Comment: Twisted Logic

As we approach the presidential inauguration of a convicted felon, I find it absolutely mind-boggling that some politicians and potential candidates who have criminal histories are, in some cases, held to higher standards and are forbidden from holding office.

For instance, in 2022, Columbia Borough Council in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County voted to appoint a resident to fill a vacant seat. He was never sworn in because council discovered that he was a convicted felon who had served time in prison for mail fraud. The conviction rendered him ineligible to hold public office for 10 years. 

Another recent example, Mayor Sal Bonaccorso of Clark, New Jersey, resigned over charges of criminal activity. Bonaccorso is permanently barred from holding any future public office or public employment.

Rightly so, we don't trust those with felony convictions to run our local governments, but we're okay with allowing one to run the entire country? Twisted logic.

--Sharon Lintner

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Washington Post editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes left the newspaper when an editor refused to run her cartoon calling out WaPo owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and other tech billionaires for visiting incoming President Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, on bended knee. 

In the left column below, guest pundit Chris Bidlack argues that Telnaes was standing up for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in leaving the Post when it would not publish her cartoon.

Scroll down the page using the trackbar on the far-right to read Bidlack’s commentary in this column.

Detail on Telnaes’ cartoon and departure is in the center column news/analysis. 

While you’re there, please be sure to read Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s counterpoint to Bidlack’s commentary, in which he argues that Bezos has the right not to be made fun of in his own newspaper. 

As always, you are encouraged to submit your own comments on this, and other issues covered in The Hustings. For that matter, we are happy to hear from you about issues we haven’t been covering that you believe we should. 

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line so that we post your comments in the appropriate column.

And don’t miss Substack on The Hustings.   

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MONDAY 1/13/25

JACK SMITH DROPS MIC -- Special counsel Jack Smith reports he has the evidence to convict Donald J. Trump for election interference if not for Trump’s win in last November’s presidential election. Scroll down this column for details.

TikTok Ban Upheld – The US Supreme Court Friday upheld Congress’ ban of social media site TikTok (per SCOTUSblog). Under the law passed last year, TikTok is to shut down on Sunday short of divestiture of its US operations by Chinese owner ByteDance. However, a US official told The Associated Press that President Biden will not enforce the ban before he leaves office Monday. 

In its per curiam ruling Friday (not assigned to a specific justice) on TikTok v. Merrick B. Garland, SCOTUS noted that “for 170 million Americans TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”

Justices Sonya Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch issued separate opinions in support.

Upshot … What happens on the TikTok ban after President-elect Trump is inaugurated Monday? Though Trump signed an executive order, not implemented, to ban TikTok in the US near the end of his first term, he has apparently has made a u-turn on the issue and thus, like Biden, is not likely to enforce.

•••

Ceasefire Unceased – Israel’s security cabinet approved the Gaza ceasefire deal Friday after a delay by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, NPR reports, with his full cabinet expected to meet later in the day for full passage. Under the agreement scheduled to begin with Phase I Sunday, Hamas is to release three Israeli hostages, with another four to be released on day seven. The Israeli Defense Force is not expected to withdraw from Gaza until all hostages are released, according to Haaretz, but will allow residents north of the strip. 

•••

Anti-Russia Hawk Down – A hawkish supporter of US aid and military support to Ukraine for its defense against Russia, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, is out as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) replaced Turner Thursday in a controversial move with MAGA Republican Rick Crawford, of Arkansas, Politico reports. Johnson also added to the committee five more Trump supporters who have been averse to continued aid to Ukraine; Ben Kline of Virginia, Pat Fall of Texas, Greg Steube of Florida, Claudia Tenney of New York and Ann Wagner of Missouri.

Meanwhile … UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made an unannounced visit with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to sign a “wide-ranging 100-year partnership” treaty, entailing defense, energy and trade, The Kyiv Independent reports. Kind of an in-your-face-Putin treaty short of full NATO membership for Ukraine.

