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Friday, January 31, 2020

Weekend!

  Have an excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.

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.

Senate Votes Against Admitting Witnesses - Trump Crowned King Of America

NY Times: Trump Impeachment Trial: Live Updates as Senate Votes Against Admitting Witnesses

Fall Back Position

New York Magazine: The Republican Cover-up Will Backfire. The House Can Keep Investigating Trump. By Jonathan Chait

Terrified

New York Magazine: Trump Is Terrified Giuliani’s Ukraine Work Will Be Exposed By Jonathan Chait

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

King Donald

Salon: Donald Trump will be "acquitted" — and his quest to become emperor moves on - Trump may outdo Richard Nixon in his quest to turn the presidency into the seat of absolute, monarchic power by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Recently Unearthed Ancient Sumerian Cuneiform Tablet Depicts Earliest Known Observance Of Ladies’ Night

The Onion: Recently Unearthed Ancient Sumerian Cuneiform Tablet Depicts Earliest Known Observance Of Ladies’ Night

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help with his pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr.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.

He Is


Dark

Get Pocket: Accepting Your Darkest Emotions Is the Key to Psychological Health - No need to play it cool. Neglecting negative emotions won’t bring you peace of mind.

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Man Ray 1890 - 1976





Rachel Maddow - Republican Impeachment Calculus Considers Immediate Trump Rage

Adam Savage Tests Boston Dynamics' Spot Robot

Stephen Colbert - John Bolton Is Committed To Getting His Story Out, Even If It Takes Down President Trump

Seth Meyers - Trump’s Impeachment Lawyers Argue He Can Do Whatever He Wants

Not Really

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump just got his ass kicked by Bill Palmer

How To

transferwise.com: How to move to Denmark: Step-by-step guide

Reminder

Guardian UK: The impeachment trial is a reminder: our democracy is fragile. Black Americans know that best - Reverend William Barber - Mitch McConnell’s conduct of Trump’s Senate trial recalls the baleful history of southern racial injustice in the civil rights era

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

The Sham Trial

Washington Post: Impeachment trial live updates: Senate poised to hear four hours of debate over calling witnesses By John Wagner

Despicable

Washington Post: Senate appears ready to reject witnesses in Trump impeachment trial, acquittal vote possible Friday By Mike DeBonis, Seung Min Kim and David A. Fahrenthold

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

Thursday, January 30, 2020

When

NY Times: When Will We See Bolton’s Book? The fate of his memoir is up to government censors. That’s troubling. By Jameel Jaffer and Ramya Krishnan - The writers are lawyers at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia.

Second Lev Tape

The Daily Beast: New Audio Appears to Show Ex-Giuliani Pal Lev Parnas at Dinner With Trump - HARDLY KNEW HIM! A second audio recording released by Lev Parnas’ attorney purportedly shows the former Giuliani fixer socializing at a 2018 Republican fundraising event. by Betsy Swan and Adam Rawnsley

Coronavirus Update

NY Times: W.H.O. Declares Global Emergency as Wuhan Coronavirus Spreads - The announcement came as nearly 8,000 cases have been reported worldwide, almost all of them in mainland China.

E. Jean Carroll

AP News: AP Exclusive: Woman who says Trump raped her seeks his DNA By JENNIFER PELTZ

No Witnesses

  I'm still betting no witnesses.

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.

Let's Get Real

Salon: Give it up, media cowards — there's no way to "both sides" impeachment - Yes, the parties are different: Republicans are lying and staging a cover-up, Democrats are fighting for the truth by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - CBS Inks Deal For 30-Episode Bloomberg Ad

The Onion: CBS Inks Deal For 30-Episode Bloomberg Ad

Exploiting The Poor

Get Pocket: How Poor Americans Get Exploited by Their Landlords - American landlords derive more profit from renters in low-income neighborhoods, researchers have found.

Honest


Have An Excellent Thursday

work Achille Funi 1890-1972





MSNBC - Why It's Possible Impeachment Could Be Over By Friday

Brian Williams - Michael Steele - McConnell Probably Has The Votes To Block Witnesses

Stephen Colbert - According To Alan Dershowitz, Anything Trump Does Is Legal If It's Done In Pursuit Of His Reelection

Arrived

The Palmer Report: The moment of truth has arrived by Bill Palmer

In Doubt

Guardian UK: Witnesses in doubt: the key takeaways from the eighth day of impeachment - Managers urge senators to call John Bolton as a witness, but the defense argued that calling witnesses could draw the trial out

Update

Guardian UK: Coronavirus: 6,000 locked down on cruise ship off Italy – live news - WHO says whole world must be on alert for Wuhan virus as UK citizens in Hubei told they will be flown home on Friday

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.

