Reporter: Are you concerned Trump may fire Sessions?
Ryan: It's the president's prerogative to hire and fire whoever he wants. pic.twitter.com/7Dp9okoTpJ
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) July 25, 2017
Lesson @SpeakerRyan has provided Trump is he will grumble, then accept, all window-breaking. 2day Ryan surely raised odds of #Mueller firing https://t.co/qlMdmZOJpQ
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) July 25, 2017
.
Apart from waiting for the next blizzard of falling shoes, what’s on the agenda for the day?
***********
What is alarming is the refusal of Rs state *right now* with total clarity that removing Mueller will be met with a forceful response.
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) July 25, 2017
Maybe Ryan has personal reasons to want Mueller’s investigation to end. He sure acts like he’s hiding something. So does McConnell. https://t.co/IyC5XA8sgg
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) July 25, 2017
A little feel-good nostalgia, from a brighter era:
Hell of a picture. pic.twitter.com/QacSO2Vg9Y
— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) July 25, 2017
Amir Khalid
Gitarku baru saja tiba! Meine Gitarre ist gerade angekommt! My guitar just got here!1! Right this very minute!
Alas, no amp yet. No setup tools, either.
OzarkHillbilly
@Amir Khalid: Each in their own time. Wait a minute, THE TIME IS NOW!!!
rikyrah
Good Morning,Everyone ???
rikyrah
@Amir Khalid:
Congrats on the ?.
Awesome?
WaterGirl
@Amir Khalid: Happy birthday wishes from your new guitar!
@rikyrah: Good morning, rikyrah!
WaterGirl
That photo of that young scout with president made me tear up. Makes me proud, happy, sad and angry – all at the same time. For reasons that are surely obvious.
EBT
I’ve started listening to these fine folks lately:
https://soundcloud.com/discoursecollective
Mai.naem.mobile
@Amir Khalid: you.better film.yourself and put.yourself on yputube once.ypure.ready
NotMax
Shouldn’t that be Cussturd?
@Amir Khalid
Congrats. Everything proceeding a-chord-ing to plan.
raven
Any have any experience with a pacemaker for dogs? Lil Bit has sick sinus syndrome and that’s the only known cure,
Amir Khalid
And there’s an unexpected bonus: free online lessons from Fender itself!
raven
@Amir Khalid: Did you see my message about the online guitar purchase in the film “Paterson” a while back?
WaterGirl
@raven: Oh, no, poor Lil Bit! Never heard of a pacemaker for dogs, but I would for sure do it in a heartbeat if it’s the only cure. Pats for Lil Bit and all around.
WaterGirl
Have a great day, everyone. I am sleepy so I am going back to bed.
Amir Khalid
@raven:
Yes, I did.
raven
@WaterGirl: She’s had this condition for a while but I think the heat is making it worse.
raven
@Amir Khalid: Ah good, it’s an interesting film as are most Jarmusch movies.
“That clarity of thought comes through in his latest film, Paterson. In a loud and angry world, it is a soft and still voice. It follows a week in the life of a bus driver named Paterson, played by Adam Driver. He lives and works in the town of Paterson, New Jersey with wife Laura, an aspiring country singer played with manic pixie energy by Golshifteh Farahani. Paterson writes poems, although he has no desire to publish them. Laura bakes and sells cupcakes. They encourage one another and never fight. If this all sounds a little underwhelming, that’s sort of the point. It’s a celebration of the everyday”
Comrade Nimrod Humperdink
Fuck Paul Ryan. Drop him naked and broke in a contested portion of Mogadishu and see how long he lasts fighting for scraps. Maybe give him some Rage Against the Machine to listen to. Hope that P90X gave you enough juice to get yours, Randian fuckstick.
satby
@raven: I’ve heard of them being used. I always try to balance the dog’s age and probability of quality of life with the trauma of the surgery and recovery period, because they can’t consent themselves and it is a major surgery and recovery. I’m sorry to hear she’s been feeling poorly.
satby
@Amir Khalid: Hooray, congrats!
@rikyrah: Good morning?!
