Biden continues to impress.

Today’s Edition (Vol. 2, No. 64) Biden continues to impress.

          Joe Biden continues to impress. On Thursday, Biden delivered on another campaign promise by announcing sanctions against Russia for interfering in the 2020 presidential campaign and for launching a massive cyberattack against the U.S. (called the “Solar Winds” attack). See CNBC, “Biden administration sanctions Russia for cyberattacks, election interference.” In making the announcement, Biden adopted a matter-of-fact tone. Here is my paraphrase of his remarks:

          During my campaign, I promised to be tougher on Russia. In January, I told Putin we would sanction Russia if we learned that it interfered in the election or launched the cyberattack. We subsequently learned that Russia interfered in the 2020 election and was responsible for the Solar Winds attack, so I am announcing sanctions on Russia as I said I would.

          The sanctions are tough—but leave room for more. Biden expelled ten Russian diplomats and prohibited U.S. financial institutions from purchasing Russian government bonds. Biden imposed sanctions on sixteen individuals and entities affiliated with the Russian government and authorized additional sanctions against the Russian economy. See WhiteHouse.gov, “Remarks by President Biden on Russia.” But at the end of his speech, Biden said that he proposed a summit with Russia this summer “to address a range of issues facing both of our countries.  Our teams are discussing that possibility right now.” Unlike Trump, who groveled before Putin when the two met in Europe, Biden will meet with Putin from a position of strength.

          In a surprise disclosure, the Treasury Department revealed that Russian intelligence officer Konstantin Kilimnik provided internal GOP polling data to Russian intelligence services during the 2016 presidential campaign. See Treasurey.gov, “Treasury Escalates Sanctions Against the Russian Government’s Attempts to Influence U.S. Elections.” (“Kilimnik provided the Russian Intelligence Services with sensitive information on polling and campaign strategy.”) U.S. investigators previously knew that Kilimnik received GOP polling data from Paul Manafort (Trump Campaign Director) but did not know what Kilimnik did with the data. The Treasury Department’s revelation draws a direct link from the Trump campaign to Russian intelligence services in 2016. This story will undoubtedly draw intense scrutiny in the coming weeks—especially the question of whether Trump, Bill Barr, or the intelligence community suppressed information about the direct line from the Trump campaign to Russian intelligence. See NYTimes, “Biden Administration Says Russian Intelligence Obtained Trump Campaign Data - The New York Times.”

          Biden has re-set U.S. relations with Russia at a critical juncture. Russian troops are massed on its border with Ukraine. Putin may be testing Biden, but Biden is also testing Putin. It’s good to have a president who is looking out for U.S. interests.

Democrats introduce a proposal to expand Supreme Court.

          Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York proposed a bill to add four justices to the Supreme Court. See CNBC, “Democrats to introduce bill to expand Supreme Court from 9 to 13 justices.” Speaker Pelosi immediately said she would not bring the bill to the House floor, saying it was premature to do so. The Hill, “Pelosi says she won't bring bill to expand Supreme Court to the floor. Pelosi is a master at counting votes, so she must know the bill would fail if she brought it to the floor now.

          On cue, commentators began arguing that expanding the Court was politically short-sighted. They propose a variety of changes, almost all of which involve amending the Constitution. For example, Ruth Marcus wrote in the Washington Post on Thursday that Democrats should pursue term limits for the Justices. See Ruth Marcus in WaPo, “Opinion | I feel Democrats’ fury over the Supreme Court. Adding justices is the wrong fix.” Amending the Constitution requires approval by 2/3rds of each chamber of Congress and ratification by 3/4ths of the states. That will never happen.

          I was encouraged to see that Biden’s commission on reforming the Supreme Court is taking a broad view of its charter. Per the New York Times, the commission is considering

          proposals to limit the court’s ability to strike down acts of Congress, to require it to hear more types of appeals in order to reverse the falling number of cases it resolves each year, and to limit its ability to resolve important matters without first hearing arguments and receiving full briefings, among other issues.