Absurd And Disgraceful

Washington Post: Trump legal team advances blanket defense against impeachment By Erica Werner, Karoun Demirjian and Elise Viebeck

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.

Down And Dirty

NY Times: Republicans Move to Block Impeachment Witnesses, Driving Toward Acquittal - Efforts to bring wavering Republicans into line appeared to be working as President Trump’s lawyers argued that anything a president did to win re-election was “in the public interest.” By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Michael D. Shear

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

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

'Cream'

Prince

'Wild Thing'

Tone Loc

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."

America Is In Trouble

Yahoo: 'American Dirt' book tour canceled over security concerns, 'vitriolic rancor'

Say Hi To Fascism

NY Times: Anything a president does to stay in power is in the national interest, Dershowitz argues.

Update

Axios: What's happening with the coronavirus

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.

Turn

Salon: John Bolton and John Kelly turn on the boss at last — and Trump loyalists respond with fury - All these ex-Trumpers could have told the truth long ago — but in fairness, it might not have changed anything by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - New Evidence Reveals Library Of Alexandria Kicked Out Dozens Of Creepy Old Romans For Looking At Pornographic Images On Abacus

The Onion: New Evidence Reveals Library Of Alexandria Kicked Out Dozens Of Creepy Old Romans For Looking At Pornographic Images On Abacus

Constructively

NY Times: An Adult’s Guide to Social Skills, for Those Who Were Never Taught - It’s a shame so few of us are taught the basics of how to interact constructively with each other. If you never were, we’re here to help. By Eric Ravenscraft

Indeed

Washington Post: Trump’s effort to block Bolton’s testimony makes little sense — unless he’s guilty - If Bolton’s lying, why not make him answer questions under oath? By Philip Bump

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Flavio Bertelli 1865 - 1941





Lawrence O'Donnell - Why Mitch McConnell Revealed He Doesn’t Have The Votes

'Black Hole Sun'

Jennah Bell

Stephen Colbert - Bolton Revelations Put Pressure On GOP To Allow Witnesses In Trump Impeachment Trial

Slurred Speach

The Palmer Report: Fox News abruptly cuts off Donald Trump’s speech after he suffers bizarre cognitive malfunction by Bill Palmer

Pompeo's F-Word Tirade

Guardian UK: NPR host says Pompeo shouted 'F-word' tirade when she asked about Ukraine - Secretary of state screamed obscenities and demanded host Mary Louise Kelly find Ukraine on a map, journalist says

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

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

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

It Gets Even Better

CNN: Alan Dershowitz called Trump corrupt in 2016 and said he could be corrupt as President By Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck

Trump Targets Chris Wallace

  How funny is this.

Yahoo: Trump Says He’s the Only Person Who Knows ‘What the Hell Happened to Fox News’ by Lindsey Ellefson

Deficit

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. National Debt Will Rise to 98% of GDP by 2030, CBO Projects - Deficits will exceed $1 trillion a year for at least 11 years, budget office says By Richard Rubin

Finale

Axios: Live updates: Trump's team closes out its impeachment case

Probably Not

Salon: Can John Bolton's revelations convince Republicans, at long last, to call Trump's bluff? At least some Republicans are worried about the future. Will the Bolton bombshell offer them a lifeline? by Bob Cesca

The Onion - Mike Pompeo - ‘There Is Overwhelming And Undeniable Evidence To Support Going To War With Whoever’

The Onion: Mike Pompeo: ‘There Is Overwhelming And Undeniable Evidence To Support Going To War With Whoever’

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...

Speak

The Bulwark: Speak for America, John! This is John Bolton's moment. by William Kristol

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Marianne von Werefkin 1860 - 1938






MSNBC - 'A Very Stable Genius' Details History As It Happened In Trump White House

Morning Joe - A Confederacy Of Dunces Defends President Donald Trump

Seth Meyers - Trump Issues Threats Amid Bolton Impeachment Bombshell

Screwed

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump just tipped off how truly screwed he knows he is by Bill Palmer

Coronavirus

Guardian UK: Coronavirus: Germany confirms first human transmission in Europe – live updates - US updates travel warning to China to highest level as mayor of Wuhan admits authorities were too slow in releasing information about virus. Follow the latest news

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.

Fair

Washington Post: Pelosi renews call for a ‘fair trial,’ knocks Trump defense team

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

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.