NotMax
@raven
Paterson is one of those former mill towns that, no matter which angle it is viewed from, looks worn out and disconsolate.
raven
@NotMax: I went to a wedding there in 72 or so. A convoy of hippies in pickups and vans drove from Champaign . It was the dead of summer and we crashed in a basement apartment in the Village. It was miserable but we got high as the cost of living.
Sab
@Amir Khalid: Amazing. It’s dawn in USA eastern time zone. It’s twelve hours later (earlier?) in your time zone. So it’s dawn here, it’s early dusk where you are, and now you have your guitar to work with. I will enjoy thinking about you and your guitar getting acquainted while I get on with my day.
trnc
Why, yes, Virginia, John McCain is still the feckless, preening asshole non-media types have always understood him to be.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/senate-gops-trumpcare-bill-fails-spectacularly-with-new-defections
He voted yes on literally the same day he said he couldn’t support the bill.
raven
@satby: Yea, she has a cardiologist named Dr Barker!!!! We don’t know how old the little pumpkin is but we’ve had her almost 10 years.
Quinerly
@Amir Khalid:
So happy for you! Haven’t had chance to pipe in…usually too late to those other threads. Looking forward to plenty of fun updates.
Quinerly
@raven:
Never heard of a pace maker for a dog but certainly makes sense. Good luck. Keep us updated.
Elizabelle
@raven: Dr. Barker, the pet cardiologist. LOL.
Best to Lil Bit.
satby
@raven: I know she’s your dear baby girl! Does the doctor feel like it could give her a couple years more?
My oldest girl dog is the sweetest and best, but she’s going on 13 and she’s a breed that normally lives only about to 12. So if a similar situation came up for her I wouldn’t put her through the surgery (if she even survived it). But if Lil Bit could go another few years and feel better than it could be very worth it. Hard decision raven, I feel for you all.
Patricia Kayden
@trnc: Just another GOP liar. No surprises there. Why people ever believed he was a Maverick is beyond me. His selection of Palin as VP should have put an end to that.
satby
@satby: ironically, my mom and I had a similar discussion about the benefits vs risks regarding her own heart condition only about two years before she died. She decided against the surgery when she asked the cardiologist if it would give her a lot more years than just managing with medication, and he told her no, maybe a couple of years. But one of those years would have been spent almost entirely in cardiac rehab… again assuming she survived the surgery.
She got the two years anyway.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
I’m in the same boat of wondering whether it’s fair to take Dirk in for more testing. He’s 19 years old, and has lost an alarming amount of weight and has significant weakness in his back legs. He went in yesterday and had blood work done. It came back without a definitive reason for the symptoms, though he has kidney and liver issues; the former have been known for a while, but he absolutely will not eat any of the prescription kidney food.
So, the recommendation was to bring him back in for further testing with the Internal Medicine department, including probably an ultrasound. My question is, what would they be likely to find and what would we do about it? Aside from the question of whether it’s fair to put a 19-year old cat with other problems through major procedures, I can’t afford to have expensive work done that will only marginally improve his life expectancy and/or quality of life.
My guess is that I should start the care to make things easy for him as he checks out.
Once upon a time, my wife and I had six cats. I no longer have a wife, and Dirk is the last of those six still alive. When he goes, it will be the end of an era.
Quinerly
Very unhinged Youngstown speech last night. Trump speculating about being on Mt Rushmore. Watching snippets on Morning Joe…which I never watch but have been catching some the shows in the morning before Poco’s beach walk. The show is actually tolerable. Pretty good guests this week.
Quinerly
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Don’t know quite what to say. 19 is a great life…even for a kitty. I have friends who have had kitties live well into their 20’s. The best dog I ever had (don’t tell Poco) was an Akita/Chow named Buddy. Came from the Humane Society, got up to 90lbs. He had a rare cancer…cancer of the tear duct when he was 13. I was crazed to save him…spent a fortune in a month with tests, specialists, travel to the vet school. He had a seizure one evening…I came to my senses. Held him tightly the next day when the vet and I made the hard decision.
OzarkHillbilly
@Quinerly: He’s more likely to end up on a post office wall.
O. Felix Culpa
@WaterGirl: Same here. I love that look of awe on the little Cub Scout’s face and the way President Obama (lovely words! beautiful words!) gives the boy his full attention.
