work by Ingres 1780-1867
Friday, January 31, 2020
Weekend!
Have an excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.
work by Ingres 1780-1867
work by Ingres 1780-1867
Here Comes Crazier
CNN: Trump loosens restrictions on use of landmines By Ryan Browne
...weapons that have been banned by more than 160 countries due to their history of killing and wounding civilians, the White House said Friday.
Take It To The Bank - No Witnesses
I've had it with news for today. The GOP senators that let Trump off the hook are shameless. We are witnessing the depths of what is called despicable depravity on a massive scale. I hope every one of these GOP senators are driven out of office.
NY Times: Impeachment Trial Live: Murkowski Says She’ll Vote No on Witnesses
NY Times: Impeachment Trial Live: Murkowski Says She’ll Vote No on Witnesses
Bolton
NY Times: Trump Told Bolton to Help His Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Book Says - The president asked his national security adviser last spring in front of other senior advisers to pave the way for a meeting between Rudolph Giuliani and Ukraine’s new leader. By Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt
More than two months before he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate his political opponents, President Trump directed John R. Bolton, then his national security adviser, to help with his pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Bolton.
Trump Viciously Guts The Clean Water Act
There's nothing I'd like better to do than dunk the heads of his frenzied supporters in the water run off from a pig farm.
Guardian UK: The Clean Water Act was a staggering bipartisan achievement. Now Trump is gutting it - This is the single largest loss of clean water protections that America has ever seen – and the timing couldn’t be worse
Guardian UK: The Clean Water Act was a staggering bipartisan achievement. Now Trump is gutting it - This is the single largest loss of clean water protections that America has ever seen – and the timing couldn’t be worse
Iowa
NY Times: Will Someone Break Out of Iowa Who Can Trounce Trump? Anyone? The Hawkeye State gets a lot of flak for its first-in-the-nation caucuses, but its conception of democracy has staying power. By Gail Collins
When the results are announced, one or two candidates will be propelled into semiofficial front-runner status. One or two others will survive to trudge again through New Hampshire.
Eight or nine will be gone for good. They won’t all admit it, of course. But we’ll know.
Alexander - No Witnesses
NY Times: Lamar Alexander, Key G.O.P. Senator, Plans to Oppose Move for New Evidence - The Tennessee Republican said House Democrats had proved that President Trump withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival but that this was not impeachable. By Nicholas Fandos, Emily Cochrane and Patricia Mazzei
Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, said late Thursday that although he believed that Democrats had proved their case that President Trump acted “inappropriately” in his dealings with Ukraine, he did not think the president’s actions were impeachable and would vote against considering new evidence in the impeachment trial.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 8:55 a.m. ET DOW futures are -123 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly lower.
CNN: Exxon's revenue and profit slipped in the fourth quarter By Paul R. La Monica
CNN: Exxon's revenue and profit slipped in the fourth quarter By Paul R. La Monica
Thursday, January 30, 2020
No Witnesses
I'm still betting no witnesses.
NY Times: Impeachment Trial Live Updates: The Last Day of Questioning
NY Times: Impeachment Trial Live Updates: The Last Day of Questioning
Republicans are optimistic they will be able to wrap up President Trump’s impeachment trial without hearing from additional witnesses like the former national security adviser, John R. Bolton.
Disgrace
Washington Post: Sen. Whitehouse says he doubts witnesses will be called
“What I see is a party that is bound and determined to get this behind them,” he said during a CNN interview, adding that he’s heard Trump wants an acquittal before Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Hunter
NY Times: Why Having Hunter Biden Testify Would Be Bad for Trump - If it means John Bolton would also testify in the impeachment trial, it could help the Democrats. By Elizabeth Drew - Ms. Drew is a journalist based in Washington who covered Watergate.
Having him appear as a witness could expose the fatuity of the Republicans’ efforts to smear him and his father. In fact, a number of Republicans actually don’t want to call the younger Biden. They’re worried about the circus atmosphere that might present — and they’d rather have the issue linger as a useful weapon.
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are -169 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.
