In my mind, the beginning of the magnified used of disinformation was evidenced during the 2020 COVID pandemic. Listening to Ms. Green spout off with inappropriate accusations of and to Dr Fauci brings almost a PTSD kind of response for me, in regard to all we had to deal with during that horrid time. I don't think the "Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic" did themselves any favors by having Q'Anoner MTG gaining those sound and video bites as she did. I think history will not be kind to her in having such evidence to her character. (or lack of)
In the early days of my nursing career, I spent many years working in the ICU. My first "flashback" regarding yesterday's hearing was that of nurses in the ICU having to wear trash bags for PPE, and when I bought a HEPA filter to place pieces inside homemade masks that I was making on my sewing machine because there were no masks for the public. Follow those thoughts with a remembrance of the refrigerator trucks that had to be used as morgues outside of hospitals in NYC. We must never let ourselves become that vulnerable again.
I am so sorry to hear that Kathleen. The pandemic did a number on many of us. Personally, I feel many of the residual effects of the pandemic would not be with us if we had had real leadership during that time. What a mess it all was!
It truly was a terrifying time, and for nurses and doctors, I can't even imagine what that was like. MTG is a truly horrible human being, emblematic of the worst of the Republican party. Treating Dr. Fauci like that seemed immoral to me. No surprise there!
Lynn, I also cannot forget photos of the refrigerator trucks that were used as morgues outside of NYC hospitals and agree that we must never allow ourselves to become that vulnerable again. We also must see MTG and other cult members for what they are — a disgrace and a danger to our democracy AND our health.
Your posts are usually wonderful but I beg to differ with your first sentence. The pandemic was a horror show but I believe the beginning of magnified disinformation started when that horrible tv show first hit the airwaves portraying tfg as a successful businessman when everyone in New York knew him as a wannabe. I remember perfectly intelligent, accomplished businesswomen from the Midwest gushing over that show to my horror. If not then, certainly the ride down the gold escalator characterizing Mexicans as rapists and murders qualifies.
I think it began with 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous', then step up to a 'successful' businessman like Trump - ignore his bankruptcies, don't look at the man behind the curtain!!!
Yes. I've had acquaintances tell me they support Trump for president because he's a "successful businessman." He's not. He's a child of a rich family who went bankrupt early (does anyone remember the Trump Casino in Atlantic City?), was bailed out and recruited as a Russian undercover agent by Vladimir Putin, then became a reality TV star. This is the person so many misguided Americans revere. We would be better off with Kim Kardashian.
I see the beginning of serious disinformation as you state with the "golden escalator ride that spawned 8 years of chaos" and in the 2016 campaign when Convicted Felon trump said things such as "I know more than the generals". The magnification of it all surfaced with the pandemic as the state of emergency we were in across the globe brought the need for never ending covid-news cycles where lies and conspiracies were injected into every bit of any news that emerged. My brother actually sent our family some B-rated video done by Dr Lee Merritt, an orthopedic surgeon who was known for spreading covid misinformation, where she was stating that the Covid vaccine was engineered by China and if we took the vaccine, that when we did get Covid, it would kill us. (It was all a "plot") Surely you heard of the video that was circulated called "Plandemic"? Then there was Hydroxychloroquine & Ivermectine. Maybe we should "inject some disinfectant", or "shine a light in the body". This, and much more, was not only harmful to American citizens, but to people around the globe. The dangerous disinformation that blossomed out of the pandemic was completely frightening and was harmful and even deadly for some.
And she's still out there practicing as a physician.
The tragic loss of life in NYC and other large cities was in a large part inevitable due to the lack of preparedness for a pandemic. Most of that falls on the Trump administration for tossing out all the plans developed by the Obama administration. But some of it falls also on the for-profit hospitals who should have had larger stockpiles of critical PPE. You cannot rely on just in time (JIT) delivery for critical safety supplies. Especially when the penny-pinching led to dependence on Chinese suppliers and long lead times. It was the perfect storm. I worked for a textile manufacturer in the first part of my career and you can't start up and shut down equipment like that easily. You need a steady supply of orders to make it economical to stay in the business. Not to metion the supply chain issues around the raw materials.
But far worse from an ethical and moral standpoint, the Trump administration made a calculated move to underplay the seriousness of the issue for political reasons and played games because it was initially mostly effecting Urban blue areas. And they scapegoated Dr. Fauci who did his best in a very bad situation. I don't know how he stuck with it as long as he did.
Here are a couple of Lincoln Project ads from that time. Warning: May be triggering if you have PTSD:
During Covid, I followed a blog about the partisan differences on Covid deaths and vaccination rates. The Author, Charles Gaba, tracked Covid data at the county level and used the % vote for Trump in the 2020 election as its metric for partisan lean.
Two graphical analyses in particular stuck out for me. The first was an overlay plot of weakly deats for the top and bottom quintiles (i.e, the 1/5 of the population that voted the most for Trump vs. the 1/5 of the population that voted least for Trump. Notice how it flips around July 2020 when blue arears continue shut downs to slow the surge, while red areas are falling down the conspiracy rabbit hole. Ever since that inflection point, the reddest quintile had higher Covid Death - sometimes quite a bit higher. That overlay plot appears at the end of this blog post: https://acasignups.net/23/07/26/final-peer-reviewed-study-again-confirms-pretty-much-everything-ive-said-past-2-yearsx
The second standout was an animated bubble plot with vaccination rate on the Y-axix and partisan lean on the X-axis. Each county was a separate bubble and the size of the bubble reflected the relative population of the county. Notice how the vaccine rate is fairly flat at first (when only medical personnel and seniors were eligible), but how the slope changes rapidly after the vaccines start becoming available for all adults. The animated bubble plot is included in this blog post: https://acasignups.net/22/02/22/updated-full-year-us-covid-vaccinations-partisan-leananimated
Wow Cheryl! That vaccination bubble plot is a fascinating way to look at the data! Thank you. We sure did learn a lot about many of our fellow citizens in this country with the burden that the pandemic placed on public health. I had a very difficult time in dealing with the trumpublicans in my own family.
I saw the horrors inflicted on health care workers who fought, hard, every day in the COVID front lines as the government scrambled (or slow walked in Trump's case) to get ahead of this novel virus. You all have my eternal gratitude.
I only saw clips of the hearing (or whatever) on last night's news. Did anyone bring up all the misinfo that was funneled out to the American people by trump and his devoted slaves? I sure hope so. Poor Dr. F! And his family!
I think in many subtle ways we are all still recovering from the trauma of Covid. Having a conspiracy theorist at the helm of the Fauci hearing is gagging. I have had enough of all of them. All of them. We must vote them out and move beyond whatever grievance or snake oil they are pedaling. I hold out the hope that there are enough Americans who are as fed up with these people and the lies they spew daily as I am. And I am not going to be afraid of them. This is a weird and deranged charade that will one day come to a close. Until that happens I will continue to find ways to keep democracy strong. Nobody is coming to save us. It is up to us to stand together and claw back our country from this band of lunatics.
"He's tall, good-looking [...] a very smart guy. He's a very tall guy. And he's a great kid. He's cool, he's pretty cool, I'll tell ya." All I can say is, it must be surreal for Barron to have a father who's old enough to be his grandfather, or even great-grandfather.
edit to add: Clicked on the link to read the actual article and noticed that apparently no one bothered to iron Barron's graduation stole before he wore it for the ceremony.
As for Dr. Fauci, it is beyond surreal how the Rethugs are treating him after everything he's done to try to combat the misinformation/disinformation surrounding Covid, and sad as well as alarming how he and his wife and three daughters are enduring death threats and other abuse from the MAGA cult. I truly hope our government is providing security for them, as that cost should not be borne by Dr. Fauci.
I was so angered by the NY Times coverage of the hearing I submitted the following comment and letter to the Editor.
NYT: I don't usually criticize journalists but this sentence particularly irked me:
"Dr. Fauci, the panel’s most prized quarry, was at the center of a Covid response that left the country with far more deaths than many other wealthy nations."
The fact that these authors tied Dr. Fauci to the excessive deaths of Americans is disgusting and disreputable. Dr. Fauci saved lives. It was the now 34x convicted Felon who rejected Dr. Fauci's expertise and advice, lauded idiotic and dangerous cures and his Republican party that used Covid in their sickening (literally) politics that resulted in more than 1.2M American deaths. These politicians should all be criminally prosecuted."