Good morning!
mai naem mobile
@Quinerly: Yep,I watched a few minutes .I haven’t watched in a long time. Even Mark Halperin didn’t come across as a douchebag.
satby
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: oh, that is tough! But 19 is a fine long life for a cat, you’ve done good by him. I do think it’s important not to put them through a lot of procedures that can’t really provide a long term improvement at the end of an elderly animal’s life (humans either). Sometimes our quest to keep them with us just wastes money and makes their last months painful and miserable (and yes, again that’s true of humans near the end too).
It’s always a hard decision. But if you already know that surgery and or chemotherapy wouldn’t be something you could afford or would put such an old boy through (and honestly, I wouldn’t either) then making the time he has left the happiest and most pampered of his life is a great way to spend what’s left.
Quinerly
@OzarkHillbilly:
We can only hope. You checked in with Red lately? I’m in NC. She’s in and out at my house working. We are getting ready to start a big Air BnB project…my “lower level stone walk out guest suite.” She’s got grand mosaic bathroom plans….plus plans for a mosaic mantel/fireplace for unvented electric logs and countertops and backsplash for the kitchen. I’m so excited!
O. Felix Culpa
@Amir Khalid: Es freut mich. Viel Glück!
Quinerly
@satby:
So well said.❤??
debbie
Newt’s going all Gorka on NPR. What a jerk!
rikyrah
@raven:
Have no clue, but sending positive thoughts.
debbie
@Quinerly:
Wow. I hadn’t heard about Mt. Rushmore. I look forward to his joke-not-a-joke being discussed on Colbert tonight. He did a great job on the Boy Scouts speech last night.
O. Felix Culpa
@Quinerly: I did the same thing with a beloved pet years ago. Tried far too many heroic measures to save him and the poor creature was miserable. I too finally came to my senses and let him go. Still makes me cry to think about it. I would never put an animal through something like that again without high level assurance that it would alleviate suffering and improve quality of life.
MomSense
@Amir Khalid:
Yes!!!!
O. Felix Culpa
@satby: Wise counsel. I would apply it to myself, too.
Comrade Nimrod Humperdink
@debbie: Newt’s one of the original racist scorched-earthers. Dude took Lee Atwater’s campaign style and turned it into a field manual for Republican Congressional “leadership.” Him and that alcoholic tax dodging Bible-Thumping exterminator Tom DeLay kicked a decaying legislative infrastructure into a weaker but more advantageous shape.
OzarkHillbilly
@Quinerly: Last I saw her was before my MN trip. the project sounds fun.
rikyrah
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Oh my.
Sending you both positive thoughts ?
rikyrah
@Quinerly:
Good Morning to Poco and the kitty ?
Quinerly
@OzarkHillbilly:
She might be more excited than I am. It’s her first full residential project…living space, kitchen, and bath…all one package. Great for her portfolio. She’s been a bit “down.”
Quinerly
@rikyrah:
Good morning, honey bunny! We are off for our beach walk. Running late. I blame BJ! Have a great day. Keep posting! Your links are my easy news sources when I’m away from St. Louis and work computer.
satby
@Quinerly: sounds great! Hope it’s done so I can rent a night on my dream trip around the US sometime next year. And then we can head west to visit O.Felix Culpa!
Quinerly
@O. Felix Culpa:
Good morning! The Buddy saga helped me make what I think was the best decision with 11 year old Leo (Golden Retriever/Chow)when he collapsed while on the Santa Fe trip in 2014…ruptured tumor on his spleen that we obviously knew nothing about when we had started the trip 10 days prior. Santa Fe Emergency Pet Clinic had all sorts of ideas…surgery, radiation, chemo. I had learned from Buddy that it was best to make a hard decision and make it then and there that Sunday AM. My Cerrillos/Madrid gals came through for me. Glad I had friends there in your neck of the woods. That was a tough trip.