Eyes

Get Pocket: Why Meeting Another’s Gaze Is so Powerful - The reaction when two people lock eyes in a crowded room is a staple of romantic cinema. But the complex, unconscious reactions that take place are anything but make believe.

Witnesses Please

Washington Post: Key GOP senators say reports on Bolton book bolster case for witnesses in impeachment trial By Seung Min Kim, Rachael Bade and Mike DeBonis

Exchange

NY Times: Another Republican senator says he’s open to a witness exchange.

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

Soldiering On

Axios: Live updates: Trump's team continues its case despite Bolton furor

The Non Art Of No Self Reflection


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.”

Intensify

NY Times: Trump Impeachment Trial Live Updates: Calls Intensify for Bolton to Testify

The 'Get Over It' Defense

Salon: Back to the future for Trump's legal team: Next up, the "get over it" defense - Trump's team can't conceal his guilt now — so they'll turn back to "Heck, everyone does it so let's move on" by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - Justice Roberts Sternly Admonishes Impeachment Participants To Remember They’re At Complete Farce Of A Trial

The Onion: Justice Roberts Sternly Admonishes Impeachment Participants To Remember They’re At Complete Farce Of A Trial

Worms

The Atlantic: Cancel Earthworms - The “crazy worms” remaking forests aren’t your friendly neighborhood garden worms. Then again, those aren’t so great either. Story by Julia Rosen

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.

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Ramon Casa 1866 - 1932





MSNBC - Schumer - Trump's Defense Team 'Can't Directly Address The Issues'

SNL - Alan Dershowitz Argues For Trump Cold Open

'You’re Probably Using The Wrong Guitar Strings'

Racing

The Palmer Report: Now we know why Donald Trump was racing against the clock by Bill Palmer

America At The Bottom

Guardian UK: Maternity leave: US policy is worst on list of the world's richest countries - US was the only country in an analysis that offered absolutely no national paid leave

Hanging By A Thread

Guardian UK: Trump impeachment trial: Democrat says ‘country’s fate hanging’ on outcome - House manager says case against Trump ‘overwhelming’ - Schiff says Trump’s comment about him intended as a threat

The Lying Resumes

Washington Post: Impeachment trial live updates: Trump team to resume defense amid fallout from new report on Bolton’s claim on withholding military aid from Ukraine By John Wagner

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.

10,000 Words

forge.medium: How to Write 10,000 Words a Week - The most productive writers know that writing is only one step in a larger process by Drew Magary

Friday, January 24, 2020

Weekend!

  Have an excellent weekend and see you first thing Monday morning.

work by Marianne von Werefkin 1860 - 1938

New Tape Of Trump Surfaces

ABC News: 'Take her out': Recording appears to capture Trump at private dinner saying he wants Ukraine ambassador fired Trump apparently heard discussing firing Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. By Katherine Faulders, John Santucci, Allison Pecorin and Olivia Rubin

Not Functioning

Salon: Trump's fitness to stand trial questioned by professionals: "Serious signs of deterioration" - “To speak about Thomas Edison as if he is still alive is simply something that is scary,” attorney Maya Wiley says by Igor Derysh

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.

Penguins

CBS News: Lessons from the penguins in one of the fastest-warming places on Earth By Roxana Saberi

Microplastics

Vice: It's Not Just the Oceans: Our Air Is Filled With Microplastics, Too - All over the world, we're breathing plastic. by Becky Ferreira

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.

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.

What It Means

FiveThirtyEight: What The Latest Polling On Trump’s Removal Does (And Doesn’t) Mean By Nathaniel Rakich

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.

The Onion - Trump Lifts Obama-Era Protections Trapping Gangthor The Malevolent In Tomb Deep Within Murky Depths Of Pacific Ocean

The Onion: Trump Lifts Obama-Era Protections Trapping Gangthor The Malevolent In Tomb Deep Within Murky Depths Of Pacific Ocean

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...

Seth Meyers - Trump Confesses Amid Senate Impeachment Trial

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Franz Kline 1910 - 1962




Brian Williams - Angus King On Trump impeachment: This Is More Serious Than I Thought

Rachel Maddow - Adam Schiff Ends Day With Powerful Argument For Trump's Removal

Stephen Colbert - Trump Fan-Boy Matt Gaetz Left Off The President's Team Of GOP Impeachment Warriors

Afraid

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump just tipped off how afraid he is of what’s coming next by Bill Palmer

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.

Trump First

Guardian UK: Impeachment: Democrats say conduct is 'not America first, but Trump first' - House managers make case for president’s removal from office - So far, all the signs are that Republicans are unmoved

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.