Andrew, thanks for pointing out the Times' coverage and for responding. WaPo was just as bad, running an article saying that there was no science to prove that social distancing worked and that it damaged the economy. Okay . . . during a pandemic with a respiratory virus of unknown transmissibility, the government says "stand a few feet away from others" even though we haven't yet done the tests to see if that advice is correct because we don't have a test to identify if someone is infected.
The Times and WaPo are drifting into conspiracy theory territory.
And this is the very reason that so many of us are abandoning those alleged news outlets for the more reasoned and fact-based journalism of Heather Cox Richardson, Judd Legum, Joyce Vance, and of course, Robert Hubbell.
I understand the feelings but acquiescence will not make things better - it's action. So rather than unsubscribe, write, call and let them know how you feel. In other words, in the words of John Lewis, cause some "good trouble"!
Great comment, however, having done that multiple times (including a "threat" to cancel my very long-running subscription(s), I gave up. No one ever responded, nor do they really care.
They will never answer. But the more of us write/call/email, objecting, the more they will pay attention. We will never know what internal workings we affect for the better. We might derail a farther turn to the right. We citizens have to make noise, and we have limited ways of doing that. Writing to object to bad and false coverage to news sources is one way. My suggestion is, cancel AND write. Once a week at least.
That WaPo article....how much common sense does it take to get that the closer you are to someone with a contagious respiratory illness the more likely you are to get it? Since when do any of us allow those with a cold or the flu to get close and breath in our faces? I personally don't need a scientific study to understand "the more distance the better", regardless. Does err on the side of caution mean anything to those people? Besides, these are likely the same people who disregarded expert's advice and went to the most scurrilous of sources for their health recommendations. They wouldn't have believed a scientific study anyway. (This topic gets me lit up)
I wrote to WAPO too. Highlighting the true “witch hunt” were the two most despicable people in politics today. They are in it for political gain, no more. Dr. Fauci, to his credit, coolly rebutted the outlandish charges, not questions, emanating from these Trump lackeys. It was largely their Dear Leader who contributed nothing to the advancement of the vaccines, treatment methods and supply chain issues during Covid.
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) posted at 11:16 AM on Mon, Jun 03, 2024:
"These attacks are ridiculous" -- Rep. Robert Garcia responds to Marge Greene's theatrics by saying "this might be the most insane hearing I've attended" https://t.co/xuRt0GOwlp
WOW! It's really worthwhile going through the different clips in Aaron Rupar's thread. MTG has managed to hit a new low. What a despicable performance of an elected representative. But let's not forget, she represents a large segment of the population. They applaud their Führer, who is personally responsible for the unnecessary deaths of 100.000s of Americans. Watching from abroad it is hard to understand, why the irresponsible if not bizarre policies and behavior of the now convicted felon is not a campaign issue.
I disagree with this: "But calling out and shaming anti vaxxers and anti-maskers obviously isn't a winning formula." If we do not, we cede the ground to those peddling misinformation. More children will become sick and die because their parents hear false information from antivaxxers.
Of course. My comment was sarcastic, expressing my amazement that the utterly irresponsible MAGA Covid policies aren't being raised in the campaign. Perhaps 'seemingly' would have been better than 'bviously' to clearer get my point across.
She represents a small fraction -- maybe 25% (still too many) -- of American MAGA voters. They are inordinately and disproportionately loud, like human puffer fish. That leaves 75% of voters who understand her sick game. We will take her and MAGA down.
We're too self-defeating when we feel and believe "there are so many MAGA voters." If there are 30-50 million MAGA voters among the 350 million of us, and 25% are supporters of Moscow Marge, that's a big number but a very manageable and very defeatable one. Don't forget, no MAGA voters stormed the New York court room, even though the convicted felon kept ordering them too. I think they were "disincentivized" by the heavy prison terms the American judicial system meted out to the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. They know they'll pay a severe personal price if they do what their Fuhrer orders them to.
I 💙 me some Rep Garcia! I remember when he announced his parents' deaths with a straight but pained face as he was being mayor of Long Beach with dozens of citizens dying by the day.
On another site, I compare Republicans to cartoons. Trump as Bluto (eat more spinach) and MTG as the second coming of Al Capp's Moonbeam McSwine -- the bleached out butch built version.
Send a postcard to Garcia praising his objection and asking him to speak up more. I'll try to do that too. I call people like Durbin, Raskin, Schumer, Goldman, and my own vulnerable senator Mark Kelly once a week to either praise them for something they did, or more likely to tell them to stop hiding, get off their butts, and FIGHT.
yep. At this point though I think all of the most high profile Dems as well as others like Merchan and Bragg should be wearing some sort of vest these days. Unfortunately we all know now that violence has become a part of our legislative and judicial process and so security measures must be taken. I hope those jurors never talk about their involvement in tffg's conviction because otherwise they and their families will never be safe again.
Thank you, Robert, for noting that expanding the Court, to which I would add enacting a broad range of progressive policy blocked by Manchin and Sinema in 2021 and 2022, is within reach. Obviously, we need to retake the House, hold our 49 Senate seats, flip 1 Republican-held seat, and hold the White House.
It further is of note there is strong indication that a Democratically-controlled Senate in 2025, contrary to 2021-2022, would be substantially more receptive both to filibuster reform and/or cut-outs and also to expanding the Court. My point, along with expanding the Court, is that we could be on the cusp of resuscitating all (or much) of the progressive legislation that, in 2021 and 2022, passed in the House but was blocked by the Senate, presuming we each do our part over the next 5 months.
Absolutely. Enlarging SCOTUS should be first on the agenda of the next Congress with hopefully the Democrats in majority in both chambers. And filibuster shouldn't be carved out just for that occasion, it should be abolished for good. Democrats were hesitant in the past going down that road as they wanted to keep that instrument alive for times when they are in the minority again. Really? Given the deplorable state of the "GOP", nobody should doubt that they would ram the most despicable policies and legislation down the throats of a then defenseless nation once they have the opportunity to do so.
Stefan, While I, too, believe the filibuster should be abolished, I don’t sense there are 50 Senate Democrats who would agree. Ultimately, whether they agree to carve-outs or decide to resuscitate the talking filibuster, my only concern is that legislation, instead of being blocked, can move to the floor for debate and an up or down majority vote.
Kathleen, I’m aware “[i]t’s just an expression.” I would note that my comments often are met with replies that read “from your keyboard to God’s eyes.” Typically, I just press “like.” I suppose with the election just 5 months out, I sense we not only must work harder but also smarter. Speaking personally, my exhaustion, in large degree, stems from how much I’m trying to learn in order, hopefully, to engage most effectively.
How about more COVID disinformation? Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee rules for Republican Attorney Generals and blocks Biden Administration from contacting Facebook to reduce COVID disinformation.
Regarding intervention of the Supreme Court in a state criminal court conviction, on what basis would the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction. Seems that any challenge to the conviction would have to be on constitutional grounds and be initiated in a federal district court in New York.
Irwin, I believe you’re likely correct and appreciate the clarification. While we’re not able to affect much influence over the Court’s decision to slow-walk a ruling on Trump’s immunity challenge, presuming you’re right, we can and must push back were the High Court to try and intervene in the Hush Money Election Interference conviction.
Pressure Garland. Bribery and perjury are crimes. File emergency motions in the immunity and SDFL cases. Attach affidavits as to bias. Ask for emergency hearings. Call Lennie Leo and Harlan Crow and many other witnesses to grand juries.
Excellent ideas all! Garland is weak, though, and should be replaced in a second Administration. I hope that happens! I'm sorry that I feel so hopeless about Garland doing anything at this point.
Hi, Irwin. The Supreme Court would have appellate jurisdiction over a petition for review from a decision by New York's highest court (called the court of appeals). The federal claim would be that the jury instructions violated the 6th amendment. I will write about this tonight. Here is a preview:
The 6th Amendment has been interpreted as requiring unanimity in jury verdicts both as to the verdict itself and the elements of the crime. Trump claims that the jury instructions violated the Sixth Amendment by telling the jury they did not have to agree on the MEANS of the second crime that the falsification of business records was intended to aid or conceal.