•••

Treasury Secretary Hearings – Billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent is said to be a shoe-in for as President-elect Trump's pick for Treasury secretary, with potential support even from some Democrats. Bessent’s top priority is to extend the Trump 45 tax cuts set to expire later this year, while conversely he could gently push back on Trump tariff threats.

In his opening statement before the Senate Finance Committee, Bessent said Trump’s economic policy presents a “generational opportunity to unleash a new economic golden age that will create more jobs, wealth and prosperity for all Americans.” (Per The New York Times.)

But ranking committee Democrat Ron Wyden, of Oregon, considers such a “golden age” more of a “gilded age.” 

“Trump’s going to be waging this class war instead of fixing what’s broken about our tax system, which is that there’s a special set of rules that only applies to the ultra-wealthy,” Wyden said. “Mr. Bessent is a case in point.”

--TL

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Ceasefire in Trouble Already – Claiming that Hamas has “reneged on parts of the agreement,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday cancelled a cabinet meeting to vote on approval of the ceasefire agreement that would stop fighting on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, NPR’s Morning Edition reports. It seems unlikely that Phase I of the deal, which pretty much matches the proposal the Biden administration put out four months ago, but reportedly was pushed over the line by negotiators for the incoming Trump administration, will happen before President Biden officially leaves the White House. 

The way Haaretz puts it, President-elect Trump “scared” Netanyahu into agreeing to the deal with Hamas.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri refuted Netanyahu’s claim that Hamas had tried to make last-minute changes, according to Al-Arabi TV (per NPR). 

Two Israeli cabinet members have been very vocal in their opposition to the deal and have threatened to resign, thus collapsing Netanyahu’s government, according to the Morning Edition report. This raises the question of whether Netanyahu will scuttle the agreement to save his political career. 

Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 81 killed and 188 wounded in Gaza between announcement of the agreement and the Israeli cabinet’s delay, Haaretz reports.

•••

Biden’s Farewell – President Biden touted the Gaza ceasefire agreement from the Oval Office in his farewell address to the American people Wednesday evening.

“This plan was developed and negotiated by my team,” Biden said, “and it will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed. Because that’s how it should be: Working together as Americans.”

The 46th president called out what he says are his administration’s successes, including strengthening NATO, keeping Ukraine free and pulling “ahead in our competition with China.

“I’m so proud of how much we’ve accomplished together for the American people, and I wish the incoming administration success. Because I want America to succeed.”

Then he warned about “the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people” without specifically naming Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg or any other tech billionaires.

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 1/15/25

Israel, Hamas Agree to Ceasefire -- Negotiators for Israel, Arab countries and the US -- including from the outgoing Biden administration and incoming Trump administration -- have agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in an expected three-phase deal. In the first phase, Hamas will exchange some hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing Arab officials helping mediate the talks. The three parties met midday Wednesday local time in Doha, Qatar, to finalize the draft.

•••

Hegseth is Next Defense Secretary – Stop us if you’ve heard this sort of thing before. President-elect Trump will get what he wants with full (or nearly full) support of the Republican Party after some skepticism among a couple of moderates and/or dissidents. 

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) was a potential block to Trump’s choice of ex-Fox News host Pete Hegseth to become the next Defense secretary. After a lengthy Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, Ernst, a former US Army lieutenant colonel who served in Kuwait and was concerned about Hegseth’s pre-nomination comments opposing women in combat, told Simon Conway of Des Moines’ Newsradio 1040; “Yes, I will be supporting President Trump’s pick for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth,” The Hill reports. 

Committee Democrats attacked Hegseth for his lack of experience, infidelity and allegations of sexual and financial misconduct. Hegseth also faced questioning about his Jerusalem Cross tattoo, a symbol of the Christian far-right.

