The Ledes

Saturday, March 1, 2025

New York Times: “After days of a cautious optimism and two weeks in a hospital with pneumonia in both lungs, Pope Francis on Friday suffered another respiratory crisis, renewing concerns about the prognosis for the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican said on Friday night that Francis, who is 88 and has a history of respiratory ailments, suffered a bronchial spasm that caused him to inhale his vomit after a coughing fit. That, in turn, caused a 'worsening of the respiratory picture,' and required aspiration.”

New York Times: “The actor Gene Hackman most likely died nine days before his and his wife’s bodies were found in their secluded home near Santa Fe, N.M., the authorities said on Friday, as the central question of how they died remained unanswered. By examining Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker, a pathologist determined that the device’s last recorded 'event' was on Feb. 17, indicating that Mr. Hackman died then, Sheriff Adan Mendoza of Santa Fe County said in a news conference. Mr. Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead on Wednesday, in separate rooms of their home in a gated community.”

The Wires
powered by Surfing Waves
The Ledes

Friday, February 28, 2025

New York Times: “Boris Spassky, the world chess champion whose career was overshadowed by his loss to Bobby Fischer in the 'Match of the Century' in 1972, died on Thursday in Moscow. He was 88.”

New York Times: “The actor Gene Hackman was found dead in a mud room in his New Mexico home and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found dead on the floor of a bathroom on Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit. An open prescription bottle and scattered pills were discovered near her body on a counter in the bathroom. A dead German shepherd was found between 10 and 15 feet away from Ms. Arakawa in a closet of the bathroom, the affidavit said. There were no obvious signs of a gas leak in the home, it said, and the Fire Department did not find signs of a carbon monoxide leak. The maintenance workers who found them said they had not been in contact with the couple for two weeks. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that 'there were no apparent signs of foul play.'... The causes of their deaths had not been determined.”

Help!

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

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

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.

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:

New York Times: “Chuck Todd, the former 'Meet the Press' moderator and a longtime fixture of NBC’s political coverage, told colleagues on Friday that he was leaving the network. A nearly two-decade veteran of NBC, Mr. Todd said that Friday would be his last day at NBC.... Mr. Todd, 52, is the latest TV news star to step aside at a moment when salaries are being scrutinized — and slashed — by major media companies. Hoda Kotb exited NBC’s 'Today' show this month, and Neil Cavuto of Fox News and CNN’s Chris Wallace departed their cable news homes late last year.”

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....”

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Page Links
Wednesday
Jul102024

The Conversation -- July 10, 2024

Michael Birnbaum, et al., of the Washington Post: NATO leaders, meeting in Washington, D.C. under the dark cloud of an impending Trump presidency*, are working to establish ways to Trump-proof the alliance and its support for Ukraine. "Alliance policymakers have moved control of major elements of military aid to Ukraine away from U.S. command to the NATO umbrella. They appointed a new NATO secretary general who has a reputation as being especially agile with Trump's unpredictable impulses toward the alliance. They are signing decade-long defense pledges with Ukraine to try to buffer military aid to Kyiv from the ups and downs of politics. And they are pushing up their defense spending, Trump's single biggest anger point when it comes to NATO.... Four nations also announced Wednesday that donated F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will be operational later this summer. And alliance leaders called out China for being a 'decisive enabler' of Russia's war in Ukraine, its toughest language yet toward Beijing."

Nicholas Wu, et al., of Politico: "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has told lawmakers in private meetings that he'll relay concerns regarding the president's electability to Joe Biden, according to two people familiar with the situation, as more Democrats call for him to step aside. Jeffries has convened listening sessions in recent days with rattled members of the caucus, including a Wednesday meeting with members of the centrist New Democrat Coalition to discuss how having Biden at the top of the ticket could impact incumbents in battleground districts.... Some key Democrats who have won tough races have started to urge Biden to get out of the race. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), who represents a purple district, became the eighth House Democrat to publicly call for Biden to step aside on Wednesday, writing in an op-ed: 'for the good of our country, for the future of our kids and grandkids, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on his promise to be a 'bridge' to a new generation of leaders.'"

Rebecca Picciotto of CNBC: "Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday refused to explicitly endorse President Joe Biden as the party's presidential nominee, and encouraged her colleagues in Congress to pause from making public statements either for or against Biden. 'Let's just hold off. Whatever you're thinking, either tell somebody privately, but you don't have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week,' Pelosi said on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.'"

George Clooney in a New York Times op-ed: "... I have led some of the biggest fund-raisers in my party's history.... Last month I co-hosted the single largest fund-raiser supporting any Democratic candidate ever, for President Biden's re-election. I say ... this only to express how much I believe in this process and how profound I think this moment is. I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he's won many of the battles he's faced. But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.... The Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.... We're all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we've opted to ignore every warning sign.... Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024 [by stepping aside]."

