Donald Trump’s team was given the questions asked by Fox News anchors at an Iowa town hall last January in advance by someone inside the network, according to a forthcoming book, in what would be a serious breach of journalism ethics. [LOL, Fox News' journalistic integrity takes a hit. /s]
The report, which Fox said it plans to investigate, comes from the forthcoming book “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power” by Alex Isenstadt, a national political reporter at Politico. Isenstadt conducted more than 300 interviews for the book and is based on internal memos, notes and recordings as well as regular reporting trips to Palm Beach and a flight with Trump aboard his plane in June 2023.
“About thirty minutes before the town hall was due to start, a senior aide started getting text messages from a person on the inside at Fox. Holy s–t, the team thought. They were images of all the questions Trump would be asked and the planned follow-ups, down to the exact wording. Jackpot. This was like a student getting a peek at the test before the exam started,” Isenstadt writes."
@Marie: Yeah, all MAGAts think they are special and will get the treatment they think they deserve. I wondered the same thing about whether Junior had met with the drug dealer when I read that detail. But relying on Junior to persuade his dad does not seem like a strong move on anyone's part. Whenever Junior is said to be involved in a decision it is usually only as part of a group of people that are telling Trump to do something or recommend someone. Junior has very little pull on his own.
Kennedy
"Today, government watchdog Accountable.US filed a complaint with the NYS Board of Elections-Division of Election Law Enforcement urging the office to investigate whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. violated New York’s Election Law by registering for and voting in the November 5th, 2024 general election from a New York residence at which he does not legally reside. Both acts are potential felonies for President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The complaint continues: “The issue of Mr. Kennedy’s residence was recently litigated in New York courts as a core question in a dispute about his ability to appear as a candidate for President of the United States on New York ballots. In August 2024, the Albany County Supreme Court found that Mr. Kennedy did not legally reside in his claimed New York address under New York election law."
@RAS: Well, the Emperor Trump cannot pardon RFK Jr. for a New York State violation. But he can -- with the consent of the Senate -- give RFK Jr. a job that would allow him to destroy the health of untold numbers of Americans.
@Marie: And I'm sure RFK Jr's lawyers will use the Trump defense of him being in such an important position to argue that he shouldn't be prosecuted and that even if he is guilty he shouldn't get any jail time because he has so much work going on to destroy Americans' health. Also since he is a Republican now that means that his voter fraud should be punished with a light hand slap instead of the years behind bars if he might be a Democrat like a black woman.
Still secure in my blue bubble (aside from living with the political leadership selected by the red staters), its hard to fathom that "Tens of millions of American Christians are embracing a charismatic movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, which seeks to destroy the secular state."
Stephanie McCrummen, in The Atlantic, researched the NAR in
The Army of God
"If you wanted to know why there were news stories about House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Southern Baptist, displaying a white flag with a green pine tree and the words An Appeal to Heaven outside his office, or the same flag being flown outside the vacation home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, a Catholic, the reason is that the Revolutionary War–era banner has become the battle flag for a movement with ideological allies across the Christian right. The NAR is supplying the ground troops to dismantle the secular state."
Still secure in my blue bubble (aside from living with the political leadership selected by the red staters), its hard to fathom that "Tens of millions of American Christians are embracing a charismatic movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, which seeks to destroy the secular state."
Stephanie McCrummen, in The Atlantic, researched the NAR in
The Army of God
"If you wanted to know why there were news stories about House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Southern Baptist, displaying a white flag with a green pine tree and the words An Appeal to Heaven outside his office, or the same flag being flown outside the vacation home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, a Catholic, the reason is that the Revolutionary War–era banner has become the battle flag for a movement with ideological allies across the Christian right. The NAR is supplying the ground troops to dismantle the secular state."
Speaking of debate debacles...
See George Will's very kind and charitable comments on Jimmy Carter after his death? (Don't bother looking - it's too nauseating.)
Anyway, think it could be due to this?
George Will v Carter
Nancy Mace, one of the "moderate" bigots according to our neutral media's thoughtful analysis.
Glass Houses:
Per Investopedia, “a cartel is a collection of independent businesses or organizations that collude to manipulate the price of a product or service."
Would it be an exaggeration to say that the United States is itself increasingly run by cartels?
Not shocked, but definitely a bit surprised.
Seems the Supremes are attempting to salvage the smallest shred of decency...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/09/trump-sentencing-supreme-court-new/?