Jim Lehrer Dies

Rolling Stone: Jim Lehrer, Longtime ‘PBS NewsHour’ Anchor, Dead at 85 - Award-winning journalist moderated 12 presidential debates By Daniel Kreps

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

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Midnight

    Sorry to be the harbinger of bad news all the time, but let's face it, this news sucks.


Day Two

Axios: Live updates: Democrats' second day of opening arguments

Seth Meyers - Michael Moore Thinks There’s a Chance the Senate Could Convict Trump

From Monday night

Travel Ban Widens

Washington Post: Chinese cities cancel New Year celebrations, travel ban widens in effort to stop coronavirus outbreak

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.

Coronavirus

Salon: The mystery of the Wuhan coronavirus deepens as first case hits U.S. - The virus is being compared to SARS and MERS — but health experts are still struggling to understand its severity by Nicole Karlis

The Onion - Senate Republicans Force Through Resolution Establishing Wingstop As Official Sponsor Of Impeachment Trial

The Onion: Senate Republicans Force Through Resolution Establishing Wingstop As Official Sponsor Of Impeachment Trial

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.

'Try Not To Look So Pretty'

Dwight Yoakam

Ken Starr And Alan Dershowitz Sexual Misconduct And Assault Scandals

NBC News: Trump impeachment defense lawyers Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz share disturbing problem - While the president still stands accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women, two of his lawyers are embroiled in their own sexual misconduct and assault scandals.

Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Rosie McGuinness


Rachel Maddow - Harm Of Leaving Trump Unchecked On Privilege Could Be Irreparable

Rachel Maddow - Impeachment Trial May Be Headed For A Classification Showdown

Stephen Colbert - Trump Brags About Obstructing Congress By Withholding Ukraine Evidence

Stephen Colbert - Rep. Adam Schiff Passionately, Courageously Lays Out The Case Against Donald Trump

Guarantee

The Palmer Report: Here’s how to guarantee that Donald Trump loses in 2020 by Bill Palmer

Three US Firefighters Killed

Guardian UK: Three US firefighters killed in air tanker crash fighting bushfires in Australia - New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian expresses condolences to families of the firefighters on board

Coronavirus

Guardian UK: Coronavirus: three Chinese cities locked down and Beijing festivities scrapped - Residents in Wuhan, Ezhou and Huanggang hoard supplies and isolate themselves at home

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

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Indeed


Solution

Yahoo: Schiff says Trump compromised 2020 election, and removal from office is only solution

Shooting The Constitution

The Nation: Trump Is Shooting the Constitution in the Middle of Pennsylvania Avenue - In that way, the president is keeping a campaign promise. Too bad for him, the Democrats are keeping theirs. By John Nichols

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...

Sham

Washington Post: This poll underscores the risk the GOP is taking on a sham trial By Greg Sargent

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.

We Know

CNN: George Conway: Trump is virtually incapable of telling the truth

Done Nothing At All

NPR: NPR Poll: Majority Of Americans Believe Trump Encourages Election Interference

Coronavirus

Axios: Coronavirus outbreak in China claims 17th victim

Over Their Heads

Salon: Impeachment trial kicks off: Donald Trump's defenders are in way over their heads - "Lawyer lawsuits?" Democrats were loaded for bear, while Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow made fools of themselves by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Kellyanne Conway Suggests Martin Luther King Jr. Would Have Traveled To Ukraine For Dirt On Biden

The Onion: Kellyanne Conway Suggests Martin Luther King Jr. Would Have Traveled To Ukraine For Dirt On Biden

Japan

BBC: How Japan has almost eradicated gun crime By Harry Low

Have An Excellent Wednesday

photography by Cindy Sherman







MSNBC - ‘Caught Bluffing’ - See Trump Trial Begin As GOP Sen. McConnell Backs Down On Rules

MSNBC - Claire McCaskill - House Dems Are Making A Better Case Than Team Trump So Far

Stephen Colbert - Trump Flees To Switzerland While His Impeachment Trial Kicks Off In The Senate

Mad

The Palmer Report: MIDNIGHT MADNESS by Bill Palmer

Good News

Guardian UK: Utah bans LGBTQ conversion therapy for children - Conservative state to bar discredited practice following Mormon church’s support of new legislation

Relax

Guardian UK: Relax, Democrats: your nominee will beat Trump in the midwest by Art Cullen - The rhetoric between candidates has gotten heated as the Iowa caucuses approach. But there’s no need for aggression

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..