That is a non-frivolous argument. Although Merchan was right in his jury instructions under New York law, the Supreme Court might overturn New York law.
Robert, Thank you for writing. I realize, in retrospect, as with Colorado attempting to remove Trump from the ballot, the U.S. Supreme Court has jurisdiction over a decision rendered by the State’s highest court. Fortunately, barring a corrupt play, this claim would not reach the Supreme Court until well after the election, by which, presuming we defeat Trump, he would be liable for the other three criminal indictments.
I’m no lawyer, but I simply laughed when I heard the MAGA cult’s suggestion that Supreme Court should simply step in or intervene in the NY jury’s 34-count decision. Wow. Their level of ignorance is profound.
If it were a clear and present danger to national security, a federal court might entertain a motion for a preliminary stay. However, there are no precedents, except maybe the Pentagon papers case, which was denied, and which did not involve state action.
What's most concerning is Mike Johnson's assertion that "I know many of [the justices] personally—I think they are deeply concerned about that, as we are [about Trump’s guilty verdict].” We are in a period when the Supreme Court is so politicized, disreputable and dysfunctional that we have to even consider the Supreme Court could intervene.
As much as I hope for reason to prevail in the pending rulings coming this month, I am also sanguine that these anti-constitutional jurists will issue such extreme decisions that Americans finally wake up and realize their liberties are so threatened, they vote against Republicans.
The hearing with Fauci was a disgrace. It's embarrassing that our nation, our government, has ignorant blowhards disguised as House members conducting "business". I know many Republicans, MAGA and former, (are there any other versions left?) and the level of denial, suspicion, and ignorance about Covid--and science in general-- is truly astounding, even among those with advanced degrees. Lawyers, even. It's simply not true that MAGA-ism and its beliefs are only the realm of those with limited education.
So many sat shoulder to shoulder in schools, at sporting events, in churches at weddings and funerals and normal Sunday services. So many died that didn't need to die, but they believed their "news" sources over their local doctors who implored them to distance, to wear masks, to get vaccinated, to stop taking horse dewormer to cure Covid. Some of those rural America doctors left, never to return--a loss that Rural America can ill afford.The ones who stayed in their communities-- I'd be curious to know how they are treated by some in their community. I'm curious as to why they stayed...family connections, most likely. Covid was a tragedy for us all, but it especially took its toll among those who listened to the lies and deceit spouted by the conservative/MAGA news media--listened to anyone but their own health professionals. The real problem now is that they do not know this. Somehow it was all Dr. Fauci's fault.
I recall reading an article (probably in WaPo) in the summer of 2021 when vaccines were available to all adults and Covid had morphed into the Delta variant . That's when it starting hitting the red states hard.
One of the healthcare workers in one of those red states was interviewed and talked about feeling helpless as he watched a slow-moving fatal chain of events. He could see it coming, but there was nothing he could do about it because people refused to listen.
I for one do not blame the doctors and other healthcare workers for giving up on those rural red areas. HCW were afraid to stop off in their work scrubs to pick up a quart of milk for fear that they would be physically threatened by some conspiracy nut who blamed them for not authorizing Ivermectin.
It was sad and baffling. I'm from Rural America, though I haven't lived there for a long time. People whom I considered rational and reasonable have morphed into conspiracy driven nuts. I don't blame doctors and health care people for leaving, either. When you are in the middle of nowhere, it's hard to attract medical professionals anyway, and all the incentives in the world aren't enough to get and retain them in a hostile community.
I admire your clear prose and well formed analysis of the issues, and my insomnia is often soothed with your writing. thank you for your diligent daily efforts. I am a geriatrician at the end of my career and Trump's criminal COVID strategies specifically targeted my elderly patients'. He should be charged with crimes against civilian populations according to the Geneva Conventions. I would suggest that it is a danger to minimize his and his enablers efforts as merely misguided or malicious 'conspiracies'. They are, as Vaclav Havel points out in "Open Letters" a deliberate attempt to undermine and destroy the publics faith in those institutions that protect their democracy; the press, the courts, the schools, libraries, and science and health services; fomenting and channeling public anger and frustrations with a distracting vengeance away from the elites that they protect and the ideology of authoritarianism that they intend to unleash upon the state. I encourage you to dig deeper and to avoid the more obvious and possibly ineffective techniques of other ' liberal and progressive' journalists of mocking or minimizing their intentions and clearly state the greater threat.. Yours Dr. Harry Krulewitch
I tried my best. I think I did what you suggest--the "lesson" of Covid is that truth and lies matter, and that 1.1 million people paid for that lesson with their lives. That is more than name-calling.
President Biden always does the right thing with class and dignity. His signing of an executive order on immigration is the right thing to do from a humanitarian perspective and his message to his son is demonstrates his love for his family. It seems in every possible way Trump is trying to bend and break the system for his own gain and to avoid accountability. His request to the Supreme Court is an example of pushing buttons to try and overturn an unanimous conviction. The attached article details how the MAGA supporter’s paid off witnesses and it’s not clear if Trump was directly involved. In the hearings yesterday Dr. Fauci was attacked by Republicans for doing the right things to save American lives while no mention was made about the lives that were lost because Trump mishandled the COVA response. It seems like so many people have conveniently forgotten how incompetent and corrupt the Trump administration was and still https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-criminal-cases-witnesses-financial-benefits
You can find Garland at his desk starting his morning with his daily dose of milquetoast, so fearing the “appearance” of being partisan that he has, in a remarkable feat defying physics and logic, actually become partisan.
Ah! I should have used milk toast, not Milquetoast. After reading today’s newsletter, I could say “in a fit of gumption, Garland uncharacteristically throws his breakfast to the ground, slams down the newspaper and shouts “No milk toast today! I want hasenpfeffer!!!”
What I wish Merrick Garland had said to the RShit Insurrectionists at today’s (Tuesday’s) House Judiciary Committee hearing:
“Actually, I should probably be impeached for not immediately investigating insurrectionists under §2383. Rebellion or insurrection: Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
"If I had followed the facts and ignored my hesitation to appear politically motivated I’m sure many of you would now be in jail instead of holding sham hearings and wasting my time.”
I'm not a scientist, but one of my daughters is and my son is a doctor. His wife is an epidemiologist and a nurse, and my wife is a nurse practitioner. And in our family Anthony Fauci was and remains a national hero. I only watched the Select Subcommittee's attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci for just about 15 seconds and the look on his face said it all and reminded me of what a profile in clarity and courage he presented during the height of the pandemic, while working within the lion's den of willful ignorance and political chicanery to exert a rational response to a national threat. Dr. Fauci is an honorable person driven by science, duty, and commitment. He stood at his station and did all he could to do his job and save the citizens of the United States from death and sorrow. Bless him and bless all who continue to step up to the good trouble and hard work we face in the next five months and beyond.
So many things to say from your newsletter this morning. Let me just comment on three of those. I am very curious to know how many other nations did during Covid that had better outcomes than the US. I can only assume it was a combination of social isolation, masks, and vaccines. Most industrialized nations were probably NOT arguing within their countries about whether Covid was real, masks were an affront to freedom, or vaccines were a weapon to make people fall in line with the government! On the immigration issue, I personally so grateful that Biden has finally stepped up to issue an executive order. I have been writing the White House weekly to urge him to do something that would make sense, and would shut down the constant lies and disinformation the MAGAS were spreading about “Biden’s border policies.” Hopefully, he will actually be able to put this into action before the election. And finally regarding Trump’s pleading with the Supreme Court to get him out of this guilty verdict, I would submit that we should start a counter-campaign with the Supreme Court that they should OVERRIDE the 2016 election that Trump won because information about his criminality had been suppressed before people began to vote!!!! We should not sit back and watch this rogue Court make decisions that will completely undermine the American system of justice, and definitely we should resist if they dared to come to Trump’s aid in any way! Let’s imagine that the Court does in fact give Trump some sort of immunity. How can Biden forcefully override their decision? How can we as citizens let it be known that we’ve had enough of these fat cats with reactionary agendas taking America back to a worse time and place? I am still outraged that John Roberts won’t even come talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee. If a couple Republicans join in the meeting, would he show up then? What a sorry excuse for shared government we are tolerating at this time.
the US. had lower vaccination rates than many industrialized countries with lower death rates than the US, such as UK, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden.