“In fact, interestingly, recently I attended briefly the memorial ceremony of former President Jimmy Carter, on the floor of our National Cathedral,” Hegseth replied, according to Newsweek. “On the front page of the program was the very same Jerusalem Cross.”

That does not mean Hegseth is not a devotee of Christian Nationalism. USA Today has reported that Hegseth is a follower of Idaho pastor Doug Wilson’s Communion of Reformed Evangelical Church, which has been strengthening ties with Hegseth’s Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship in Nashville. 

Such key players in the Christian Nationalism movement led a concerted effort to assure that Hegseth would have strong Republican support in the Senate (where he needs only a majority to be confirmed) leading up to the committee hearing. 

Upshot After just one nominee, ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) had to withdraw his nomination, GOP support for Hegseth is a good indication Trump will get his way with the rest of his nominees, though there’s still the question of confirming Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) for National Intelligence director and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as national health secretary. 

Wednesday Committee hearings are to be held for Pam Bondi, replacement nominee for Gaetz as Trump administration attorney general, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to be secretary of state. Rubio, of all nominees, is considered the easiest shoo-in with likely support even from some Democratic senators.

--TL

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Enough to Convict – Former special counsel Jack Smith says he has the evidence to convict former President Donald J. Trump for interference in the 2020 election results, if not for Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, according to his 137-page final report released by the Department of Justice early Tuesday.

Trump “engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort to overturn the legitimate results of the election in order to retain power,” Smith says in his report's conclusion. 

Smith resigned as special counsel before Trump could fire him after next Monday’s presidential inauguration. But Smith and his team of investigators now face investigation themselves by the Republican-majority 119th Congress in the coming months, likely to be led by the incoming president’s close allys. 

“While we were not able to bring the cases we charged to trial, I believe the fact that our team stood up for the rule of law matters,” Smith writes in the introduction. “I believe the example our team set for others to fight for justice without regard for the personal cost matters. The facts, as we uncovered them in our investigation and as set forth in my Report, matter. Experienced prosecutors know that you cannot control outcomes, you can only do your job the right way for the right reasons. I conclude our work confident that we have done so, and that we have met fully our obligations to the Department and to our country.”  

But not the other report … Judge Aileen Cannon – yes, the federal district judge in Florida appointed by Trump 45 – issued the five-page order Monday allowing the Justice Department to release the elections interference report but not the report from Smith’s investigation of Trump’s alleged refusal to return classified documents after he left office – the case she oversaw -- according to The New York Times.

That investigation led to the FBI’s seizure of classified government documents at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022. 

Cannon ordered prosecutors and Trump defense attorneys to appear before her on Friday to argue whether Smith’s report on the classified documents case should be released to Congress.

Reaction ... Insert standard Trump insults of Smith and his investigators here.

--Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 1/13/25

This Week – The House and Senate are in session Monday through Thursday, and the Senate only is in session Friday. Monday is the fourth anniversary of President-elect Trump’s second impeachment, for incitement of the January 6th attack on Capitol Hill. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate. 

Welcome – Readers of Columbia Spy.

Confirmation Week I – Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, Pam Bondi for US attorney general and Marco Rubio for secretary of state are key Senate confirmation hearings beginning Tuesday, Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report told NPR’s Steve Inskeep on Morning Edition

As the most controversial Trump nominee now that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has withdrawn his nomination to be AG, former Fox News host Hegseth will face the toughest questioning beginning Tuesday. 

Senate committees also will question Interior Department secretary nominee Doug Burgum and Veterans Affairs nominee Doug Collins on Tuesday. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to take Wednesday and Thursday for its hearing on Bondi’s nomination to head the Justice Department, CQ Roll Call reports. Wednesday also is the day for Rubio to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations committee. John L. Ratcliffe, nominee for CIA director will appear before the Intelligence committee. Nominee for Homeland Security secretary, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and nominee for Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought will appear before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee on Wednesday.