CNN: Altria takes another $4.1 billion charge on its Juul investment By Paul R. La Monica
CNN: Altria takes another $4.1 billion charge on its Juul investment By Paul R. La Monica
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
The Plot Thickens
CNN: White House has issued formal threat to Bolton to keep him from publishing book By Jake Tapper
The letter, which is dated January 23, said some of the information was classified at the "top secret" level, meaning it "reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security."
Lev And Lindsey Sitting In A Tree
There's a rumor floating around Twitter this afternoon that Lev Parnas is going to implicate Lindsey Graham in Trump's Ukraine corruption scheme. Wouldn't that be a kick in the backside. It certainly explains Lindsey's attitude as of late, especially regarding things like having witnesses at the impeachment trial. Let's stay tuned. It's still just a rumor.
It Gets Worse And Worse
Yahoo News: Democrat Says Bolton Flagged Envoy Ouster: Impeachment Update
Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton privately urged Democrats to probe the administration’s handling of Ukraine shortly after his departure from the White House, said House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel.
The Trump Sickness On Full Display
Guardian UK: Trump praises Pompeo for rant against NPR reporter: ‘You did a good job on her’ - Mary Louise Kelly said the secretary of state launched into a tirade after she asked tough questions about Ukraine
...the secretary of state reportedly swore at and called a liar after she asked questions about Ukraine.
“I think you did a good job on her, actually,” the president said.
Smearing Bolton
Washington Post: Anatomy of a ‘smear’: How John Bolton became a target of the pro-Trump Internet By Isaac Stanley-Becker
...Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday described the eyewitness (Bolton) to activity at the heart of the president’s impeachment trial as a “disgruntled, fired employee who now has a motive, a multimillion-dollar motive, to inflame the situation.”
Not Yet
Just because McConnell doesn't have the votes now, that does not mean he won't have them by Friday.
Washington Post: McConnell tells senators he doesn’t yet have votes to block witnesses in Trump impeachment trial By Erica Werner, Seung Min Kim and Rachael Bade
Washington Post: McConnell tells senators he doesn’t yet have votes to block witnesses in Trump impeachment trial By Erica Werner, Seung Min Kim and Rachael Bade
Vain, Brilliant And Ruthless
NY Times: John Bolton Gets the Last Laugh - He’s the president’s bane and impeachment’s star. By Frank Bruni
Bolton has always been vain, brilliant and ruthless, and this is the timeline that a vain, brilliant and ruthless operator would cinch.
Witnesses
NY Times: Trump’s Defense Team Discounts Bolton as Republicans Work to Hold Off Witnesses - The president’s legal team completed its impeachment defense and Republicans huddled to discuss whether to call new witnesses. By Nicholas Fandos
President Trump’s defense team appealed to the Senate on Tuesday to disregard a new account by the former national security adviser John R. Bolton that bolsters the impeachment case against the president.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 8:55 a.m. ET DOW futures are +134 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher. Notice that the Coronavirus is beginning to affect markets in Hong Kong. This is the first time I've seen indications that the virus is affecting a world market.
CNN: Coronavirus fears sink Hong Kong stocks as they reopen after the Lunar New Year By Laura He
CNN: Coronavirus fears sink Hong Kong stocks as they reopen after the Lunar New Year By Laura He
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Addiction
NY Times: I Quit My Smartphone - Thanks to the Allen Carr technique for quitting smoking. By Lisa Wells
And there were other troubling symptoms. It was hard to read or write for sustained periods, which is concerning because that is my job. I was forcing myself to push through a handful of pages before reaching for the phone as reward...
GOP Hypocrite Of The Hour
Guardian UK: Kenneth Starr, driver of Clinton impeachment, does about-face for Trump
Kenneth Starr...stood before the Senate on Monday and complained that impeachment has become over-used and weaponised.
Upend
Washington Post: Leaked Bolton book threatens to upend Senate impeachment trial By Erica Werner, Paul Kane and Seung Min Kim
...Trump’s lawyers pushed forward with their defense of the president, largely ignoring the uproar caused by leaked details from a book by former national security adviser John Bolton. As part of their defense, they pivoted into a sharp line of attack on former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter over their involvement in Ukraine.