Marie: As we know, last week Donald Trump pretended he knew nothing about Project 2025 and its creators. Here was Trump in 2022 slurring his support for what would become the "Heritigsss (trails off in a mumble)" Project 2025 blueprint for a second Trump presidency*:

 

Israel/Palestine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here.

Russia. Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times: "A Russian court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of the self-exiled widow of the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, accusing her of 'participating in an extremist community.' The court order against Yulia B. Navalnaya, who left Russia in 2021, comes five months after her husband died under murky circumstances in a harsh Russian penal colony. He was imprisoned after being convicted of various trumped-up charges when he returned to Russia after a near-fatal attempt to poison him in August 2020. Ms. Navalnaya has repeatedly accused President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia of murdering her husband and has vowed to continue his opposition work. She has become an outspoken critic of Russia's war in Ukraine, using episodes like a Russian missile hitting a children's hospital in Kyiv on Monday to blame Mr. Putin and the Kremlin for the bloodshed." MB: Just a reminder: Trump and many of his followers think the U.S. should become more like Russia.

~~~~~~~~~~

David Sanger & Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "President Biden opened NATO's 75th anniversary summit on Tuesday seeking to bolster confidence in both the alliance and his own political standing with a forceful speech warning of the threat posed by Russia and other authoritarian states as the world plunges into a new era of superpower conflict. Mr. Biden, speaking in a strong voice, with few errors, sounded themes from some of the most memorable speeches of his presidency, painting an image of a fearsome and growing NATO with an ironclad commitment to Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion. And he announced a pledge of more weapons to help the Ukrainians fend off air attacks.... The three-day celebration, opened with pageantry in the same gilded auditorium where the NATO treaty was signed by a dozen nations in 1949, came at a moment of enormous testing for both Mr. Biden and the alliance." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll be damned if I can understand some of the words & phrases Biden slurs.

Presidential Race

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "... Democrats on Capitol Hill are stifling their doubts and falling in line behind [President Biden] anyway. Having spent the last week and a half in various stages of private panic and public skepticism about Mr. Biden's viability as a candidate and whispering among themselves about what the best way to push him aside might be..., top Democrats on Tuesday settled on a strategy many of them conceded could be disastrous: They would do nothing, at least for now.... Never mind that Mr. Biden had done almost none of the kind of unscripted events, town halls or interviews his critics had said he needed to show that he was still fit to run.... A defiant letter Mr. Biden sent to lawmakers on Monday in which he refused to drop out of the race -- coupled with members of the influential Congressional Black Caucus vociferously rallying to his side -- appeared to have successfully paralyzed the entire party into a state of uncertainty and inaction...."

Mariana Alfaro, et al., of the Washington Post: "No additional House Democrats publicly called on President Biden to abandon his reelection campaign after an all-member meeting Tuesday morning, suggesting the ground may be subtly shifting toward acceptance that Biden will remain in the race. As they trickled out of the Democratic National Committee's headquarters, some House Democrats expressed brief support for Biden's bid and at times gave stilted comments to reporters. And while many described the meeting as positive for Biden, others privately scoffed at their colleagues' comments. Rep. Jerry Nadler (N.Y.) -- who just two days ago privately called for Biden to leave the ticket -- said that, while he still has concerns over the president's candidacy, those are now 'beside the point.'... He's going to be our nominee, and we all have to support him,' Nadler said." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie's Translation: "Donald Trump will be the next president*." We can quit pointing at Republicans for capitulating to Donald Trump. Democrats are doing so as well. Shame on the lot of them.

     ~~~ The WashPo story has been updated. For instance, "In a searing indictment of the stakes for Democrats, Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.) went on CNN on Tuesday night and said that as things stand, Trump would win in a 'landslide' in November.... 'The White House, in the time since that disastrous debate, I think has done nothing to demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election....'" ~~~

     ~~~ Stephen Neukam of Axios: "Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) told their colleagues during a closed-door caucus meeting that they doubt [President] Biden's ability to beat former President Trump, a source familiar with the session told Axios. Tester and Brown are waging two of the most competitive re-election campaigns in the country, trying to hold on to Democratic seats in states that Trump easily carried in 2020."

Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "George Stephanopoulos, the ABC news anchor who recently interviewed President Biden about his fitness for the presidential race, was caught on camera Tuesday indicating that he doesn't think Biden can serve another four years. Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic operative turned news anchor, is seen in gym clothes in a video published by TMZ when he is asked by a passerby: 'What do you think, do you think Biden should step down? You've talked to him more than anybody else has lately. And you can be honest.' Stephanopoulos, then just off camera, is captured on fuzzy audio responding that he doesn't think 'he can serve four more years.'"

