Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

When we show up, we win.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Decision time: keep arguing about the last election, or try to win the next one?

Stay strong, because they are weak.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

People are complicated. Love is not.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

The way to stop violence is to stop manufacturing the hatred that fuels it.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

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The United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit (LIVE AUDIO)

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Today is the big day – where the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit here’s oral arguments.

All the legal eagles seem to agree that what’s in question is not a matter of they rule in favor of Trump (they will not) but of how they get to the ruling/s that go against Trump.

This Lawfare podcast is the best I have see or read on the subject.

On the menu:

  • Immunity

  • Absolute Immunity

  • Double Jeopardy

  • Negative Inference

  • Jurisdiction

  • Peaceful Transfer of Power

  • Other Amicus Briefs

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Never Give Up, Never Surrender

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Late Night Horrorshow Open Thread: Nepotism in the GOP

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When its inhabitants call the state Misery… Yes, Jay is in fact the son of John Ashcroft, Dubya’s choice for U.S. Attorney General and “the only U.S. Senator defeated for re-election by a dead person”.

But Jay will never reach the fathomless depths achieved by Willard Romney, son of that vanished species, a *decent* Republican…

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Late Night Open Thread

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These little stories are from an interesting article featuring good people who are making a difference.  written by Harry Bellafante’s daughter, Ginnia, and.    I thought little pieces of it might make good late night posts.  A little bit of inspiration, perhaps, at the start of an open thread.

But talk about whatever you want!

In a year that made many of us want to give up, these unsung activists found a way to help others.

h/t hazmat

🌼

The Rabbis’ Rabbi

Jill Jacobs advises rabbis and connects them with one another to share wisdom.Credit…Brittainy Newman for The New York Times

The war in Gaza has divided New York City’s Jewish community in a way that is nearly without precedent, in some cases rupturing friendships that have spanned decades. When rabbis find themselves needing guidance navigating tensions within their congregations, they turn to Jill Jacobs to lower the volume. Rabbi Jacobs runs T’ruah, an organization directed at advancing human rights in this country, in Israel and in the occupied territories.

“People are screaming at each other in slogans,” she said. Her job, as she sees it, “is to keep the human story front and center,” to connect rabbis to one another to share their wisdom as well as advise them. Rachel Timoner, senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, said Rabbi Jacobs “has given us language and clarity when we really needed it.”

“The moral truth that Jewish tradition calls us to — she will say it, regardless of popularity,” Rabbi Timoner added. “Her courage enables a large number of people to trust her voice. And she is fearless.”

From Six New Yorkers Who Made the City a Better, Cooler, Fairer Place in 2023.  Written by Harry Bellafante’s daughter, Ginia Bellafante, who writes the Big City column, a weekly commentary on the politics, culture and life of New York City.

Open thread!

 

 

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War for Ukraine Day 684: (Some of) You Have Questions I (May) Have Answers

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Russia once again opened up on Ukrainian civilian targets overnight:

Ukraine continues to resist russian missile terror.

This morning, 🇺🇦 air defenders shot down 18 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and 8 “Shahed” kamikaze drones in our sky.

The aggressor attacked our country with 59 drones and missiles, including Kh-47 Kindzhal missiles and Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

We are grateful to our air defenders for saving Ukrainian cities.
We urge our partners to continue supporting Ukrainian air defense.

Last night in comments Jazz Bass asked:

Hi Adam, yesterday you mentioned that it seems unlikely that the $300 billion in Russian assets are going to be used to support Ukraine. When you have chance could you, please, elaborate why that’s the case?

Thanks!

There are several reasons why. The first is that no one is sure if this is legal under anyone’s laws, whether that’s American, Canadian, EU, any of the individual EU member states, and/or international law. The second is that there is a lot of concern, especially in the US, but also in the EU, that if the US or the EU were to go forward with this it would make both individual, organizational/corporate, and state investors leery of holding dollars or euros as investments, keeping said dollars or euros in US, EU, and/or individual EU member state banks, and owning tangible assets in the US, the EU, and/or individual EU member states.