Quinerly
@satby:
That would be great. Deep discounts for hardcore BJuicers! I’m serious!
bemused
@Quinerly:
One of our cats lived to 19. What a sweetheart. She had arthritis, walked slowly but still was able to make it up and down basement stairs to the litter box. Her arthritis made it hard for her to groom herself but using kitty wipes worked pretty well. She and one dog had a cute ritual. Kitty would walk to dog, bend her head down for the dog to tongue wash her head. They both loved it but kitty walked off with saliva spiked head hair. Hilarious.
Emma
@Amir Khalid: Wonderful. Looking forward to the youtube videos!
My father is back home after the surgery and already doing much better. The patient is fine; the caretaker is collapsing.
O. Felix Culpa
@Quinerly: Oh wow, that must have been hard. A reminder to love our furry companions with intention for as long as they’re with us. Our human companions too.
satby
I’m crabby today because it’s supposed to be my one day off and I have to go into work for a training on a new practice management system that’s also available on YouTube. Because our office manager thinks there’s value in all 8 of us huddled around one laptop trying to watch the (really bad) trainer do live what the YouTube shows. Aaaaargh!
satby
@Emma: good to hear your dad is better! Now you take the time when he’s resting to rest too!
O. Felix Culpa
@satby: Aaargh indeed! Sorry you have to endure that. Will you get another day off instead?
Immanentize
@Amir Khalid: That is so excellent!! Congratulations. This might have been discussed, but your guitar should be able to be amped through your stereo if you have one for a short while. You should be able to plug it in and use headphones also if you have them….
Immanentize
@raven: @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I am sorry to hear you are each having serious pet issues.
I just read all the comments straight through. This thread is so sad, positive, supportive and just filled with regular humanity. And getting high in the basement.
Thank y’all
O. Felix Culpa
@satby: @Emma: Ditto to what satby said. Glad your dad is doing better and remember to give yourself some rest. (As I recall, you’ve had some health issues as well?) The caretaker needs taking care of too.
Quinerly
@Emma:
Sending healing thoughts to the dad…and the sweet caretaker. I know that scene. Tough stuff. Get some rest. That’s an order…from Poco!?
Quinerly
@bemused:
??❤
Immanentize
@satby: There is really nothing more torturous than non-interactive group webcast training. Whoever thought this was effective education was nuts. Efficient for the trainer but useless as training.
Immanentize
@Emma: when my son was born, my wife and I got the best advice — sleep when he sleeps. Are you in a position where you can do the same with your father?
Here is to rest for the weary.
O. Felix Culpa
@Immanentize: I’ve been thinking of you and Mrs. Imm and young Immp. Sending love and care from New Mexico.
oldgold
My dog, Gone It, lived so long I had to put him on Title K-9teen.
Immanentize
Thank you. Things are not going so well. But maybe she will be able to get into a Car-T trial for solid cancers.
PS. I love New Mexico.
Elizabelle
@satby: If your manager ends up a victim on “Forensic Files”, I am going to know where to look. And you will have done us all a service.
Wish you’d been able to tell her firmly “no, but I will watch the youtube and come back with any questions.”
Miserable moron of a woman.
Elizabelle
@Immanentize: Ahhh. Best to you and the family.
Emma
@satby: @O. Felix Culpa: @Quinerly: I am trying. It’s funny; with my mother her illness was so severe and she was so unhappy as her control of her environment and her body slipped away that it was both grief and relief when she passed. With my father I went into full panic mode. My last parent could be abandoning me! But he is recovering well and the beloved independent cranky old fart is resurfacing. I think everything will be well. But I will have to work on acceptance of the passage of time.
O. Felix Culpa
@Immanentize: I’m sorry and join you in hoping she gets into an effective trial. Let me know if you ever come out this way. You and your family would be most welcome.
MomSense
@Emma:
Please rest if you can. If you can even make a little nest in the same room as your dad so you won’t worry you will be away if he needs you. Sending strength and healing to you both.
MomSense
@Immanentize:
Sorry to hear that. You imms are in my thoughts every day.
Quinerly
@Emma:
??❤
Quinerly
@Immanentize:
Sending positive thoughts. Your community is here for you. I enjoy your posts. Keep us updated.?
satby
@O. Felix Culpa: nope. Unless I skip a market day. It’s only a few hours, it that the trainers are usually terrible that I mind more.
satby
@Immanentize: I’m so sorry! Love and strength to you both and huge hopes she gets into a trial.