Nick Robertson of the Hill: "Former President Trump is gaining ground in key swing states and could threaten to take states once considered to be safe for Democrats, as President Biden struggles to regain ground after a shaky debate performance, according to a new Cook Political Report analysis Tuesday."

Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "CNN commentator and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said Donald Trump and his team are 'delighting in' the fact that President Joe Biden is refusing to drop out of the presidential race.... On Tuesday, Cook Political Report moved five states Biden won in 2020 into Trump's column."

Andrew Goudsward & Christopher Bing of Reuters: "The U.S Justice Department said on Tuesday that it disrupted a Russian operation that used fake social media accounts enhanced by artificial intelligence to covertly spread pro-Kremlin messages in the United States and abroad." The DOJ's press release is here.

Dan De Luce of NBC News: "Russia's efforts to influence this year's U.S. election through information warfare have the same aim as in previous elections -- to undermine President Joe Biden's campaign and the Democratic Party and weaken public confidence in the electoral process, intelligence officials said Tuesday."

Marie: Yesterday, a commenter who has derided me in the past questioned my honesty and my intelligence. That's fair but I think wrong-headed. Apparently some people who disagree with me believe that an honest, intelligent person would not only see their point of view but adopt it. Another person said he found it wrong that "after a primary, some folks" would change the results. I see the point there, too, but a fundamental caveat arises when one learns that the Biden campaign deceived those primary voters about his competence. Evidence has emerged not just that Biden had "a bad debate night" but that his team -- including Lady MacBiden there -- have been knocking themselves out to hide Biden's cognitive decline from voters. Biden himself should know it's time for him to go, but few politicians are good at self-evaluation. So it was up to those close to him to be patriotic and discourage him from running for re-election.


Maya Miller of the New York Times: "Two top Democratic senators have asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation of Justice Clarence Thomas for possible violations of federal ethics and tax laws. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ron Wyden of Oregon sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland last week asking that he appoint a special counsel to investigate Justice Thomas's failure to disclose lavish gifts, luxury travel, a loan for a recreational vehicle and other perks given to him by wealthy friends." An NBC News story is here.

David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movements, republished by the Raw Story: "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) declared Monday he is advocating for Christian nationalism, a far-right ideology that claims there is no separation of church and state in the Constitution, and promotes as a national religion Christian fundamentalism, a hardline, extremist brand of Christianity at odds with the religious beliefs of many Christians across the country.... 'Some will say I'm calling America a Christian nation. And so I am. Some will say I'm advocating Christian nationalism. And so I do. My question is - is there any other kind worth having?' Senator Hawley said at 'NatCon 4,' the National Conservatism conference being held in Washington, D.C., this week..., as reported by Semafor's David Weigel. Sen. Hawley, not backing down, promoted his remarks by reposting them on social media."

Benjamin Weiser, et al., of the New York Times: "A lawyer for Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, in a fiery closing argument on Tuesday at the senator's trial on bribery charges, accused prosecutors of building a case that relied on half-truths, unsupported inferences, factual leaps and guesses. 'The gaps you are being asked to fill are not based on evidence,' the lawyer, Adam Fee, told the jury at the trial, which is in its ninth week in Federal District Court in Manhattan. 'Don't fall into a trap of buying a story -- a forceful, well-told, long, long story,' Mr. Fee said.... Mr. Fee's presentation followed a vigorous closing argument lasting about five hours over two days by a federal prosecutor, Paul M. Monteleoni, who asked jurors to return a guilty verdict against Mr. Menendez and two businessmen -- Wael Hana and Fred Daibes -- on trial with him."

Sorry, Kids, Bob Is a Violent Felon. Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "Actor Jay Johnston, who voiced a pizzeria owner in the television show 'Bob's Burgers' and had roles in 'Better Call Saul,' 'Arrested Development' and the movie 'Anchorman,' has pleaded guilty to interfering with police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Johnston admitted being part of a crowd that pressed up against officers in the lower West Terrace tunnel at the height of the uprising, including the widely shown incident in which a D.C. police officer screamed for help as he was being crushed between the rioters and a door. Johnston, 55, pleaded guilty to felony civil disorder in a hearing Monday before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols.... Johnston was fired from the popular cartoon ['Bob's Burgers'] after his role in the uprising was publicized...."