          Those proposals would limit the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and eliminate the “shadow docket” of the Court—which it has recently used to protect Trump and issue sweeping decisions without the benefit of full briefing.

Holding Fox News Accountable for Tucker Carlson

          After I suggested that readers complain to the FCC about Tucker Carlson, several readers said they received responses from FCC saying it does not regulate speech. Okay, let’s try a different tack. A reader sent a note about an initiative called “unfoxmycablebox.com”.  As explained at the website,

          Every network charges cable and satellite providers a small fee per subscriber; the one for Fox News is extraordinarily high. A typical household pays Fox News almost $2 per month—about $20 per year— via their cable or satellite provider, regardless of whether they actually watch the channel.

          In other words, Fox News is wildly profitable without regard to advertising revenue because everyone with cable is paying Rupert Murdoch to broadcast lies to 4 million Americans nightly. At the “unfoxmycablebox.com” website, you can calculate how much you have subsidized FoxNews over a given period and keep up with efforts to hold Fox accountable. The initiative is affiliated with Media Matters for America, which seeks to hold conservative media outlets accountable for their disinformation campaigns.

          Other readers asked which advertisers support Fox News’ programming. See Media Matters for America, “These are Fox News’ leading advertisers.” Major advertisers include Procter & Gamble, Amazon, Pfizer, Verizon, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, and General Motors. The article linked above includes social media and company contacts for each of the organizations.

Another misleading op-ed defending Georgia’s voter suppression law.

Several readers sent me a link to an op-ed by Gabriel Sterling in WaPo, “Opinion | Gabriel Sterling: Mr. President, your misinformation on Georgia's voting law is dangerous.” Sterling is the chief operating officer in the Georgia Secretary of State’s office and is famous for giving a vigorous rebuttal to Trump’s claims of fraud in Georgia. One reader expressed worry that Sterling is well-respected and that his op-ed was “reasonable in tone.” Mr. Sterling’s defense of the Georgia bill is misleading and incomplete. I addressed similar misleading claims in two prior editions of the newsletter and don’t have the space (or time) to repeat those arguments here. If you are concerned about the arguments raised in Sterling’s op-ed, I urge you to read my prior comments on similar arguments. See Today’s Edition, Vol. 2, No. 5, Holding Georgia Republicans Accountable, article entitled, Is the Georgia Voter Bill Really that Bad? Yes, It Is,” and Today’s Edition, Vol. 2, No. 51, Good News!, article entitled, “More on Georgia Republican Voter Suppression Bill.”

Concluding Thoughts.

On Monday, I wrote that many police departments had been converted into tax collectors who use traffic stops to collect or impose fines and fees. Professor Alexes Harris of the University of Washington examines the problem in detail in Vox, “Daunte Wright and the police’s grim financial incentive behind traffic stops.”

          As we await the closing arguments in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, America has watched in horror at another video of a police shooting of a young Black man—a teenager this time. See USA Today, “'We failed Adam': Body camera videos show 13-year-old Adam Toledo put hands up before fatal police shooting in Chicago.” The facts of this case are still emerging, and Chicago prosecutors have already created mistrust and confusion by making statements in court that were inaccurate. Leaders who counsel patience and calm in the face of repeated killings of Black men must act with urgency and transparency if they hope to maintain the trust of their constituents.

          These are trying times. I admit to experiencing a sinking feeling every time I see another headline describing the most recent shooting. The next several weeks may be tumultuous, but we have survived worse. We did so because brave men and women rose above the anger of the moment to channel outrage into actions and solutions. Our response to each new crisis should not be to experience a sinking feeling. In our own ways, however we can, we should strive to be leaders for those around us. If enough of us work together to make some small part of society more tolerant and just, the cumulative effect of our efforts can make a difference. We must keep faith during these difficult times. The difficulties will pass and the future that emerges will be the sum of our efforts undertaken during these challenging times.

          Talk to you tomorrow!