O. Felix Culpa
On another note, my younger son interviewed Judy Collins for WBEZ (Chicago public radio) yesterday. Color me proud…and nostalgic. Who knows where the time goes?
satby
Wow, nice! Podcast available?
O. Felix Culpa
@satby: I don’t know, will have to ask him.
Glad your awful training doesn’t take the whole day. Just sit back and think about cross-country trips.
satby
@O. Felix Culpa: ?
Immanentize
@O. Felix Culpa: So cool! Mmm. Chelsea Morning.
satby
And in happier news, my hoarder house abandoned rescue cat Smokey is in good shape, healthy, and looking for his forever home.
Immanentize
@satby: What a good looking cat! I wish we could take another. I really like solid grays, but in my experience, they are also a handful.
MomSense
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Some of my best friends are the ones with whom we reminisce about the dogs and cats we’ve loved. It’s how we measure time in our weird way. I hear that saying goodbye to your beloved kitty is also saying goodbye to a big part of your life. This may sound silly but bring something new into your life that you’ve never done before. Maybe it’s a new volunteer gig at a shelter or food bank. Maybe take a fun art or cooking class, mushroom foraging–whatever interests you that you’ve never tried before.
Sending a big hug to you and some skritches to your kitty.
Laura
@Amir Khalid:
This may come in handy as you transition to a Rock God:
https://youtu.be/s9F5fhJQo34
tobie
I gather there’s a healthcare protest today in front of the Capitol at 5 pm. I’m torn…I’m supposed to go to yoga and DC is hike for me but this seems important. Any BJers planning on going?
satby
@Immanentize: He’s been a sweet boy both at my house and the foster house he stayed at the last week. I take him back for another week and then he’ll spend some time in the cat room at the PetSmart. He’s a younger cat though, we have some great senior cats that are lovers too. And a senior for seniors discount. Just in case you’re considering….
rikyrah
@Immanentize:
sorry to hear this.
wishing her the best and sending her prayers.
rikyrah
‘Repeal and replace’ plan’s defeat spells trouble for Republicans
07/26/17 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
Yesterday’s developments on the Senate floor offered plenty of drama, and the Republicans’ procedural measure to begin the health care debate in earnest succeeded, but that simply opened the door to substantive work on the GOP’s goal.
And last night, Republicans suffered an important defeat – the first of several.
At issue was the latest iteration of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) bill – the Better Care Reconciliation Act (or BCRA) – which has been in the works for over a month. The measure needed 60 votes, but failed to even get 50: as the roll call shows, the final tally was 43 to 57, with nine Republicans voting with Senate Democrats against the measure.
It wasn’t, in other words, particularly close.
The Senate then broke for the night, with plans to vote this afternoon on an even-more-radical “repeal and delay” plan that would gut the Affordable Care Act and figure out what to do about it two years later. That will need 50 votes, and by all accounts, the measure will fall short.
satby
@MomSense: very perceptive MomSense! Good advice too.
rikyrah
It’s not enough for John McCain to say the right things
07/26/17 08:52 AM—UPDATED 07/26/17 09:00 AM
By Steve Benen
……………………………….
Roll Call published a related piece, telling readers, “Years from now, when the history of the modern Congress is written, John McCain’s address to the Senate on July 25, 2017, is likely to stand among the defining summations of the era.”
I realize that the political media has its favorites, and for a variety of reasons, McCain has long been a media darling. I’m also aware of the unique circumstances: a man who’s devoted much of his life to public service, including heroic military service, is facing a serious health crisis. Those who want to celebrate McCain’s work feel an added incentive to do so quickly and vigorously.
But the adulation paints an incomplete – and to a very real extent, misleading – picture for the public. One can respect McCain’s lifetime of sacrifices while still acknowledging the glaring gap between the senator’s words and his actions.
In isolation, McCain’s speech was, to be sure, a powerful rebuke to institutional breakdowns in the Senate. He made a compelling case for a more constructive and more deliberative legislative process, and he did so while holding both parties to account, which all but guarantees reverence from much of the Beltway press.