The Method
NY Times: The Method in John Bolton’s Madness - Why wait until now to release damning information about Trump? It’s complicated. By Jonathan Stevenson - Mr. Stevenson is a former staff member on the National Security Council.
The first is patriotism. Although Mr. Bolton does hold extreme views about the use of American power, there is little doubt about his basic fealty to the United States constitutional system and to established American institutions.
Bolton
NY Times: Bolton Revelations Anger Republicans, Fueling Push for Impeachment Witnesses - The former national security adviser’s account threatened to derail Republican hopes of bringing President Trump’s impeachment trial to a quick close with his acquittal. By Michael D. Shear and Nicholas Fandos
The White House and Senate Republican leaders struggled on Monday to salvage their plans for a quick acquittal of President Trump after a new account by his former national security adviser John R. Bolton corroborated a central piece of the impeachment case against him.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 9:05 a.m. ET DOW futures are +128 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: 3M is cutting 1,500 jobs in a global restructuring By Paul R. La Monica
CNN: 3M is cutting 1,500 jobs in a global restructuring By Paul R. La Monica
Monday, January 27, 2020
Tonight On Lou
Tonight FOX News host Lou Dobbs is going about the business of labeling Bolton, John Bolton, as a left wing plant! It's unbelievable how the right wing mind works! You can't make this stuff up.
Bolton
Politico: Bolton upends Republican fight against witnesses - But members of GOP leadership immediately sought to downplay the former national security adviser's revelations.
It all could come to a head by Friday, when GOP leaders expect the contentious vote on witnesses.
Rotten
The Sydney Morning Herald: Finally a book that gets to the rotten heart of Donald Trump's White House By Bruce Wolpe
Controlling The Coronavirus Narrative
NY Times: As Virus Spreads, Anger Floods Chinese Social Media - The sheer volume of criticism of the government, and the sometimes clever ways that critics dodge censors, are testing Beijing’s ability to control the narrative.
But someone following the crisis through social media would see something else entirely: vitriolic comments and mocking memes about government officials, harrowing descriptions of untreated family members and images of hospital corridors loaded with patients, some of whom appear to be dead.
FOX All Of A Sudden Has A New View Of Bolton
NY Times: Bolton’s former Fox colleagues treat him with newfound skepticism.
(Fox's Brian Kilmeade said) "He’s (Trump) got to do a better job vetting his staff, to find out if they actually want to work for him or not, or they actually want to leak out information about him.”
Roberts Can Do It
NY Times: John Roberts Can Call Witnesses to Trump’s Trial. Will He? Democratic House managers should ask the chief justice to issue subpoenas for John Bolton and others. By Neal K. Katyal, Joshua A. Geltzer and Mickey Edwards
But turns out they don’t get to make that choice — Chief Justice John Roberts does. This isn’t a matter of Democrats needing four “moderate” Republicans to vote for subpoenas and witnesses, as the Trump lawyers have been claiming. Rather, the impeachment rules, like all trial systems, put a large thumb on the scale of issuing subpoenas and place that power within the authority of the judge, in this case the chief justice.
Most critically, it would take a two-thirds vote — not a majority — of the Senate to overrule that.
The Market On Monday
The stock market is literally falling through the floor this morning. It's a scary day. DOW at -475, oil down, forget about it.
Testify
Washington Post: Democrats call for Bolton to testify in Trump impeachment trial after new report on aid to Ukraine By Seung Min Kim, Felicia Sonmez and Josh Dawsey
...following a new report that the president told Bolton last August that he wanted to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless it aided investigations into the Bidens.
Bolton Blows It Up
NY Times: Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says - Drafts of the book outline the potential testimony of the former national security adviser if he were called as a witness in the president’s impeachment trial. By Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt
President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.