I understand why President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians want this done. I don’t necessarily think it is a bad idea, but given how risk averse the Biden administration, the Scholz government in Germany, Macron in France, and a number of other leaders of EU and/or NATO member states have been, I don’t see it happening.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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Monday Evening Open Thread: Also Speaking At AME Today…

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This would not be my chosen method of drawing attention, frankly, but I appreciate President Biden’s response…

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Oh Lordy, There are Tapes! Again?

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Can we get a re-write on todays script?

Weeks before the 2020 presidential election, infamous political operative Roger Stone sat across from his associate Sal Greco at a restaurant in Florida.

At the time, Greco was an NYPD cop working security for Stone on the side. Their conversation, at Caffe Europa in Fort Lauderdale, focused on two House Democrats for whom Stone harbors particular animosity, Jerry Nadler and Eric Swalwell.

In audio of the conversation obtained exclusively by Mediaite, Stone made threatening comments about the two lawmakers.

“It’s time to do it,” Stone told Greco. “Let’s go find Swalwell. It’s time to do it. Then we’ll see how brave the rest of them are. It’s time to do it. It’s either Nadler or Swalwell has to die before the election. They need to get the message. Let’s go find Swalwell and get this over with. I’m just not putting up with this shit anymore.”

A source familiar with the discussion told Mediate they believed Stone’s remarks were serious. “It was definitely concerning that he was constantly planning violence with an NYPD officer and other militia groups,” the source said.

Both Nadler and Swalwell serve on the House Judiciary Committee. At the time of the Caffe Europa conversation, Nadler had announced the committee would be investigating then-President Donald Trump’s decision to commute Stone’s sentence after he was convicted of federal crimes in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

“A jury found Roger Stone guilty,” Nadler wrote on Twitter in July 2020. “By commuting his sentence, President Trump has infected our judicial system with partisanship and cronyism and attacked the rule of law. @House Judiciary will conduct an aggressive investigation into this brazen corruption.”

The source told Mediaite of Stone: “Stone had been at war with Nadler and Swalwell for years. He just hates them.”

“He just wanted to get Trump back into office so these things would stop,” the source added.

Stone was convicted of obstruction, witness tampering, and lying to Congress in the Mueller investigation. Prosecutors sought a nine-year prison sentence for the longtime Republican operative, but Trump’s Justice Department reportedly intervened to impose a less severe sentence. Stone’s sentence was eventually commuted by Trump days before reporting to prison.

The intervention from the Justice Department prompted Aaron Zelinsky, the prosecutor and Mueller deputy who led the case against Stone, to recuse himself from the case in protest. Mediaite reported last week that Stone was caught on tape in December 2020 urging Greco to “punish” Zelinsky.

“He needs to be punished,” Stone told Greco in the audio. “You have to abduct him and punish him. That has to be done. It will be easy to abduct him because he is a weakling.”

Stone denied making those comments, claiming they were generated by AI. He has previously claimed videos of his comments are actually “deep fakes.” In response to a request for comment on the remarks aimed at Swalwell and Nadler, Stone said, “Total nonsense. I’ve never said anything of the kind more AI manipulation. You asked me to respond to audios that you don’t let me hear and you don’t identify a source for. Absurd.”

Greco did not deny the comments, but said in a text to Mediaite: “I don’t think your reader is interested in ancient political fodder.”

Greco, who acted as security for Stone and was with the operative during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol soon after the 2020 election, was fired by the NYPD over his association with Stone. An NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Mediaite that Greco was terminated in August 2022.

🌼

This strikes me as mark shit being thrown at the wall to see what sticks.

Anything else interesting happen today?  I have been mostly working, not playing.  We did have an 8 am vet appointment for Mr. Bear to check on his infection.  After 28 days of antibiotics, it’s not totally healed, so we have another 14 days.  At least it’s a lot better than it was.  Aiming for glass half full, here.

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