The Conversation -- May 19, 2024
Holly Bailey & Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "President Biden delivered a commencement address devoid of major interruptions or protests at Morehouse College on Sunday, using the platform to reach out to the Black voters at a time when their enthusiasm for him has waned in recent polls.... As many as six students could be seen seated with their backs to Biden at one point, fists raised in the air. At least one faculty member appeared to be doing the same thing. Biden recognized the protests and said he respected them. '... I support peaceful nonviolent protest. Your voices should be heard and I promise I hear them,' he said.... [Biden] touted historic investments in historically Black colleges and universities like Morehouse and highlighted the diversity he has put in place at the highest levels of government. He said he was drawn into politics by the example of Martin Luther King Jr., a Morehouse graduate whose bust sits in the Oval Office. Biden also sought to contrast himself with Donald Trump..., saying Trump and other Republicans would dismantle the progress Black Americans have made in the past three years."
Aileen Graef & Avery Lotz of CNN: "House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik delivered remarks at the Israeli Knesset Sunday, saying victory for Israel in the war against Hamas starts with 'wiping' those responsible for the October 7 terrorist attacks 'off the face of the Earth' and calling for a return to ... Donald Trump's policies.... 'There can be no retrievable dignity for Hamas and its backers,' she said in her speech in which she called herself a 'leading proponent and partner' to Trump and sharply criticized the Biden administration.... Her speech makes her the highest-ranking House Republican to address the Israeli governing body since the October 7 attacks, according to the GOP conference.... In a rare instance of a member of Congress publicly criticizing the American president to a foreign government, Stefanik went after Biden, saying there is 'no excuse' for his administration blocking military aid to Israel." The CBS News report is here. See Akhilleus' commentary in today's thread.
Mark Berman of the Washington Post: "The federal judge who sentenced the man convicted of violently attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband said Saturday that she would reopen the sentencing portion of the case later this month, acknowledging that she had not properly given him a chance to speak in court.... In a motion filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, prosecutors said DePape should have been given an opportunity to allocute -- or speak on his behalf -- before being sentenced.... U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who sentenced DePape on Friday, wrote in an order that no one had informed her during sentencing that she had not directly addressed DePape to give him a chance to speak. Corley, who was nominated to the bench in 2022 by President Biden, wrote that 'it was the Court's responsibility to personally ask' DePape whether he wanted to speak. 'As the Court did not do so, it committed clear error.'"
Iran. Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "A helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi crashed on Sunday, according to Iran's state media and the country's mission to the United Nations, but has yet to be found by search-and-rescue workers because of heavy fog. The helicopter was also carrying Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran's foreign minister. The state news agency IRNA reported that an enormous search operation involving 16 teams was underway to locate the helicopter. Inclement weather, the reports said, was hampering the effort. The teams had yet to locate the crash site after almost five hours."
~~~~~~~~~~
Nick Mourtoupalas of the Washington Post: "In three and a half years, President Biden has already installed more non-White federal judges than any president in history. His slate of judges is also majority female -- another first.... More than 6 in 10 Biden-appointed judges are women." With charts. MB: This is the kind of stuff lost upon the dimwits who plan to sit out the presidential election because they're so "disappointed" in Joe Biden.
Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post (May 17): "House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) chided lawmakers Friday for a meeting the night before that devolved into a partisan shouting match between committee members and included personal attacks about intelligence and appearance. Johnson told reporters that the incident was 'not a good look for Congress' and that members need to treat one another with 'dignity and respect' despite their political differences." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Okay, Mikey, I'll give you that. But is it "a good look for Congress" for the Speaker of the House to make a pilgrimage to Manhattan (on a day Congress was in session) to stand outside a courthouse to declare that the trial going on inside is a "sham," that it represents "election interference" and that the defendant is "innocent of the charges"? Some people would say it's less disruptive to attack a colleague's appearance than it is for the person third in line to the presidency to stand before the public and undermine the rule of law. Just sayin'. ~~~
~~~ AND Some Nameless GOP House Members Knock Johnson. Mychael Schnell & Mike Lillis of the Hill: "Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) decision to appear this week at former President Trump's hush money trial in Manhattan is sparking new blowback from some House Republicans, who are questioning why he would inject himself so prominently in a case involving an alleged affair with a porn star. These Republicans, who requested to speak anonymously to discuss the sensitive topic, are accusing Johnson -- a devout Southern Baptist who built a career around the fight for Christian values and moral conservatism -- of undermining the party's family values image simply to ingratiate himself with Trump...."