Oooh, I like that about 2016, Laura. I'm not sure how you undo something that's already happened but it sounds very interesting. Now let's also undo W's "victory" in 2000.
Thank Heavens there is a ProPublica. "Pro Publica has uncovered a consistent pattern of substantial benefits flowing to witnesses in criminal cases against Trump at opportune moments" Is there anyone in our country with a triple digit IQ who doubts this? It's vintage Trump. Let's see: Lara Trump runs the RNC, Alito and Thomas hear no evil, see no evil, Mike Johnson is good buds with certain Supreme Court Justices, Gym Jordan is once again frothing over the weaponization of Government. Huh. I'm worried. Don't you suspect that our allies in NATO and the Five Eyes are planning for heightened discretion next year?
I am still waiting for the media to actually call out Trump & Republicans for their obvious gaslighting and lies. Quote from Heather Cox Richardson: "Trump’s team continues to insist that the guilty verdict will help him, but that’s nonsensical on its face: if guilty verdicts are so helpful, why has he moved heaven and earth to keep the many other cases against him from going to trial? And why are he and House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling for the Supreme Court to overturn the convictions? "
Do we really need to remind Lil’ Mikey Johnson that the Extreme Court lacks jurisdiction over state criminal cases that do not implicate constitutional rights, which the Felon-in-Chief’s does not? And that in any event, the case is not ripe for review by a court? I suspect that Johnson knows he is spouting BS and doesn’t care. So much for Bible-believing moralists.
I believe that Trump will claim that the jury instructions violated the 6th Amendment's requirement of unanimity (not explicitly in the 6th Amendment, but as interpreted by SCOTUS). I will write about this tonight.
Robert, the way I choose to look at these outrages is this: even if his buddies on the Court throw out the verdict on technical grounds, he was still convicted by a jury of his peers. He still fell asleep in court. The whole world heard what a bad sex partner and husband he is. None of that can be erased and it fills me with glee.
My comment this morning is not going to win me a popularity contest in this group, but I feel it must be said. Sometimes liberals are too complacent in our "rightness." This morning I am addressing the Covid vaccine. I am not defending the congressional inquisition of Fauci yesterday. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a dangerous moron. That said, I have been a vaccine skeptic for a long time and I am tired hearing liberals attack anyone who dares to question vaccines. I can't think of any pharmaceutical product that does not have proven side effects, most of them serious, but we are asked to believe that this is not the case with vaccines. Or we are told that side effects are extremely rare and that it is perfectly all right for children to receive 70 doses of vaccines by the time they are 18. We are told that it is NOT okay to "pick and choose" which vaccines to give our children and most pediatricians will balk if a parent wants to space or delay vaccines. We are told to trust pharmaceutical companies that have a checkered history.
Attacking people who did not choose to receive the covid vaccine will not help Democrats get elected. I am vaccinated for covid, and will vote for Democrats, but being called names because I question vaccination sometimes makes me wonder where I belong.
All medicine--including vaccines--have side effects. The question is the tradeoff. Per the Journal of American Medicine, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/209448, childhood mortality due to vaccinated diseases has decreased by 99% since the modern vaccine regime began in 1980. To be explicit, the tradeoff is this: Childhood deaths vs. vaccine side effects.
When all the deaths have effectively disappeared because of vaccines, the only thing left is the side effects of the vaccines and people focus on those, forgetting about the children who DID NOT die. If you ignore the lives saved, then side effects seem like a reason not to get vaccinated. That thinking is a logical fallacy, because if we stop vaccinations due to side effects, the childhood deaths return. No one wants that.
Anti-vaccination views are dangerous. If we can't agree on the facts or we are afraid to speak the truth because we worry about losing votes, we will lose the lives of our children. That is not an acceptable tradeoff.
Both of these statements are true: Vaccines work by saving lives and they have side effects. The latter is not an excuse for putting the lives of our children at risk again.
A small subset of people cannot be vaccinated due to underlying conditions that make the vaccines dangerous FOR THEM. Their decision not to be vaccinated is completely understandable. That small subset is not a reason for vaccine hesitancy among the general population.
I have a (former?) friend who became a vaccine skeptic as an adult and is into essential oils and holistic medicine. I knew she refused to get a mammogram and the shingles vaccine. Her argument was "my body, my choice". I disagreed with her claim that vaccines would "poisin her body", but it wasn't my body so I wasn't going to try and convince her otherwise.
But then Covid happened and she used the same "my body, my choice" argument - I have only talked to her once or twice since Covid and haven't seen her in person since. She also fell far down the Fox conspiracy rabbit hole and Covid was the last straw.
Trust the science. Trust the numbers. Have you ever seen the statistics for COVID deaths once the vaccine was available? The "Red states" dominated the list of states with the highest death tolls. Hmmmmmm. Wonder why? The concept behind getting vaccinated is to protect the individual, but it is also designed to protect the community. (Herd immunity really is a thing!) I wish people in this country would think more about the health of the community. One other point worth noting: traveling in cars and airplanes will, sometimes, result in accidental deaths. Should we stop driving and flying? As Robert Hubbell notes in his reply to your comment, there are risks inherent in vaccines and medicine, but when considering the alternative--death or serious illness--the choice is obvious.
Or measles. Polio hasn't recurred yet, but we are seeing measles outbreaks that, surprise surprise, happen in places where vaccine "skeptics" are prominent. And in addition to deaths, we need to include complications from preventable diseases - lifelong impacts from getting a preventable disease.
It's appropriate to ask questions and understand the pharmaceuticals and vaccines we are given. But I also think we have moved beyond immediate large-scale experience with the diseases we have been inoculating for. My great-great grandparents had 10 children. They lost 7 small children to diphtheria. That is a scale of human tragedy we are now unaccustomed to. I like to believe that had my great-greats had access to prevention, they would have availed their family of it. Consider the alternative to vaccination: seven dead children.
I agree with your sentiments and appreciate it that you did receive the vaccine(s). I have another view on vaccines, in two parts. First, whoever developed the vaccine(s) is smarter than I am and given the options it’s worth a shot receiving them. Second, I took vaccines (and wore a mask and social distanced, too) because of other folks. I would never want to be blamed for passing an illness along to another unsuspecting person. We were all in this together and outliers, for whatever reason they were so, were outliers.
In my mind, the beginning of the magnified used of disinformation was evidenced during the 2020 COVID pandemic. Listening to Ms. Green spout off with inappropriate accusations of and to Dr Fauci brings almost a PTSD kind of response for me, in regard to all we had to deal with during that horrid time. I don't think the "Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic" did themselves any favors by having Q'Anoner MTG gaining those sound and video bites as she did. I think history will not be kind to her in having such evidence to her character. (or lack of)
In the early days of my nursing career, I spent many years working in the ICU. My first "flashback" regarding yesterday's hearing was that of nurses in the ICU having to wear trash bags for PPE, and when I bought a HEPA filter to place pieces inside homemade masks that I was making on my sewing machine because there were no masks for the public. Follow those thoughts with a remembrance of the refrigerator trucks that had to be used as morgues outside of hospitals in NYC. We must never let ourselves become that vulnerable again.
Thank you for this comment and remembrance of a time that I don’t believe we have recovered from.
I agree. I still have anxiety that I believe started during the Pandemic!
I am so sorry to hear that Kathleen. The pandemic did a number on many of us. Personally, I feel many of the residual effects of the pandemic would not be with us if we had had real leadership during that time. What a mess it all was!
I know! So many needless deaths due to vaccine disinformation, etc.
It truly was a terrifying time, and for nurses and doctors, I can't even imagine what that was like. MTG is a truly horrible human being, emblematic of the worst of the Republican party. Treating Dr. Fauci like that seemed immoral to me. No surprise there!
Lynn, I also cannot forget photos of the refrigerator trucks that were used as morgues outside of NYC hospitals and agree that we must never allow ourselves to become that vulnerable again. We also must see MTG and other cult members for what they are — a disgrace and a danger to our democracy AND our health.
