March 31, 2022

WTF? CBS News hired Mick Mulvaney, a former Trump Admin official, as a paid contributor.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-30-2022?s=r

Letters from an American: Heather Cox Richardson

"As director of OMB, Mulvaney okayed the withholding of almost $400 million Congress had appropriated for Ukraine’s protection against Russia. In May 2019, he set up “the three amigos,” Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, special envoy Kurt Volker, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, to pressure Zelensky.

...the Washington Post tonight revealed that he had reviewed a recording of a phone call in which the co-president of CBS News, Neeraj Khemlani, suggested they had hired Mulvaney to guarantee access to Republican lawmakers. “If you look at some of the people that we’ve been hiring on a contributor basis, being able to make sure that we are getting access to both sides of the aisle is a priority because we know the Republicans are going to take over, most likely, in the midterms,” Khemlani told staff."

March 31, 2022

Trump claims ignorance of 'burner phones'. Here's how they work

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/30/donald-trump-burner-phones

'...the most important burner phone principle is to discard it and replace it constantly. But not everyone remembers to do this...So if someone were using a burner phone to orchestrate a coup from the White House, could law enforcement triangulate the user? While it might be possible from a technical standpoint, the greater barriers might be legal ones....

You’ve got to have a warrant to get that information on that particular person...It wouldn’t necessarily be easy for the US president to keep switching burner phones, either. “You’re going to have to tell your nearest and dearest of the new number each time. But how can you trust it? If I get a message from Donald Trump saying this is Donald Trump’s new burner phone number, I’m going to suspect that it’s not.”

March 30, 2022

About those missing White House phone logs...Ted Cruz...and 131 more lawyers

Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-29-2022?s=r

"The missing logs might not, in the end, obscure any phone calls made in that time, though....because last summer, the January 6 Committee instructed 35 telecom and social media companies to preserve records of calls....Crooked Media editor in chief Brian Beutler recalled McCarthy’s threat to punish telecom companies that cooperate with the January 6 Committee.

While Eastman presented a plan by which Pence could refuse to count Biden’s electors, Cruz wrote a plan for congress members to object to the results in six critical states that Biden won, establishing a 10-day “audit” that would have enabled Republican-dominated state legislatures to overturn the election results in their states. Ten other senators backed Cruz’s plan, offering a path to create enough chaos to keep Trump in power."

And then there is this: "Department of Justice yesterday revealed that it wants 131 more lawyers to handle January 6 cases. In the request, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, "Regardless of whatever resources we see or get, let's be very, very clear: we are going to hold those perpetrators accountable, no matter where the facts lead us,... no matter what level.”

March 29, 2022

"Well, I mean..."

"Well, I mean this. Well, I mean that." Pundits, please stop. I'd rather hear, "So, we promise to stop saying, 'Well, I mean' to begin every statement we make."

Just my small complaint.

March 29, 2022

An excellent timeline of Trump's actions up to and including the Jan 6 insurrection

Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-28-2022?s=r

"Today, United States District Judge David O. Carter of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ordered John Eastman to disclose 101 documents to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol.

During the riot, Pence’s lawyer Greg Jacob emailed Eastman that the rioters “believed with all their hearts the theory they were sold about the powers that could legitimately be exercised at the Capitol on this day…. [a]nd thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.” Eastman responded: “The ‘siege’ is because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this to be aired in a public way so the American people can see for themselves what happened.”

Judge Carter concluded that Trump’s actions “more likely than not constitute attempts to obstruct an official proceeding.” He also concluded that “Trump likely knew the electoral count plan had no factual justification.” The plan, Carter wrote, “was a last-ditch attempt to secure the Presidency by any means.” He also found that “it is more likely than not that President Trump and Dr. Eastman dishonestly conspired to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.”

March 27, 2022

Velshi: When Biden Said Putin 'Cannot Remain In Power', He Was Right. And He Should Stick To It

This!!!

March 27, 2022

Velshi: When Biden Said Putin 'Cannot Remain In Power', He Was Right. And He Should Stick To It

This!!!

March 26, 2022

The Hartmann Report - So much important stuff

https://hartmannreport.com/p/saturday-report-32622-was-the-supreme?s=r

1. Was Clarence Thomas trying for a twofer?

2.After the single most racist confirmation hearing before the US Senate in my long lifetime, Republican leader Mitch McConnell says he’s not going to vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

3. Republicans in Arizona just passed the most extreme voter purge in history, requiring anybody who registered to vote more than 18 years ago to re-register before their votes can be counted.

4.What’s going on with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s decision to abandon his office’s prosecution of Donald Trump and his family?

And much more...

March 26, 2022

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the U.S. Constitution & a wake-up call to us all

Letters from an American:

'Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson endured vicious attacks from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who vow to reject her confirmation...the hearings inspired Republicans to challenge many of the civil rights decisions that most Americans believe are settled law....The rights Republicans challenged this week included the right to use birth control, access abortion, marry across racial lines, and marry a same-sex partner

A 2019 speech by then–attorney general William Barr at the University of Notre Dame offers an explanation...by “self-government,” the Framers did not mean the ability of people to vote for representatives of their choice. Rather, he said, they meant individual morality: the ability to govern oneself. And, since people are inherently wicked, that self-government requires the authority of a religion: Christianity.'

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-25-2022?s=r

March 24, 2022

Will Joe soon be making another SCOTUS nomination??

Court remains silent on Thomas’ condition after he entered the hospital last week

'...the Supreme Court is providing no updates on his condition. For the third consecutive day, the 73-year-old justice was not on the bench when the justices heard oral argument; the court’s only comment on Thomas’ status Wednesday came from Chief Justice John Roberts, who indicated that Thomas “was unable to be present” but would nonetheless participate in the consideration and decision of Wednesday’s case based on the briefs and oral argument transcript.'

https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/03/court-remains-silent-on-thomas-condition-after-he-entered-the-hospital-last-week/