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "An attorney for the Oath Keepers charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack will plead guilty after being charged with conspiring with the right-wing group's founder to obstruct Congress's certification of the results of the 2020 election, her attorney and federal prosecutors said. In separate court filings Monday, Kellye SoRelle's federal defender and a prosecutor wrote that SoRelle is set to enter a guilty plea on July 17 after entering into a deal with the government." (Also linked yesterday.)

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A member of Justice Sonia Sotomayor's protective detail fended off and shot an armed attempted carjacker in the early morning of July 5, according to a charging document recently unsealed in federal court in Washington, D.C. U.S. marshals wearing shirts that identified the agency were sitting in an unmarked car near Sotomayor's residence when a silver van pulled up and an individual -- later identified as Kentrell Flowers -- exited, pointing a gun into the window of the marshals' vehicle. One of the marshals drew his gun and fired it four times at Flowers, striking him in the mouth, according to the complaint. The marshal then recovered the weapon Flowers had pointed at them and administered first aid until he was transported to a hospital."

Robert McFadden of the New York Times: "James M. Inhofe, a five-term Republican senator from Oklahoma and, until ... Donald J. Trump's arrival in 2017, arguably Washington's most prominent denier of the established science of human-generated climate change, died on Tuesday in Tulsa, Okla. He was 89." (Also linked yesterday.)

Comments Off

Reader Comments (14)

Would someone, anyone, please please tell me exactly how another Democrat can be nominated and get on all the state ballots?

What state was it that had to be basically sued to put his name on the ballot because their rules said it had to occur before the convention?

President Biden may be slurring his words. Trump is ranting unintelligibly with a constant stream of lies. Please, NYT, WaPo, tell it like it is. Trump is not a politician. He is a con man, a pathological liar, a mob boss, and the republican party has become his mob.

I wish they would quit talking about Biden and tell us all about the 900 page Project 2025 that is a blueprint for the end of our democracy and our government and our rights.

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterpat

I'm not saying trump supporters are gullible, but he's selling them
$2.00 bills with his face printed on them for $19.95, plus shipping
and handling.
I always thought it was illegal to deface or alter U.S. currency. But
of course, he'll say he didn't do it personally, so not liable.

https://www.reddit.com/t/PoliticalHumor/comments/1dyz9zb/im_not_
saying_trump_thinks_his_supporters_are/#lightbox

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

@pat: It's a good idea to check the Googles before asking questions for which there are easy answers. Biden could -- and should -- withdraw from the 2024 race and release his delegates, perhaps to Kamala Harris, perhaps as "free agents." (If he doesn't withdraw, a majority of delegates could just refuse to abide by their pledges, but that won't happen.) When you vote in a primary, you're not voting for president; you're voting for delegates who promise to vote for the candidate you choose. As happens quite often at national conventions, delegates pledged to candidates other than the one who garners a majority of votes might vote in the first roll call for the candidate to whom they are pledged, then change their vote in the second (or later) ballot to vote for the candidate who will become the nominee in order to demonstrate party unity.

Technically, no presidential candidate is on state ballots before he or she is nominated at the party convention and accepts the nomination. However, "Alabama, Ohio, and Washington all have early deadlines for confirming the nominee for each party. Ohio’s was originally slated for Aug. 7, nearly two weeks before the Democratic convention starts. To work around this, the DNC set plans in motion to nominate its candidate via virtual roll-call votes before the convention."

July 10, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

@Forrest Morris: Yeah, I thought it was illegal to deface U.S. currency, too, so I checked the Googles earlier this morning. Turns out that unless you do something to alter the denomination -- i.e., change a $1 bill to make it look like a $20 -- it's not illegal.

It is illegal to deface or alter U.S. coins, though. So if, when you were a kid, you set a penny on a railroad track for a train to run over, I'm turning you in and you'll be spending your golden years in a federal pen.

July 10, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Reuters

"The U.S. is "no longer an overheated economy" with a job market that has cooled from its pandemic-era extremes and in many ways is back where it was before the health crisis, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in remarks to Congress that suggested the case for interest rate cuts is becoming stronger."

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Clean energy.

"The US is about to get its first solar-covered canal
Thousands of miles of canals stretch across the U.S. A pilot project on tribal land in Arizona shows the benefits of covering these waterways with solar panels.

Erecting solar on top of federally owned canals could be a win-win. The approach limits the disruption to ecosystems, and some studies suggest it actually has the potential to help canals do their jobs better; an over-the-canal design can prevent water from evaporating and inhibit algae growth. The comparatively small installations can also connect clean power directly to the distribution grid, an important distinction as it has become increasingly difficult to connect large projects to the transmission grid."