A confirmation hearing for former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to be director of national intelligence appears to be delayed for a week, but not for the reasons you might expect – Gabbard is considered an ally of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and years ago met with now-deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. But Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) described Gabbard’s delay as a “paperwork problem.”

“She now has a top-level security clearance,” Barrasso told CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday. “She is the right person to keep America secure and safe.”

Others, this week … Chris Wright for Energy secretary, Scott Turner for Housing and Urban Development secretary, Sean Duffy for Transportation secretary, Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary and Lee Zeldin for Environmental Protection Agency director are also scheduled for committee hearings this week.

•••

Are You Ready for Some Trump Tariffs? – After decades of catching up with Western Europe, Japan and the United States with its odd mixture of communist authoritarianism and state-supported capitalism, China has reached nearly $1 trillion in trade surplus for 2024, according to the nation’s General Administration of Customs. Even adjusted for inflation, China’s $990-billion trade surplus last year “far exceeded” any in the world in the last century, according to The New York Times, including the US after World War II.

Automakers in the European Union are battling stiff competition from Chinese makers of affordable electric vehicles, while in the US, President-elect Trump has threatened a tariff on all Chinese goods of up to 60%.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 1/13/25

Comment: Let’s Start With a Clean Slate

For those raising alarm about alleged threats to "democracy" while ignoring the blatant overreach of unelected bureaucrats and activist judges against President-Elect Donald J. Trump, it’s clear you’ve succumbed to a narrative driven by Democrats and the biased media. The weaponization of government institutions by partisan actors has exposed just how fragile our republic has become under the influence of radical leftist ideology.

For years, Democrats have leveraged every tool in their arsenal — be it impeachment attempts, endless investigations, or politically motivated indictments — to undermine those who challenge their grip on power. This lawfare isn’t about justice; it’s about silencing dissent and punishing anyone who dares stand in their way.

The Constitution and rule of law are meant to serve as safeguards against tyranny, yet they are being bent and twisted to suit the whims of a political elite that cannot abide opposition. Conservatives and independent thinkers should take heed: today’s targeted leader could be tomorrow’s silenced citizen.

As Americans, we must demand accountability, transparency, and an end to the misuse of power for partisan ends. Without these, the freedoms that define this nation risk becoming relics of a bygone era, sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Let's start with a clean slate next week and give President Trump an opportunity to prove his competence and ability to lead America and all our citizens towards a brighter tomorrow. 

--Rich Corbett

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Our Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It does not guarantee the right to criticize a newspaper owner via editorial cartoon by a staffer for that newspaper, Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay argues in his right-column commentary below. 

Scroll down the page using the trackbar on the far-right to read Macaulay’s commentary on Ann Telnaes’ editorial cartoon for The Washington Post criticizing the newspaper’s owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (along with other tech billionaires) for taking an “obsequious position” toward incoming President Donald J. Trump.

 Detail on Telnaes’ cartoon and departure is in the center column news/analysis. 

While you’ve scrolled down, do not miss guest pundit Chris Bidlack’s defense of Telnaes’ cartoon and her resignation from the WaPo after an editor rejected the cartoon.

As always, you are encouraged to submit your own comments on this, and other issues covered in The Hustings. For that matter, we are happy to hear from you about issues we haven’t been covering that you believe we should. 

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line so that we post your comments in the appropriate column.

And don’t miss Substack on The Hustings.   

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MONDAY 1/13/25

Ann Telnaes’ resignation and the role of political satire in democracy

Guest Commentary by Chris Bidlack


On January 3rd, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned from The Washington Post after the newspaper refused to publish her satirical cartoon depicting billionaires like Jeff Bezos offering money to Donald Trump. This was the first time in her 17-year career at the Post that a cartoon was rejected due to its subject matter. The newspaper claimed the decision was not politically motivated, but Telnaes saw it as censorship.
 