Not to mention the Human Race. Ugh!
Your posts are usually wonderful but I beg to differ with your first sentence. The pandemic was a horror show but I believe the beginning of magnified disinformation started when that horrible tv show first hit the airwaves portraying tfg as a successful businessman when everyone in New York knew him as a wannabe. I remember perfectly intelligent, accomplished businesswomen from the Midwest gushing over that show to my horror. If not then, certainly the ride down the gold escalator characterizing Mexicans as rapists and murders qualifies.
I think it began with 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous', then step up to a 'successful' businessman like Trump - ignore his bankruptcies, don't look at the man behind the curtain!!!
You’re right, forgot about that one!
Yes. I've had acquaintances tell me they support Trump for president because he's a "successful businessman." He's not. He's a child of a rich family who went bankrupt early (does anyone remember the Trump Casino in Atlantic City?), was bailed out and recruited as a Russian undercover agent by Vladimir Putin, then became a reality TV star. This is the person so many misguided Americans revere. We would be better off with Kim Kardashian.
I see the beginning of serious disinformation as you state with the "golden escalator ride that spawned 8 years of chaos" and in the 2016 campaign when Convicted Felon trump said things such as "I know more than the generals". The magnification of it all surfaced with the pandemic as the state of emergency we were in across the globe brought the need for never ending covid-news cycles where lies and conspiracies were injected into every bit of any news that emerged. My brother actually sent our family some B-rated video done by Dr Lee Merritt, an orthopedic surgeon who was known for spreading covid misinformation, where she was stating that the Covid vaccine was engineered by China and if we took the vaccine, that when we did get Covid, it would kill us. (It was all a "plot") Surely you heard of the video that was circulated called "Plandemic"? Then there was Hydroxychloroquine & Ivermectine. Maybe we should "inject some disinfectant", or "shine a light in the body". This, and much more, was not only harmful to American citizens, but to people around the globe. The dangerous disinformation that blossomed out of the pandemic was completely frightening and was harmful and even deadly for some.
And she's still out there practicing as a physician.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/11/04/1051873608/a-doctor-spread-covid-misinformation-and-renewed-her-license-with-a-mouse-click
H5N1 is still evolving. It is probably the next pandemic, and our nation is primed for millions more to die from misinformation.
Yup.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/02/opinion/bird-flu-case-respiratory.html?unlocked_article_code=1.w00.4gl5.J0WJ4q3NcZAQ&smid=url-share
The tragic loss of life in NYC and other large cities was in a large part inevitable due to the lack of preparedness for a pandemic. Most of that falls on the Trump administration for tossing out all the plans developed by the Obama administration. But some of it falls also on the for-profit hospitals who should have had larger stockpiles of critical PPE. You cannot rely on just in time (JIT) delivery for critical safety supplies. Especially when the penny-pinching led to dependence on Chinese suppliers and long lead times. It was the perfect storm. I worked for a textile manufacturer in the first part of my career and you can't start up and shut down equipment like that easily. You need a steady supply of orders to make it economical to stay in the business. Not to metion the supply chain issues around the raw materials.
But far worse from an ethical and moral standpoint, the Trump administration made a calculated move to underplay the seriousness of the issue for political reasons and played games because it was initially mostly effecting Urban blue areas. And they scapegoated Dr. Fauci who did his best in a very bad situation. I don't know how he stuck with it as long as he did.
Here are a couple of Lincoln Project ads from that time. Warning: May be triggering if you have PTSD:
* Failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uLJkpH__os
* 100,000 dead Americans. One wrong president.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hitGT3TkP9s
During Covid, I followed a blog about the partisan differences on Covid deaths and vaccination rates. The Author, Charles Gaba, tracked Covid data at the county level and used the % vote for Trump in the 2020 election as its metric for partisan lean.
Two graphical analyses in particular stuck out for me. The first was an overlay plot of weakly deats for the top and bottom quintiles (i.e, the 1/5 of the population that voted the most for Trump vs. the 1/5 of the population that voted least for Trump. Notice how it flips around July 2020 when blue arears continue shut downs to slow the surge, while red areas are falling down the conspiracy rabbit hole. Ever since that inflection point, the reddest quintile had higher Covid Death - sometimes quite a bit higher. That overlay plot appears at the end of this blog post: https://acasignups.net/23/07/26/final-peer-reviewed-study-again-confirms-pretty-much-everything-ive-said-past-2-yearsx
The second standout was an animated bubble plot with vaccination rate on the Y-axix and partisan lean on the X-axis. Each county was a separate bubble and the size of the bubble reflected the relative population of the county. Notice how the vaccine rate is fairly flat at first (when only medical personnel and seniors were eligible), but how the slope changes rapidly after the vaccines start becoming available for all adults. The animated bubble plot is included in this blog post: https://acasignups.net/22/02/22/updated-full-year-us-covid-vaccinations-partisan-leananimated
Wow Cheryl! That vaccination bubble plot is a fascinating way to look at the data! Thank you. We sure did learn a lot about many of our fellow citizens in this country with the burden that the pandemic placed on public health. I had a very difficult time in dealing with the trumpublicans in my own family.
Thanks! In case you haven't already guesssed it, I am an unrepentant data nerd! ;-)
So sorry about your Trumpublican family members. At least I only had to worry about friends going off the deep end.
I saw the horrors inflicted on health care workers who fought, hard, every day in the COVID front lines as the government scrambled (or slow walked in Trump's case) to get ahead of this novel virus. You all have my eternal gratitude.
I only saw clips of the hearing (or whatever) on last night's news. Did anyone bring up all the misinfo that was funneled out to the American people by trump and his devoted slaves? I sure hope so. Poor Dr. F! And his family!
I think in many subtle ways we are all still recovering from the trauma of Covid. Having a conspiracy theorist at the helm of the Fauci hearing is gagging. I have had enough of all of them. All of them. We must vote them out and move beyond whatever grievance or snake oil they are pedaling. I hold out the hope that there are enough Americans who are as fed up with these people and the lies they spew daily as I am. And I am not going to be afraid of them. This is a weird and deranged charade that will one day come to a close. Until that happens I will continue to find ways to keep democracy strong. Nobody is coming to save us. It is up to us to stand together and claw back our country from this band of lunatics.
"He's tall, good-looking [...] a very smart guy. He's a very tall guy. And he's a great kid. He's cool, he's pretty cool, I'll tell ya." All I can say is, it must be surreal for Barron to have a father who's old enough to be his grandfather, or even great-grandfather.
edit to add: Clicked on the link to read the actual article and noticed that apparently no one bothered to iron Barron's graduation stole before he wore it for the ceremony.
As for Dr. Fauci, it is beyond surreal how the Rethugs are treating him after everything he's done to try to combat the misinformation/disinformation surrounding Covid, and sad as well as alarming how he and his wife and three daughters are enduring death threats and other abuse from the MAGA cult. I truly hope our government is providing security for them, as that cost should not be borne by Dr. Fauci.
I was so angered by the NY Times coverage of the hearing I submitted the following comment and letter to the Editor.
NYT: I don't usually criticize journalists but this sentence particularly irked me:
"Dr. Fauci, the panel’s most prized quarry, was at the center of a Covid response that left the country with far more deaths than many other wealthy nations."
The fact that these authors tied Dr. Fauci to the excessive deaths of Americans is disgusting and disreputable. Dr. Fauci saved lives. It was the now 34x convicted Felon who rejected Dr. Fauci's expertise and advice, lauded idiotic and dangerous cures and his Republican party that used Covid in their sickening (literally) politics that resulted in more than 1.2M American deaths. These politicians should all be criminally prosecuted."
Andrew, thanks for pointing out the Times' coverage and for responding. WaPo was just as bad, running an article saying that there was no science to prove that social distancing worked and that it damaged the economy. Okay . . . during a pandemic with a respiratory virus of unknown transmissibility, the government says "stand a few feet away from others" even though we haven't yet done the tests to see if that advice is correct because we don't have a test to identify if someone is infected.
The Times and WaPo are drifting into conspiracy theory territory.
And this is the very reason that so many of us are abandoning those alleged news outlets for the more reasoned and fact-based journalism of Heather Cox Richardson, Judd Legum, Joyce Vance, and of course, Robert Hubbell.