Trials of Trump & the Trump Mob
Devlin Barrett, et al., of the Washington Post: "After brashly declaring he wanted to testify in his criminal trial, it appears increasingly unlikely that Donald Trump will do so.... The judge's discussions with lawyers in recent days indicate that even if the defense calls a small number of witnesses, they do not expect Trump to be one of them.... [Trump lawyer Todd] Blanche said in court on Thursday that the defense would like to call Brad Smith, an expert on federal election law, even though the judge has put strict limits on what he can testify about in this case because the jury's job is to make findings of fact, not law."
Marie: I'll have to stop linking to Crooks & Liars posts. Yesterday, and for the second time this year, I've linked to a Crooks & Liars post that turned out to be untrue in part. According to the Crooks & Liars post, the New York Post reported that Giuliani's "political advisor" told the Post, "It's unfortunate that they chose to barge up and startle guests during a celebration of this man's 80th birthday.: Now, it's possible the Post story has changed, but that language does not now appear in the Post story at all. And the Post article describes Goodman as Giuliani's spokesman, not as a political advisor. If the Post changed its original story, Crooks & Liars did not update theirs to reflect the change. Here's a more reliable report: ~~~
~~~ Anna Betts of the New York Times: "Richie Taylor, a spokesman for Kris Mayes, Arizona's attorney general who brought the indictment, said that Mr. Giuliani was served on Friday night at around 11 p.m. in Palm Beach County, Fla., as he left his 80th birthday party. 'The agents by no means disrupted his event. They waited to serve him outside as he left,' Mr. Taylor said." So then Goodman tried to unsay his statement to the New York Post: "Mr. Giuliani's spokesman, Ted Goodman, confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Mr. Giuliani was served 'after the party, after guests had left and as he was walking to the car.'" And who gave Arizona agents the opportunity to "startle" Rudy's guests (even though they did not do so)? Why, Rudy himself: "We would have preferred to serve him three weeks ago when everyone else was served,' [Taylor] said, adding that Mr. Giuliani had avoided the attempts and had been taunting the office online." AND, as Akhilleus pointed out in yesterday's Comments, Rudy himself told another whopper: "Several hours before it began, Mr. Giuliani posted on X a now-deleted photo of himself with a group of people, captioned: 'If Arizona authorities can't find me by tomorrow morning: 1. They must dismiss the indictment; 2. They must concede they can't count votes.' Mr. Taylor said that though the initial scheduled court appearance was approaching, there was no deadline to serve the notice."
Presidential Race
Filip Timotija of the Hill: "President Biden during a campaign reception in Atlanta urged his supporters to stand up against former President Trump.... 'Folks, Trump isn't running to lead America. He's running for revenge,' Biden said Saturday, according to pool notes. 'And look, revenge is no way to lead a country.' Biden, who traveled to Atlanta to give the commencement address at Morehouse College Sunday, courted Georgia voters in the state's capital city on Saturday, warning that 'unhinged' Trump is a threat to 'democracy.'"
Filip Timotija of the Hill: "Former President Trump urged National Rifle Association (NRA) members to 'be rebellious and vote' for him in the 2024 election, after accepting the endorsement from the gun rights advocacy group. Trump pledged to thousands of attendees at NRA's convention in Dallas that he will 'stand strong for your rights and liberties,' claiming the Second Amendment is 'under siege' while President Biden is in office."