While editorial decisions vary across different journalistic domains, political cartooning occupies a unique and crucial position in the media landscape. Unlike reporters covering sports, automotive, or lifestyle news for example, political journalists and cartoonists serve as chroniclers and visual commentators on pressing societal issues. Their work often challenges power structures and provokes critical thinking among readers, listeners, and viewers. 

Political news reporting and commentary stand in a category of their own, carrying far greater significance due to their impact on public discourse and democratic processes, compared to other types of publications. 

While specialized publications serve important roles in their respective fields, the core mission of our nation's newspapers and news media extends beyond mere reporting. Their ultimate charge is to safeguard democracy through coverage and analysis of our elected representatives' actions, court decisions, and the functioning of our government. As Thomas Jefferson put it, "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press."

Of course editors and owners of news publications always have the final say. And while some may not see the Telnaes resignation as the hill worth dying on, a strong argument can and should be made that her decision is exactly the hill on which to resign. 

The editorial autonomy of news publications is undeniable. However, a crucial distinction exists between journalists covering non-political domains and those reporting on national news and politics. The latter field holds such importance to our democracy that it's the only non-governmental entity explicitly protected in the Constitution. This underscores the weighty responsibility borne by political journalists and commentators in safeguarding press freedom and public discourse.

Those who argue that Ann Telnaes was foolish to give up her job when she always knew that her bosses had every right to quash any of her creations as they saw fit, are short-sighted. There are times when some journalists and commentators have an obligation to speak out when censorship precludes a significant idea from reaching the people. 

If I created cartoons for, say, an astronomy magazine, and my editor rejected my illustration of two scientists at a chalkboard where one is saying, "85% of the universe: no clue, but it's big," because it wasn't gettable, should I resign? No. No one would be deprived of an important idea if that cartoon didn’t appear. But conversely, if my editor demanded I create a cartoon mocking science and seriously portraying the Earth as only 6,000 years old, there’d be a strong case for me to quit. Similarly, Telnaes' cartoon addressed a critical issue of political influence and corruption, making its suppression a matter of significant public interest and a justifiable reason for her resignation.

Ann Telnaes saw the suppressing of her editorial idea for what it was: Abridging her Freedom of Speech, and with some irony, Abridging the Freedom of the Press, as the Constitution puts it. She knew that this was one of those moments. We should all applaud her courageous decision. 

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FRIDAY 1/10/25

By Todd Lassa

Journalism in general and daily newspapers in particular faced existential peril long before Donald J. Trump won last November 5th’s presidential election. Big-town newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun are in the process of being stripped for parts by hedge fund managers. Gannett has been selling off many of its less-profitable papers, creating more “news deserts” across the country as it cuts staff from the newspapers it has kept. 

This made Amazon founder Jeff Bezos something of a journalism anti-hero when he purchased The Washington Post from the Graham family in 2018. Democracy might not die in darkness, after all. 

When Donald Graham, son of “legendary” WaPo Publisher Katherine Graham approached Bezos about buying the paper, according to a September 20, 2018 article in Forbes, Bezos said he had no interest in it because he knew nothing about newspapers. Donald Graham replied that the WaPo didn’t need an owner who understood journalism; it needed an owner who understood the Internet. 

We do not know whether Jeff Bezos has learned anything about the newspaper business in the last six years. We do know that he understands the incoming president, Donald J. Trump, has strong opinions about Big Tech and how social media outlets on the Internet treat him and his staunchest supporters. And that Trump does not like how he has been covered by the WaPo.

Inspired by Tesla/SpaceX/Starlink/Neuralink CEO and X/Twitter owner Elon Musk’s tight embrace of MAGA and Trumpism nearly a year ago, leaders of some of the biggest tech companies in the world flocked to Mar-a-Lago to meet with the president-elect between November 6 and Thanksgiving, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Open AI CEO Sam Altman. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founder Sergey Brin, too, although according to U.S. News & World Report Google declined to confirm the meeting. 