I understand the feelings but acquiescence will not make things better - it's action. So rather than unsubscribe, write, call and let them know how you feel. In other words, in the words of John Lewis, cause some "good trouble"!
Great comment, however, having done that multiple times (including a "threat" to cancel my very long-running subscription(s), I gave up. No one ever responded, nor do they really care.
They will never answer. But the more of us write/call/email, objecting, the more they will pay attention. We will never know what internal workings we affect for the better. We might derail a farther turn to the right. We citizens have to make noise, and we have limited ways of doing that. Writing to object to bad and false coverage to news sources is one way. My suggestion is, cancel AND write. Once a week at least.
That WaPo article....how much common sense does it take to get that the closer you are to someone with a contagious respiratory illness the more likely you are to get it? Since when do any of us allow those with a cold or the flu to get close and breath in our faces? I personally don't need a scientific study to understand "the more distance the better", regardless. Does err on the side of caution mean anything to those people? Besides, these are likely the same people who disregarded expert's advice and went to the most scurrilous of sources for their health recommendations. They wouldn't have believed a scientific study anyway. (This topic gets me lit up)
Sadly, common sense is no longer common 🫤
I wrote to WAPO too. Highlighting the true “witch hunt” were the two most despicable people in politics today. They are in it for political gain, no more. Dr. Fauci, to his credit, coolly rebutted the outlandish charges, not questions, emanating from these Trump lackeys. It was largely their Dear Leader who contributed nothing to the advancement of the vaccines, treatment methods and supply chain issues during Covid.
Good for you! That's despicable reporting.
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) posted at 11:16 AM on Mon, Jun 03, 2024:
"These attacks are ridiculous" -- Rep. Robert Garcia responds to Marge Greene's theatrics by saying "this might be the most insane hearing I've attended" https://t.co/xuRt0GOwlp
(https://x.com/atrupar/status/1797663629958865316?t=QyaaU0BkSEvWdTC1-9qO9w&s=03)
WOW! It's really worthwhile going through the different clips in Aaron Rupar's thread. MTG has managed to hit a new low. What a despicable performance of an elected representative. But let's not forget, she represents a large segment of the population. They applaud their Führer, who is personally responsible for the unnecessary deaths of 100.000s of Americans. Watching from abroad it is hard to understand, why the irresponsible if not bizarre policies and behavior of the now convicted felon is not a campaign issue.
But calling out and shaming anti vaxxers and anti-maskers obviously isn't a winning formula. That might also explain, why Ron DeSantis' pick of an IQ challenged quack for surgeon general was never a campaign issue. Here is his latest foray into la-la land https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-02-23/florida-surgeon-general-defies-cdc-in-measles-outbreak#:~:text=With%20a%20brief%20memo%2C%20Florida,kept%20measles%20outbreaks%20under%20control.
Sounds crazy, but he is on message. The convicted felon announced that he will cut public funding for schools which request vaccinations.
I disagree with this: "But calling out and shaming anti vaxxers and anti-maskers obviously isn't a winning formula." If we do not, we cede the ground to those peddling misinformation. More children will become sick and die because their parents hear false information from antivaxxers.
Of course. My comment was sarcastic, expressing my amazement that the utterly irresponsible MAGA Covid policies aren't being raised in the campaign. Perhaps 'seemingly' would have been better than 'bviously' to clearer get my point across.
Calling out and shaming can be off-putting to many ordinary people. Rebutting would be received differently.
I'm pretty sure she does not represent a large segment of the population. They are just way louder than us sane ones.
See my comment 👍
She represents a small fraction -- maybe 25% (still too many) -- of American MAGA voters. They are inordinately and disproportionately loud, like human puffer fish. That leaves 75% of voters who understand her sick game. We will take her and MAGA down.
We're too self-defeating when we feel and believe "there are so many MAGA voters." If there are 30-50 million MAGA voters among the 350 million of us, and 25% are supporters of Moscow Marge, that's a big number but a very manageable and very defeatable one. Don't forget, no MAGA voters stormed the New York court room, even though the convicted felon kept ordering them too. I think they were "disincentivized" by the heavy prison terms the American judicial system meted out to the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. They know they'll pay a severe personal price if they do what their Fuhrer orders them to.
I 💙 me some Rep Garcia! I remember when he announced his parents' deaths with a straight but pained face as he was being mayor of Long Beach with dozens of citizens dying by the day.
On another site, I compare Republicans to cartoons. Trump as Bluto (eat more spinach) and MTG as the second coming of Al Capp's Moonbeam McSwine -- the bleached out butch built version.
That's Robert Garcia, not Mike, the MAGA who was my congressman until redistricting. Mike is truly horrible.
Send a postcard to Garcia praising his objection and asking him to speak up more. I'll try to do that too. I call people like Durbin, Raskin, Schumer, Goldman, and my own vulnerable senator Mark Kelly once a week to either praise them for something they did, or more likely to tell them to stop hiding, get off their butts, and FIGHT.
Did you know Stormy Daniels wore a bulletproof vest when she testified at the convicted felon's trial?
yep. At this point though I think all of the most high profile Dems as well as others like Merchan and Bragg should be wearing some sort of vest these days. Unfortunately we all know now that violence has become a part of our legislative and judicial process and so security measures must be taken. I hope those jurors never talk about their involvement in tffg's conviction because otherwise they and their families will never be safe again.
Thank you, Robert, for noting that expanding the Court, to which I would add enacting a broad range of progressive policy blocked by Manchin and Sinema in 2021 and 2022, is within reach. Obviously, we need to retake the House, hold our 49 Senate seats, flip 1 Republican-held seat, and hold the White House.
It further is of note there is strong indication that a Democratically-controlled Senate in 2025, contrary to 2021-2022, would be substantially more receptive both to filibuster reform and/or cut-outs and also to expanding the Court. My point, along with expanding the Court, is that we could be on the cusp of resuscitating all (or much) of the progressive legislation that, in 2021 and 2022, passed in the House but was blocked by the Senate, presuming we each do our part over the next 5 months.
Absolutely. Enlarging SCOTUS should be first on the agenda of the next Congress with hopefully the Democrats in majority in both chambers. And filibuster shouldn't be carved out just for that occasion, it should be abolished for good. Democrats were hesitant in the past going down that road as they wanted to keep that instrument alive for times when they are in the minority again. Really? Given the deplorable state of the "GOP", nobody should doubt that they would ram the most despicable policies and legislation down the throats of a then defenseless nation once they have the opportunity to do so.
Stefan, While I, too, believe the filibuster should be abolished, I don’t sense there are 50 Senate Democrats who would agree. Ultimately, whether they agree to carve-outs or decide to resuscitate the talking filibuster, my only concern is that legislation, instead of being blocked, can move to the floor for debate and an up or down majority vote.
From your lips to God's ear, Barbara Jo!
Kathleen, Because I believe that God endowed us with free will, I expect our destiny is in our hands.
It's just an expression. I'm working my tail off for Biden!
Kathleen, I’m aware “[i]t’s just an expression.” I would note that my comments often are met with replies that read “from your keyboard to God’s eyes.” Typically, I just press “like.” I suppose with the election just 5 months out, I sense we not only must work harder but also smarter. Speaking personally, my exhaustion, in large degree, stems from how much I’m trying to learn in order, hopefully, to engage most effectively.
Fatal incompetence: Check this map for the deadly cost of Republicans ignoring COVID experts.
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/04/24/covid-is-deadlier-when-politics-trump-science-covid-deaths-map/
How about more COVID disinformation? Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee rules for Republican Attorney Generals and blocks Biden Administration from contacting Facebook to reduce COVID disinformation.
https://thedemlabs.org/2023/07/05/judge-limits-biden-administration-facebook-contact-to-curb-covid-disinfo/
Vote for Democrats to put science over politics!
Regarding intervention of the Supreme Court in a state criminal court conviction, on what basis would the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction. Seems that any challenge to the conviction would have to be on constitutional grounds and be initiated in a federal district court in New York.
Irwin, I believe you’re likely correct and appreciate the clarification. While we’re not able to affect much influence over the Court’s decision to slow-walk a ruling on Trump’s immunity challenge, presuming you’re right, we can and must push back were the High Court to try and intervene in the Hush Money Election Interference conviction.