Tara Suter of the Hill: "Former President Trump said he wants President Biden to be drug-tested before their first debate. 'I'm gonna demand a drug test too, by the way,' Trump said at the Minnesota Republican Party's Lincoln Reagan Dinner Friday. 'I am, no I really am. I don't want him coming in like the State of the Union, he was high as a kite.'"
Donnie Delusional. Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump, speaking Friday night in Minnesota, which he vowed to boycott if he lost there in 2020, falsely claimed that he had won the state twice, adding that it was in play for him in 2024. 'I thought we won it in 2016,' Mr. Trump said during a fund-raiser for the state's Republican Party in St. Paul, Minn. 'I know we won it in 2020.' The last time a Republican presidential candidate won Minnesota was in 1972, when Richard M. Nixon carried the state.... Earlier on Friday, Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz, assailed Mr. Trump over his false claims to a local television station that he had won the state in 2020.... Mr. Trump began his day at the high school graduation of his youngest son, Barron, in Florida, which the judge presiding over his trial in New York had given him the day off from court to attend. That did not stop him from lobbing further attacks at the judge, Juan M. Merchan, whom he falsely accused of denying his request to be excused."
Donald Trump Has Been Asking, "Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?" Let's Check. Here's a story appearing in the May 19, 2020 New York Times to remind you not only of how Trump lied and lied again & dreamed up fake conspiracy theories but also of how Bill Barr misused the DOJ: "Attorney General William P. Barr dismissed President Trump's attempts to rebrand the Russia investigation as a criminal plot engineered by former President Barack Obama, saying on Monday that he expected no charges against either Mr. Obama or former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as a result of an investigation into how their administration handled Russian election interference. 'As long as I'm attorney general, the criminal justice system will not be used for partisan political ends,' Mr. Barr said during a news conference.... Mr. Barr said that John H. Durham ... was examining some aspects of the [Russia election-meddling investigation] for potential crimes, but that he was focused on other people, not Mr. Obama or Mr. Biden." ~~~
~~~ At the same time, Trump was creating new headaches for those trying to get control over the pandemic. New York Times: "President Trump said on Monday that he had been taking hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug the Food and Drug Administration warned could cause serious heart problems for coronavirus patients. He said he was taking the drug as a preventive measure and continued to test negative for the coronavirus.... Mr. Trump's announcement surprised many of his aides and drew immediate criticism from a range of medical experts, who warned not just of the dangers it posed for the president's health but also of the example it set.
~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link.
~~~ Amanda Marcotte of Salon: "Justice" Samuel "Alito, who has never been interested in honesty with the public, offered a glib [response to a New York Times report that shortly after January 6, 2021, a flag in support of the insurrectionists flew in his front yard. He told the Times], 'I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag.' Instead, he blamed his wife, saying she flew the inverted flag as a 'response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.'... A more honest description of the conflict would be that the Alitos rejected their neighbor's right to express their political opinions freely. In order to convey their disapproval of this use of First Amendment rights, the Alito household sent a message of support to people who used violence in an attempt to destroy American democracy. As more than one commentator pointed out, Alito continues to run around pretending he's a champion of "free speech," but when his neighbors expressed an opinion held by most Americans, he (or his wife, if you believe him) responded with an endorsement of violence to end constitutional democracy as we know it."
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine, et al.
The Party of Traitors. Michael Bender & Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Representative Elise Stefanik of New York will be the highest-ranking House Republican to address the Israeli Parliament since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack with a speech on Sunday that is expected to deliver a forceful rebuke of President Biden and his fellow Democrats while presenting her party as the true allies of the Jewish state. Ms. Stefanik's speech comes as the Biden White House is urging Israel to end the war in Gaza, and it builds on the Republican political strategy to capitalize on Democratic divisions over Israel's response to the terrorist attacks."