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Here's a photo of trump holding hands with Kevin Roberts, the man
he claims he doesn't know.
Kevin Roberts is the driving force behind Project 2025.

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1dysmj8/trump_with_
man_he_doesnt_know_kevin_roberts_the/#lightbox

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

I have bounced from Biden, to Harris, to Biden again, but maybe to Harris again. This is making my stomach hurt and my head explode. It seems that everyone makes sense at the time he or she says it. But I am angrier and angrier with MSM (all of them--) for keeping the whole multiple years' worth of ridiculous pretending that the worst prez in US history is worth even reporting about. I so agree with the listings that describe the Orange Monster as what he is: demented, mean, stupid, dishonest, cruel, a lying creep, gullible, uneducated, unsound, has terrible judgement, doesn't work well with anyone, friendless, con artist, nonaffable, bad businessman, wannabe Nazi, sexual predator, rapist, believer of any lie told to him, horrible mob boss. I'm sure I left out some, but so be it. And that also describes his circle of misfits, and worse. It describes the R part of congress, the high court, the lower courts, the agencies like SS and FBI and the various state agencies that buy into his crap. And this is what we are facing., almost no matter what. "Enraged" doesn't describe any of my feelings and those of my friends and family.

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

@Jeanne: I totally agree with everything you're saying.
I would also add that if Donald Trump is elected president* this
year, there probably won't be an election in 2028.
If he lives that long, he's going to be dicktator for life.
Thankfully, I probably won't be around to witness that outcome.

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

Jeanne, I'm sorry for your pain. But "enraged" and "disgusted" are recognized as prime motivators to get people to vote. (Not that you needed motive.) The Rs try to keep their base in a state of froth all the time, for that reason. It may be low class, but we're going to need a lot of outraged Ds for the next few months and beyond.

I don't care what they're outraged about, just so they shove that ballot in the slot.

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterPatrick

Spending way too much time doomscrolling lately, this piece by
David Firestone in the New York Times caught my interest for its appeal for self-sacrifice:

"Several voices in the Democratic Party are telling President Biden to either stay in the race or leave. He seems to be listening only to those telling him, against all evidence, that he can still win in November. But the real voice Biden should care most about isn’t that of a Democrat at all. The president should be required to watch all 80 minutes of the unhinged rant let loose by the Republican candidate on Tuesday in Florida.
It couldn’t really be called a speech; Instead ...Trump just lobbed random lies and nonsense into the crowd, as if firing a T-shirt gun. There was no particular coherence or theme to it, beyond apocalyptic descriptions of the failures of the Biden administration, now featuring the new cartoon character 'Laffin’ Kamala Harris.' His weird pauses and bumbled words often rivaled Biden’s speaking problems, and the content was far worse.
...
Trump’s remarks should prompt revulsion and an immediate desire to do whatever it takes to keep him from the White House. No sacrifice should be considered too great for this cause, even the self-sacrifice of Biden’s personal ambitions. By staying in the race, Biden is making it far more likely that a disordered fearmonger is going to displace him. Dave Wasserman, a prominent political analyst at Cook Political Report, says the race is no longer a tossup; Trump has a considerable advantage since the debate, and Cook just shifted six important states in Trump’s direction.

The Biden campaign put out a sharp retort to Trump’s rant, but news releases won’t do the job when the infirmities of the man at the top of the Democratic ticket continue to drive away voters, state by state."
Biden Should Listen Hard to Trump’s Ravings

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterlaura hunter

Patrick and Forrest: yes, voting is paramount. We must and we will. I have never missed a presidential election since I was old enough to vote. But I won't be around for that long either. I do count on those in the family and friends to carry on somehow. I agree that we need to expose the insanity on the other side as much as we can. I am unsure what to do about our candidate...

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterJeanne

https://sethabramson.substack.com/p/we-now-know-what-really-happened

Seems that Biden had been overdoing it during his trip to Europe and had a bad cold and still thought he could handle the debate. Supposedly advised by his staff that even a person half his age would have problems with this schedule.

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterpat

Thanks, Marie. I missed your response.
So Google would tell me that Biden's delegates could be released to.. Kamala Harris or a "free agent." Well that seems easy-peasy.

Then what? Another Chicago convention, huh? Sounds like something the MSM would love to cover. Would probably keep them away from watching the unhinged rants of the mentally compromised .. opponent who will take us back to the 19th century for personal rights, and put in place the apparatus to destroy our democracy.

My primary beef is with the MSM who seem to be obsessed with Biden's bad "debate" and refuse to even consider that perhaps the other "debater" ought to be subject to the same analysis..

July 10, 2024 | Unregistered Commenterpat
Comments for this entry have been disabled. Additional comments may not be added to this entry at this time.