Push back how?
Pressure Garland. Bribery and perjury are crimes. File emergency motions in the immunity and SDFL cases. Attach affidavits as to bias. Ask for emergency hearings. Call Lennie Leo and Harlan Crow and many other witnesses to grand juries.
Excellent ideas all! Garland is weak, though, and should be replaced in a second Administration. I hope that happens! I'm sorry that I feel so hopeless about Garland doing anything at this point.
Hi, Irwin. The Supreme Court would have appellate jurisdiction over a petition for review from a decision by New York's highest court (called the court of appeals). The federal claim would be that the jury instructions violated the 6th amendment. I will write about this tonight. Here is a preview:
The 6th Amendment has been interpreted as requiring unanimity in jury verdicts both as to the verdict itself and the elements of the crime. Trump claims that the jury instructions violated the Sixth Amendment by telling the jury they did not have to agree on the MEANS of the second crime that the falsification of business records was intended to aid or conceal.
That is a non-frivolous argument. Although Merchan was right in his jury instructions under New York law, the Supreme Court might overturn New York law.
Robert, Thank you for writing. I realize, in retrospect, as with Colorado attempting to remove Trump from the ballot, the U.S. Supreme Court has jurisdiction over a decision rendered by the State’s highest court. Fortunately, barring a corrupt play, this claim would not reach the Supreme Court until well after the election, by which, presuming we defeat Trump, he would be liable for the other three criminal indictments.
If so, very sad. But he was found guilty and a subsequent trial probably would yield the same results.
I’m no lawyer, but I simply laughed when I heard the MAGA cult’s suggestion that Supreme Court should simply step in or intervene in the NY jury’s 34-count decision. Wow. Their level of ignorance is profound.
If it were a clear and present danger to national security, a federal court might entertain a motion for a preliminary stay. However, there are no precedents, except maybe the Pentagon papers case, which was denied, and which did not involve state action.
Trump tried and failed to have the case removed. https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2023/11/15/trump-drops-effort-to-remove-new-york-criminal-case-to-federal-court/?slreturn=20240504102424#:~:text=Former%20President%20Donald%20Trump%20this,the%20case%20to%20state%20court.
What's most concerning is Mike Johnson's assertion that "I know many of [the justices] personally—I think they are deeply concerned about that, as we are [about Trump’s guilty verdict].” We are in a period when the Supreme Court is so politicized, disreputable and dysfunctional that we have to even consider the Supreme Court could intervene.
As much as I hope for reason to prevail in the pending rulings coming this month, I am also sanguine that these anti-constitutional jurists will issue such extreme decisions that Americans finally wake up and realize their liberties are so threatened, they vote against Republicans.
The hearing with Fauci was a disgrace. It's embarrassing that our nation, our government, has ignorant blowhards disguised as House members conducting "business". I know many Republicans, MAGA and former, (are there any other versions left?) and the level of denial, suspicion, and ignorance about Covid--and science in general-- is truly astounding, even among those with advanced degrees. Lawyers, even. It's simply not true that MAGA-ism and its beliefs are only the realm of those with limited education.
So many sat shoulder to shoulder in schools, at sporting events, in churches at weddings and funerals and normal Sunday services. So many died that didn't need to die, but they believed their "news" sources over their local doctors who implored them to distance, to wear masks, to get vaccinated, to stop taking horse dewormer to cure Covid. Some of those rural America doctors left, never to return--a loss that Rural America can ill afford.The ones who stayed in their communities-- I'd be curious to know how they are treated by some in their community. I'm curious as to why they stayed...family connections, most likely. Covid was a tragedy for us all, but it especially took its toll among those who listened to the lies and deceit spouted by the conservative/MAGA news media--listened to anyone but their own health professionals. The real problem now is that they do not know this. Somehow it was all Dr. Fauci's fault.
MJ,
I recall reading an article (probably in WaPo) in the summer of 2021 when vaccines were available to all adults and Covid had morphed into the Delta variant . That's when it starting hitting the red states hard.
One of the healthcare workers in one of those red states was interviewed and talked about feeling helpless as he watched a slow-moving fatal chain of events. He could see it coming, but there was nothing he could do about it because people refused to listen.
I for one do not blame the doctors and other healthcare workers for giving up on those rural red areas. HCW were afraid to stop off in their work scrubs to pick up a quart of milk for fear that they would be physically threatened by some conspiracy nut who blamed them for not authorizing Ivermectin.
It was sad and baffling. I'm from Rural America, though I haven't lived there for a long time. People whom I considered rational and reasonable have morphed into conspiracy driven nuts. I don't blame doctors and health care people for leaving, either. When you are in the middle of nowhere, it's hard to attract medical professionals anyway, and all the incentives in the world aren't enough to get and retain them in a hostile community.
I admire your clear prose and well formed analysis of the issues, and my insomnia is often soothed with your writing. thank you for your diligent daily efforts. I am a geriatrician at the end of my career and Trump's criminal COVID strategies specifically targeted my elderly patients'. He should be charged with crimes against civilian populations according to the Geneva Conventions. I would suggest that it is a danger to minimize his and his enablers efforts as merely misguided or malicious 'conspiracies'. They are, as Vaclav Havel points out in "Open Letters" a deliberate attempt to undermine and destroy the publics faith in those institutions that protect their democracy; the press, the courts, the schools, libraries, and science and health services; fomenting and channeling public anger and frustrations with a distracting vengeance away from the elites that they protect and the ideology of authoritarianism that they intend to unleash upon the state. I encourage you to dig deeper and to avoid the more obvious and possibly ineffective techniques of other ' liberal and progressive' journalists of mocking or minimizing their intentions and clearly state the greater threat.. Yours Dr. Harry Krulewitch
I tried my best. I think I did what you suggest--the "lesson" of Covid is that truth and lies matter, and that 1.1 million people paid for that lesson with their lives. That is more than name-calling.
👏👏👏
President Biden always does the right thing with class and dignity. His signing of an executive order on immigration is the right thing to do from a humanitarian perspective and his message to his son is demonstrates his love for his family. It seems in every possible way Trump is trying to bend and break the system for his own gain and to avoid accountability. His request to the Supreme Court is an example of pushing buttons to try and overturn an unanimous conviction. The attached article details how the MAGA supporter’s paid off witnesses and it’s not clear if Trump was directly involved. In the hearings yesterday Dr. Fauci was attacked by Republicans for doing the right things to save American lives while no mention was made about the lives that were lost because Trump mishandled the COVA response. It seems like so many people have conveniently forgotten how incompetent and corrupt the Trump administration was and still https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-criminal-cases-witnesses-financial-benefits
"The differences speak volumes." <---- understatement of the year!
Where oh where is Merrick Garland?
You can find Garland at his desk starting his morning with his daily dose of milquetoast, so fearing the “appearance” of being partisan that he has, in a remarkable feat defying physics and logic, actually become partisan.
100% agree! I wish I had written that sentence! But see this entry on milquetoast vs. milk toast. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milquetoast
Ah! I should have used milk toast, not Milquetoast. After reading today’s newsletter, I could say “in a fit of gumption, Garland uncharacteristically throws his breakfast to the ground, slams down the newspaper and shouts “No milk toast today! I want hasenpfeffer!!!”
MG is sleeping in
What I wish Merrick Garland had said to the RShit Insurrectionists at today’s (Tuesday’s) House Judiciary Committee hearing:
“Actually, I should probably be impeached for not immediately investigating insurrectionists under §2383. Rebellion or insurrection: Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
"If I had followed the facts and ignored my hesitation to appear politically motivated I’m sure many of you would now be in jail instead of holding sham hearings and wasting my time.”
But, of course, he didn't. . .
I'm not a scientist, but one of my daughters is and my son is a doctor. His wife is an epidemiologist and a nurse, and my wife is a nurse practitioner. And in our family Anthony Fauci was and remains a national hero. I only watched the Select Subcommittee's attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci for just about 15 seconds and the look on his face said it all and reminded me of what a profile in clarity and courage he presented during the height of the pandemic, while working within the lion's den of willful ignorance and political chicanery to exert a rational response to a national threat. Dr. Fauci is an honorable person driven by science, duty, and commitment. He stood at his station and did all he could to do his job and save the citizens of the United States from death and sorrow. Bless him and bless all who continue to step up to the good trouble and hard work we face in the next five months and beyond.