Ann Telnaes’ cartoon in question for The Washington Post depicts her then-boss Bezos with Zuckerberg, Altman, Los Angeles Times (which like the WaPo declined to endorse a presidential candidate last November) Publisher Patrick Soon-Shiong and Mickey Mouse -- representing Disney’s ABC News, which settled a defamation lawsuit for $15 million, filed by Trump in December that it easily could have had dismissed -- genuflecting before Trump.

The president-elect’s inauguration committee has made out far better than Trump himself from ABC News’ Mickey Mouse settlement. It has collected $170 million for the January 20 festivities, a good portion of it from the tech industry. 

Zuckerberg contributed $1 million, the legal limit for each individual contribution. No doubt he’s saved at least that much by sacking Facebook’s fact-checking staff. Bezos easily saved his million-dollar contribution from a few of the recently announced layoffs of among 100 sacked WaPo staff.

In this, our latest Debate on The Hustings, guest pundit Chris Bidlack (left column) and Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay (right column) discuss the implications of Telnaes’ departure from Bezos’ Washington Post.

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FRIDAY 1/10/25

Anyone in business knows the old saw: “The customer is always right.”

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

The customer, of course, may not be right, but given that any business depends on customers, it is a good rule to keep the customers at the very least satisfied.

There is another rule that isn’t often stated but is arguably truer.

This is for the employees who work at a business: “Don’t piss off the boss.”

That can be job ending.

There is no one who has ever worked for someone else (i.e., most of us) who hasn’t come to the conclusion, perhaps on a regular basis, the that boss is a jackass.

This leads to two choices: (1) Suck it up and continue. (2) Quit.

(Some might suggest there is a third: Get fired. But that isn’t a choice; that’s a consequence.)

Which brings us to Ann Telanes, who had worked at The Washington Post until last Friday, when she quit.

Telanes quit because she submitted an editorial cartoon that showed, among other people, Jeff Bezos, the Washington Post’s owner, in an obsequious position vis-à-vis Donald Trump.

Telnaes told NPR, “I’ve never ever, since I’ve worked for the Post in 2008, been not allowed to comment on certain topics by having cartoons being killed.”

Washington Post opinions editor David Shipley, presumably her boss, told The New York Times that the reason the cartoon was rejected was because “we had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column — this one a satire — for publication. The only bias was against repetition.”

Reporting about the incident often includes “Pulitzer Prize-winning” to modify Telanes’s name, as though this elevates the contretemps to Major National Issue status.

The Pulitzer Prizes were established through an endowment in Joseph Pulitzer’s will; they are meant to honor excellence in journalism.

Which is somewhat — no, fully — ironic inasmuch as Pulitzer made his fortune through yellow journalism. Yellow journalism opts for the “wow!” at the expense of the true.

Truth, justice and the American way? Phooey! 

Clearly Telanes has skills.

But there are a couple things about this that need to be considered.

  1. While she may be a highly talented cartoonist, anyone who is in the creative space knows that getting things killed by someone who has responsibility for it — either a boss or a client — is a fairly common thing. That she hasn’t had anything killed for 17 years is astonishing.
  2. That she has been honored with a Pulitzer and that her award is called out by some outlets makes this seem all the more extreme. It isn’t. A friend of mine has a Pulitzer. While he is an immensely talented writer and reporter, not everything he does is worthy of being chiseled in granite.

Let’s posit that Shipley is not being entirely forthcoming about the reason why he killed the cartoon. (I actually think that his explanation is the case, but that’s not so titillating.)

Let’s say that he killed it because it makes Bezos look bad.

While there are levels upon levels between the two, Bezos is ultimately Shipley’s boss. Shipley doesn’t want to piss off the boss. Period.

Is this an attack on the First Amendment?

Well, this gets to the point that Bezos owns it. This isn’t some sort of public-interest operation that is independent from all considerations other than abiding by the law. 

He bought it for purposes of ROI.

Simply consider this: Why would Bezos want something he owns to make fun of him?