Wafaa Shurafa, et al., of the AP: "Benny Gantz, a popular centrist member of Israel's three-member War Cabinet, threatened Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza, a decision that would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more reliant on far-right allies.... Gantz spelled out a six-point plan that includes the return of hostages, ending Hamas' rule, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and establishing an international administration of civilian affairs with American, European, Arab and Palestinian cooperation. The plan also supports efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and widen military service to all Israelis."
Share Article
Reader Comments (4)
The MSM (ie, corporate—Both Sides—media) has been doing a lot chin stroking about why in the world such a nice, respectable Supreme Court Justice like Medieval Sam Alito would put up such a blatant Stop the Steal message in his front yard where everyone could see it, and perhaps wonder why a member of the highest court in the land would fly the American flag upside down in support of a violent overthrow of the government by fascist Trump thugs.
A more salient question might be why he took it down.
Leaving aside for the nonce the cowardly silliness about how his wife was to blame, it’s no surprise that a guy who conjures up the most farcical excuses for precedence from 10th C parchment scrolls which followed some skeezy judicial gobbledygook with incantations for siccing demonic forces on your next door neighbor whose dog peed on your lawn, in order to justify the most outrageous rejections of 21st century enlightened forms of social and legal progress towards a more equitable and just nation, would support extreme right-wing violence.
Of course, there are good reasons for this:
“The first is that he is not only a fervent conservative (to put it mildly) but may also be the most scheming justice in recent history.
As a staunch right-winger, he is not alone on the bench. There is Clarence Thomas, for example, who has his own Stop the Steal connection, i.e., a wife who participated in the coup attempt.
But there is no indication that he is pursuing some grander plot. Thomas seems content to be showered with lavish gifts and extravagant vacations… and to then take the most conservative position when ideological matters come before the court.
Not Alito, who seems to have an extreme agenda and is pursuing it vigorously.
He is the most likely leaker of the draft ruling (which he wrote) that rolled back abortion rights in the US. The theory is that maybe some of the other conservative justices were waffling and might have still changed their minds before issuing such a momentous decision. However, after the leak, their hands were forced. At that point, they could not have gone back without major backlash from the right.
At the time, while pretending to be the victim somehow, Alito told The Wall Street Journal that he has a ‘pretty good idea’ who was responsible for the leak.
No kidding, Sam. I also have a pretty good idea who ate the last chocolate chip cookie that my family left for Santa on Christmas Eve when I was eight. It was delicious.”
There’s more. But suffice it to say that because no one will ever hold this crook accountable, and because Johnny Roberts’ Pimky Swear ethics code carries about as much weight as wet tissue paper, Medieval Sam gets away with everything, and so will continue his one-man war on women, minorities, democracy, truth, and justice.
He might as well put that Stop the Steal flag back up. In his heart, it’s never coming down.
So here’s Elise Stefanik running off to a foreign country to shit on the president of the United States. Classic R traitor move. These people are beneath contempt. During the Trump Debacle, did a single Democrat go out of their way to race off to address a legislative body in a foreign nation to attack the worst President in American history? If it happened I can’t recall it, and if it did, Fox and the Brownshirt media would still be screaming about it.
Akhilleus,
Yeah, Traitors R Us. Works with TRUth Social, too.
If the MAGAts and the Tea Party and 3% and PBs and Armies of God etc. fly the US flag upside down, that could be good. The cosplay righties have co-opted the RW&B since along about Reagan, to the extent that I haven't flown it for over 25 years at my house. Perversely, during the recent past, US flag display at home in my neighborhood would be interpreted by most here as "I am a chauvinistic a-hole."
BUT ... if the REAL chauvinistic a-holes adopt the upside downer, the Gadsden, the Rebel battle flag, the Bonnie Blue, the police blue striper, the rattler, the Betsy Ross, etc., as their gonfalons, maybe I can reclaim and I can stick with Old Glory rightside up. Maybe I'll put it up for Memorial Day, like we used to.
Despite all we've been through in the past 60 years and more, I still get a lump when I see that rag slide up the pole in the morning sunlight.