Beautifully said, Patrick!
So many things to say from your newsletter this morning. Let me just comment on three of those. I am very curious to know how many other nations did during Covid that had better outcomes than the US. I can only assume it was a combination of social isolation, masks, and vaccines. Most industrialized nations were probably NOT arguing within their countries about whether Covid was real, masks were an affront to freedom, or vaccines were a weapon to make people fall in line with the government! On the immigration issue, I personally so grateful that Biden has finally stepped up to issue an executive order. I have been writing the White House weekly to urge him to do something that would make sense, and would shut down the constant lies and disinformation the MAGAS were spreading about “Biden’s border policies.” Hopefully, he will actually be able to put this into action before the election. And finally regarding Trump’s pleading with the Supreme Court to get him out of this guilty verdict, I would submit that we should start a counter-campaign with the Supreme Court that they should OVERRIDE the 2016 election that Trump won because information about his criminality had been suppressed before people began to vote!!!! We should not sit back and watch this rogue Court make decisions that will completely undermine the American system of justice, and definitely we should resist if they dared to come to Trump’s aid in any way! Let’s imagine that the Court does in fact give Trump some sort of immunity. How can Biden forcefully override their decision? How can we as citizens let it be known that we’ve had enough of these fat cats with reactionary agendas taking America back to a worse time and place? I am still outraged that John Roberts won’t even come talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee. If a couple Republicans join in the meeting, would he show up then? What a sorry excuse for shared government we are tolerating at this time.
Good question about the higher US death rate. Per this map https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html
the US. had lower vaccination rates than many industrialized countries with lower death rates than the US, such as UK, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden.
Also some of the other countries had effective contact tracing, which we did not.
Oooh, I like that about 2016, Laura. I'm not sure how you undo something that's already happened but it sounds very interesting. Now let's also undo W's "victory" in 2000.
Thank Heavens there is a ProPublica. "Pro Publica has uncovered a consistent pattern of substantial benefits flowing to witnesses in criminal cases against Trump at opportune moments" Is there anyone in our country with a triple digit IQ who doubts this? It's vintage Trump. Let's see: Lara Trump runs the RNC, Alito and Thomas hear no evil, see no evil, Mike Johnson is good buds with certain Supreme Court Justices, Gym Jordan is once again frothing over the weaponization of Government. Huh. I'm worried. Don't you suspect that our allies in NATO and the Five Eyes are planning for heightened discretion next year?
I am still waiting for the media to actually call out Trump & Republicans for their obvious gaslighting and lies. Quote from Heather Cox Richardson: "Trump’s team continues to insist that the guilty verdict will help him, but that’s nonsensical on its face: if guilty verdicts are so helpful, why has he moved heaven and earth to keep the many other cases against him from going to trial? And why are he and House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling for the Supreme Court to overturn the convictions? "
Do we really need to remind Lil’ Mikey Johnson that the Extreme Court lacks jurisdiction over state criminal cases that do not implicate constitutional rights, which the Felon-in-Chief’s does not? And that in any event, the case is not ripe for review by a court? I suspect that Johnson knows he is spouting BS and doesn’t care. So much for Bible-believing moralists.
I believe that Trump will claim that the jury instructions violated the 6th Amendment's requirement of unanimity (not explicitly in the 6th Amendment, but as interpreted by SCOTUS). I will write about this tonight.
Robert, the way I choose to look at these outrages is this: even if his buddies on the Court throw out the verdict on technical grounds, he was still convicted by a jury of his peers. He still fell asleep in court. The whole world heard what a bad sex partner and husband he is. None of that can be erased and it fills me with glee.
My comment this morning is not going to win me a popularity contest in this group, but I feel it must be said. Sometimes liberals are too complacent in our "rightness." This morning I am addressing the Covid vaccine. I am not defending the congressional inquisition of Fauci yesterday. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a dangerous moron. That said, I have been a vaccine skeptic for a long time and I am tired hearing liberals attack anyone who dares to question vaccines. I can't think of any pharmaceutical product that does not have proven side effects, most of them serious, but we are asked to believe that this is not the case with vaccines. Or we are told that side effects are extremely rare and that it is perfectly all right for children to receive 70 doses of vaccines by the time they are 18. We are told that it is NOT okay to "pick and choose" which vaccines to give our children and most pediatricians will balk if a parent wants to space or delay vaccines. We are told to trust pharmaceutical companies that have a checkered history.
Attacking people who did not choose to receive the covid vaccine will not help Democrats get elected. I am vaccinated for covid, and will vote for Democrats, but being called names because I question vaccination sometimes makes me wonder where I belong.
All medicine--including vaccines--have side effects. The question is the tradeoff. Per the Journal of American Medicine, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/209448, childhood mortality due to vaccinated diseases has decreased by 99% since the modern vaccine regime began in 1980. To be explicit, the tradeoff is this: Childhood deaths vs. vaccine side effects.
When all the deaths have effectively disappeared because of vaccines, the only thing left is the side effects of the vaccines and people focus on those, forgetting about the children who DID NOT die. If you ignore the lives saved, then side effects seem like a reason not to get vaccinated. That thinking is a logical fallacy, because if we stop vaccinations due to side effects, the childhood deaths return. No one wants that.
Anti-vaccination views are dangerous. If we can't agree on the facts or we are afraid to speak the truth because we worry about losing votes, we will lose the lives of our children. That is not an acceptable tradeoff.
Both of these statements are true: Vaccines work by saving lives and they have side effects. The latter is not an excuse for putting the lives of our children at risk again.
A small subset of people cannot be vaccinated due to underlying conditions that make the vaccines dangerous FOR THEM. Their decision not to be vaccinated is completely understandable. That small subset is not a reason for vaccine hesitancy among the general population.
I have a (former?) friend who became a vaccine skeptic as an adult and is into essential oils and holistic medicine. I knew she refused to get a mammogram and the shingles vaccine. Her argument was "my body, my choice". I disagreed with her claim that vaccines would "poisin her body", but it wasn't my body so I wasn't going to try and convince her otherwise.
But then Covid happened and she used the same "my body, my choice" argument - I have only talked to her once or twice since Covid and haven't seen her in person since. She also fell far down the Fox conspiracy rabbit hole and Covid was the last straw.
How do you feel about polio? Ready for a sequel? I'm not. Once was enough.
Trust the science. Trust the numbers. Have you ever seen the statistics for COVID deaths once the vaccine was available? The "Red states" dominated the list of states with the highest death tolls. Hmmmmmm. Wonder why? The concept behind getting vaccinated is to protect the individual, but it is also designed to protect the community. (Herd immunity really is a thing!) I wish people in this country would think more about the health of the community. One other point worth noting: traveling in cars and airplanes will, sometimes, result in accidental deaths. Should we stop driving and flying? As Robert Hubbell notes in his reply to your comment, there are risks inherent in vaccines and medicine, but when considering the alternative--death or serious illness--the choice is obvious.
Or measles. Polio hasn't recurred yet, but we are seeing measles outbreaks that, surprise surprise, happen in places where vaccine "skeptics" are prominent. And in addition to deaths, we need to include complications from preventable diseases - lifelong impacts from getting a preventable disease.
It's appropriate to ask questions and understand the pharmaceuticals and vaccines we are given. But I also think we have moved beyond immediate large-scale experience with the diseases we have been inoculating for. My great-great grandparents had 10 children. They lost 7 small children to diphtheria. That is a scale of human tragedy we are now unaccustomed to. I like to believe that had my great-greats had access to prevention, they would have availed their family of it. Consider the alternative to vaccination: seven dead children.
I agree with your sentiments and appreciate it that you did receive the vaccine(s). I have another view on vaccines, in two parts. First, whoever developed the vaccine(s) is smarter than I am and given the options it’s worth a shot receiving them. Second, I took vaccines (and wore a mask and social distanced, too) because of other folks. I would never want to be blamed for passing an illness along to another unsuspecting person. We were all in this together and outliers, for whatever reason they were so, were outliers.