Upend
NY Times: John Bolton’s Account Upends Trump’s Denials, but Will It Upend Trump? A president who has survived one revelation after another the last three years now faces perhaps the most serious disclosure of his political career at the very moment he is on trial in the Senate. By Peter Baker
At first glance, at least, John R. Bolton’s account of President Trump’s private remarks sounds like an echo of the so-called smoking gun tape that proved that President Richard M. Nixon really had orchestrated the Watergate cover-up and ultimately forced him from office. But this is Mr. Trump’s era and Mr. Trump’s Washington, and the old rules do not always apply.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Weekend!
Have an excellent weekend and see you first thing Monday morning.
work by Marianne von Werefkin 1860 - 1938
work by Marianne von Werefkin 1860 - 1938
Coronavirus
MSN: Coronavirus: Who is most at-risk?
The CDC recommends washing your hands regularly and avoiding contact with other sick people who are recovering from an illness. They also suggest avoiding touching your eyes and face, along with keeping objects and surfaces in your home or workspace clean and disinfected.
Creating Political Fodder
Washington Post: All the anti-Republican Senate ads Democrats could possibly want By Jennifer Rubin
In addition to reading a book during the trial, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) was back to her old tricks denigrating a war hero.
Break
I suspect Trump walks in a week or two. It looks like we are being set up for that eventuality.
Politico: Democrats launch last bid to break Trump's impeachment firewall - "If you find him guilty, you must find that he should be removed,” Adam Schiff argued this week.
Politico: Democrats launch last bid to break Trump's impeachment firewall - "If you find him guilty, you must find that he should be removed,” Adam Schiff argued this week.
No Four
Axios: Democrats struggle to count to four
Democrats may fall short of securing the minimum number of Republican senators needed to bring new witnesses into President Trump's impeachment trial, 10 senior staffers to key Senate Republicans tell Axios.
Trump's Insanity On Display
LA Times: California will be hit hard as Trump administration weakens clean water protections
...on Thursday (Trump) announced the replacement of Obama-era water protections with a significantly weaker set of regulations that lifts limits on how much pollution can be dumped into small streams and wetlands.
Reforest
Washington Post: The audacious effort to reforest the planet
Driven by the recognition that trees suck Earth-warming carbon out of the atmosphere far more efficiently than any machine, the effort has attracted millions of dollars in support...
Identity
Guardian UK: Revealed: the true identity of the leader of an American neo-Nazi terror group -The white supremacist group the Base has been a target of FBI raids and its members accused of planning a race war. The Guardian can now reveal the identity of its secretive leader
But the Guardian can reveal that “Norman Spear” is in fact US-born Rinaldo Nazzaro, 46, who has a long history of advertising his services as an intelligence, military and security contractor. He has claimed, under his alias, to have served in Russia and Afghanistan.
While Nazzaro’s most recently used address is in New Jersey, there is evidence supporting his claims of being based in Russia...
The Base...specifically targeting African Americans and Jewish people.
Recapping
Washington Post: What happened Thursday in the impeachment trial, in 5 minutes By Amber Phillips
The first GOP argument Democrats focused on: There is no crime, so Trump shouldn’t be impeached
ITMFA
Washington Post: Democrats detail abuse-of-power charge against Trump as Republicans complain of repetitive arguments By Seung Min Kim, John Wagner and Karoun Demirjian
...charging that his efforts to pressure Ukraine into political investigations were precisely what the nation’s founders wanted to guard against when they empowered Congress to remove a president from office.
Darkness
NY Times: The Darkness Where the Future Should Be - What happens to a society that loses its capacity for awe and wonder at things to come? By Michelle Goldberg
The dearth of optimistic visions of the future, at least in the United States, is central to the psychic atmosphere of this bleak era. Pessimism is everywhere: in opinion polls, in rising suicide rates and falling birthrates, and in the downwardly mobile trajectory of millennials.