The remarks did not, however, arrive in a vacuum. McCain had just cast a partisan vote in support of an indefensible health care process, which intends to end with a bill that does not currently exist. The senator sang the praises of “regular order” in the Senate after casting a vote that ensured there would be no regular order on this issue.
McCain simultaneously condemned and protected a process he apparently opposes and supports. He expressed severe disappointment in his colleagues trying to pass major legislation without hearings or deliberations, and then rewarded those who’ve disappointed him, ensuring their victory.
The senator proceeded to announce his opposition to his party’s latest proposal, which he then voted to support just six hours later.
If McCain’s speech “stands among the defining summations of the era” in future history books, let’s hope the chapter also acknowledges the profound contradiction between his words and deeds – which, in a crushing sense, really did make this “a Washington moment for the ages.”
Patricia Kayden
@Quinerly: Trump also claimed that he was the best President ever right behind Lincoln. I’ll be surprised if those Republicans who worship St. Ronald Reagan don’t have some sharp words about such blasphemy.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 7/25/17
Democrats fight for time and transparency on gop health/tax bill
Senator Chris Murphy talks with Rachel Maddow about what is at stake in resisting the Republican health/tax bill and how he hopes to use amendments to buy time for Americans to read the Republican plans and make their voices heard.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 7/25/17
What’s dangerous about a compromised person in public office
Rachel Maddow tells the story of Walt Nixon, a federal judge who ended up in heaps of legal trouble and impeached from his position when illegal practices opened him to being manipulated.
Kay
Good piece about DeVos, who is like “a mermaid with legs” outside the little pond of wingnut Michigan politics:
It was Trump’s proposed budget that cut Special Olympics, so don’t worry- none of Trump’s proposed ed budget is surviving Congress because DeVos is horrible at her job.
Patricia Kayden
@rikyrah: Good!!!! Fix the ACA. That’s the only course of action that should be under consideration.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 7/25/17
Warren: It’s up to us to say ‘no deal’ on GOP health/tax plan
Senator Elizabeth Warren talks with Rachel Maddow about the urgent need for the people who rely on the Affordable Care Act to make their views known to Republican senators who are poised to take health insurance away from millions of Americans.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 7/25/17
Kushner not credible on Trump Jr’s Russia collusion e-mail
Congressman Eric Swalwell, member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner testifying before Congress in the Trump Russia investigation.
Kay
I bet you 5 dollars the Trumpsters zeroed out the measly 12 million dollar Special Olympics program because it’s a Kennedy family project.
Vindictive, nasty people. Who do they think they’re punishing?
rikyrah
@Kay:
It can’t be said enough—she really is an awful person.
A wretched human being.
rikyrah
@Kay:
I don’t take sucker’s bets, Kay.
O. Felix Culpa
@Kay: Hey Kay, I’ve been wanting to tell you that the DCCC has taken your advice! I went to DCCC-U in Albuquerque last Saturday, which is meant to train local Democratic activists. Over 3200 people have participated around the country so far. I’d give the training itself mixed reviews, but it’s a start.
Miss Bianca
@O. Felix Culpa: your son works for WBEZ? I never quite forgave them for abandoning most of their funky music programming back in the 90s, but that is still super cool.
O. Felix Culpa
@Miss Bianca: I never forgave them for that either. That said, they made a wise choice in hiring him. He’s happy in his work and good at it.
Miss Bianca
@Immanentize: Chelsea Morning was my stage name when I was in a 60s cover band.
Sorry to hear that Mrs. Imm is not doing so well. :-(
WaterGirl
@raven: How awesome is a vet named Dr. Barker!!!
WaterGirl
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I’m sorry, that’s so hard.
My dog had kidney failure and she wouldn’t eat the kidney food. She adored Eggo waffles and it turned out that they had a pretty good balance of what she needed anyway.
In any case, once she started eating the waffles she got her strength back, and her appetite! Same was true with my kitty when she was in kidney failure. If you can get them to eat SOMETHING, it seems there’s a decent chance that they will start eating again. The magic food for my kitty was cooked hamburger meat, like you would make for tacos or something like that, but obviously without the spices! Your kitty is surely weak after all that weight loss. If it were me, I would try that route before I made a decision.