I’ve never had a boss that paid me to publicly humiliate him or her.

Is it a bad thing that Bezos owns The Washington Post?

Some might argue that it is, if the newspaper is going to “cave” to the Trump administration. But is it better that he does and that it exists than if he didn’t and it ceased to exist?

While Bezos is the owner, in a sense he is also the customer for what Shipley and (formerly) Telanes produce: he buys work from them.

Even if Bezos had no idea of the cartoon and subsequent controversy, Shipley probably knows what lines can or cannot be crossed before the customer becomes concerned.

Meta’s (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) Mark Zuckerburg, Apple’s Tim Cook, and other executives have all ponied up cash for the Trump inauguration. This is a business decision they are making. Bezos contributed, too. Again, probably because it is a business decision. Will they all have better chances of making more money with Trump at least not feeling completely negative toward them (although this is undoubtedly a fool’s errand as his feelings about people lack any consistency: just think of all of the people who were in his first administration who went from being the best people to being losers)? Maybe.

The cartoon was spiked.

While some would like to clutch their proverbial pearls and think this is tantamount to a constitutional crisis, it is really about business.

Whether it is what Shipley said about avoiding repetitiveness or as speculated here it is about not pissing off the boss, it is all the concern of a product in the capitalist market, which The Washington Post is, not more than that.

Macaulay is pundit-at-large.

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FRIDAY 1/10/25

Welcome to The Hustings, a post-social media political news/aggregate/analysis website free of echo chambers. We reject false equivalencies in favor of facts and context in the center column, with civil, respectful and thought-provoking opinions in the left and right columns.

If you’re new to the site, be sure to check out some of our recent debates. Go to Page 3  for discussions over the implications of Donald J. Trump’s November 5 win, with contributing pundits Ken Zino, Jim McCraw and Hugh Hansen in the left column, and Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay in the right column.

Our coverage and commentary on last October’s debate among vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz (remember him?) from Page 6 features commentary by contributing pundit Rich Corbett in the right column, whose pro-MAGA opinions push Pundit-at-Large Macaulay into the left column.  

Why not join our civil discourse? Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate whether you lean right or left in the subject line, so we can post your opinions in the appropriate column.

Also be sure to read our free Substack page.

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MONDAY 1/6/25

President Biden gives a eulogy for long-time friend and ally Jimmy Carter, and all surviving US presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and President-elect Donald J. Trump will attend his funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks sing Carter’s favorite song, John Lennon’s Imagine. Carter will be buried Thursday afternoon alongside his wife of 77 years, Rosalyn, in Plains, Georgia.  

THURSDAY 1/9/25

One Bill, Two Bills – Red bill, redder bill. Senate Republicans and House Republicans are struggling to come up with a legislative process to expedite President-elect Trump’s agenda (per the AP). House Republicans want a single reconciliation bill to prevent the Trump 45 administration tax cuts from expiring, to strengthen border security and fund deportation of immigrants and to boost oil and gas production. Senate Republicans figure two bills would get the tax cuts secured by avoiding a filibuster – reconciliation allows for a straight 51-vote majority.

Visiting Capitol Hill for the first time since his election victory, Trump at first told reporters he was looking for “one big, beautiful bill for everything.” But after a closed-door meeting with congressional Republicans, Trump said; “Whether it’s one bill or two bills, it’s going to get done.” (Per NPR’s Morning Edition.)

•••

Calling Justice Alito – Donald J. Trump spoke with US Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito just before the president-elect’s attorneys asked the court to quickly intervene to delay Trump’s Friday sentencing for his hush money/falsified business records conviction in New York, per The New York Times. Alito says Trump called for a routine job reference for a former law clerk who seeks a job in the incoming administration. 

It's not clear why, the NYT asserts, such a routine call would not come from an aide for the president-elect. 