Pre-empt
NY Times: Democrats Seek to Pre-empt Trump’s Defense in Impeachment Trial - The House impeachment managers sought to undercut the central elements of President Trump’s defense, wading into a detailed defense of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. By Sheryl Gay Stolberg
On the second day of arguments in the third presidential impeachment trial in American history, Democrats sought to make the case that Mr. Trump’s actions were an affront to the Constitution. And they worked to disprove his lawyers’ claims that he was acting only in the nation’s interests when he sought to enlist Ukraine to investigate political rivals.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 8:55 a.m. ET DOW futures are +87 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
CNN: Jeff Bezos has bigger problems than his phone getting hacked By David Goldman
CNN: Jeff Bezos has bigger problems than his phone getting hacked By David Goldman
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Fair
NY Times: Two Legal Teams With Contrasting Strategies Face Off in the Capitol - As House impeachment managers emphasize the facts, President Trump’s defense team calls the process unfair. By Charlie Savage
Eschewing props, the defense team has focused instead on the process. They have used their time to reinforce the House Republican theme that impeachment is a sham and unfair to Mr. Trump — urging the Senate to swiftly dispose of the case without subpoenaing any additional documents or testimony.
Top Less
Mother Jones: A Utah Woman Was Charged for Going Topless in Her Own Home. Her Legal Case Is Not Going Great. A judge denied Tilli Buchanan’s motion to declare the state’s lewdness law discriminatory and unconstitutional. by Abigail Weinberg
...three counts of lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor which could land her in jail and place her on the sex offender registry for 10 years.
The Short Story
Washington Post: What happened in Wednesday’s Senate trial, in 5 minutes By Amber Phillips
...divided into two consequential parts: what happened on the Senate floor and what happened off it.
ITMFA
Washington Post: Democrats scale back language as Trump and GOP press ahead with attacks on Senate impeachment trial
Democrats also appeared to shut down talk of a deal to secure testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton by offering to trade testimony from the son of former vice president Joe Biden...
Sham Trial
NY Times: What if Trump Gave Alaska to Putin? Republicans seem to think no president’s misbehavior could ever be bad enough to warrant removal. By Nicholas Kristof
McConnell’s grim determination to see no evidence and hear no witnesses is particularly hypocritical because in 1999, during the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, he did favor allowing witnesses. “It’s certainly not unusual to have a witness in an impeachment trial,” he said then.
Cheat
NY Times: In Impeachment Case, Schiff Accuses Trump of Trying ‘to Cheat’ in Election - The House impeachment managers began presenting their oral arguments against President Trump in the Senate trial, arguing that his conduct warranted his removal. By Michael D. Shear
...presenting a meticulous and scathing case for convicting President Trump and removing him from office on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are -67 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.
CNN: GrubHub has a solution to its delivery problems: Takeout By Paul R. La Monica
CNN: GrubHub has a solution to its delivery problems: Takeout By Paul R. La Monica
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Removal Please
Pew Research Center: By a Narrow Margin, Americans Say Senate Trial Should Result in Trump’s Removal - Majority says Trump has definitely or probably done things that are illegal
...63% of Americans say Trump has definitely (38%) or probably (25%) done things that are illegal, either during his time in office or while he was running for president. A larger majority (70%) say he has definitely (45%) or probably (26%) done unethical things...
Discouraging
The seats of many Republican senators and a handful of Democrats were empty as Schiff wrapped up his remarks. Some members were standing against the back wall to stretch their legs, but others stayed out of the chamber for an extended period of time, even though it is the rule that the senators, like jurors at any trial, be in their seats the entire time.
Updates
NY Times: Trump Impeachment: Live Updates of the Trial’s Opening Arguments - The House impeachment managers are laying out a detailed case that President Trump abused his power to pressure Ukraine to help him cheat in the 2020 election. By Peter Baker and Eileen Sullivan
Schiff accused Trump of using his power ‘to cheat’ in the election.
Collins And Romney
Washington Post: Collins and Romney hold the keys in the impeachment trial. Here’s what they signaled on Day One. By Aaron Blake
One rule change made it so evidence compiled by the House would automatically be included in the record, subject to objections by Trump’s legal team, whereas before, the Senate had to approve that. The other is that the 24 hours of opening arguments that have been allotted to each side will take place over three days each, rather than two each. Both of these are changes that Democrats wanted, and they apparently got some Republicans to side with them..
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