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan has said he will not sentence Trump to jail or probation, but he does want the president-elect to appear in his court Friday. It would be an easy trip for Trump from President Carter’s funeral in Washington, D.C., Thursday. He could take Amtrak’s Acela.

•••

Welcome readers of Columbia Spy.

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 1/8/25

Trump Appeals to SCOTUS – President-elect Trump wants the US Supreme Court to quickly intervene and delay sentencing scheduled for Friday on his conviction last summer for falsifying business records in his hush money case, The Washington Post reports. New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan already has said he will not sentence Trump to jail time or probation, but the president-elect’s attorneys argue Trump is immune from criminal proceeding and have called for the postponement to “prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operation of the federal government.”

Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made prior to the 2016 election is a New York State case, and therefore impervious to presidential pardon.

•••

This Means Potential Full-Blown Diplomatic Crisis – Donald J. Trump ran for re-election last year on a pro-peace, isolationist platform, in particular promising he will end the war in Ukraine possibly even before his January 20 inauguration. But his refusal as president-elect at a Mar-a-Lago press conference Tuesday to rule out a military invasion of Greenland (as Donald Trump Jr. was visiting its capital, Nuuk) and Panama came off as rather bellicose. (Trump also declared at his presser that the Gulf of Mexico is hereby renamed the Gulf of America.)

That’s how French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot interpreted Trump’s words in comments to Newsweek via email. Barrot replied that Trump’s renewed interest in taking over Greenland, an autonomous territory of European Union and NATO member Denmark could “escalate” into a full-blown diplomatic crisis.

Barrot added that he does not believe Trump will use military force to take over Greenland, but said he believes the current global climate feels like “survival of the fittest.”

--TL

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TUESDAY 1/7/25

MPCUSA and Buy Greenland – Whither MAGA isolationist nationalism? President-elect Trump wants to Make the Panama Canal the US Again. In yet another “rambling” hour-long news conference at Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Trump “refused to rule out” using military force to take back the Panama Canal – returned to Panama in a treaty signed by President Carter – and suggested he would force Denmark to sell Greenland to the US, The New York Times reports. Trump insists Greenland is critical to US national security, while Greenland, a country of just 56,000 people, insists it is not for sale and only wants to go independent from Denmark. 

Elsewhere in Florida … Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, whom you will remember as a Trump appointee, has temporarily banned special counsel Jack Smith from releasing his final report on the January 6 Capitol attack investigation to the public. Smith was to have released the report on Friday.

•••

Social’s ‘Truth’ – Social media oligopoly Meta is ending its practice of fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a video posted by founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In his “free speech” pitch, Zuckerberg, who on figurative bended knee dined with President-elect Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago the day before Thanksgiving, said “we’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the US.” 

Meta has since donated the max-allowed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

•••

Canada’s PM Steps Down – Justin Trudeau announced Monday he will step down as Canada’s prime minister as soon as his Liberal Party names a successor. Trudeau has faced several months of pressure from allies and opponents to resign as Canada faces high post-pandemic inflation and rising housing costs, according to NPR’s All Things Considered

“It has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” Trudeau said, referring to federal elections for the 45th Canadian Parliament, which are to be held on or before October 20.

He became leader of the Liberal Party in 2013 and was first elected prime minister in 2015, promising a more open immigration policy, greater taxes on the wealthy and more action to protect the environment. But Trudeau’s tenure was marked by a series of scandals early on, while critics say his open immigration policy went too far.

Trudeau, 53, is the son of Canada’s charismatic 15th prime minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who served from 1968 to 1979 and 1980 to 1984.

--TL

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MONDAY 1/6/25

It's Still Mike – Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has pulled victory from the jaws of defeat to retain his gavel for the beginning of the 119th Congress. Because of the GOP’s wafer-thin majority, Johnson could afford to lose just one vote and remain speaker. Johnson had already lost that single vote, as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) had committed to voting for third-ranked House Republican Tom Emmer, of Minnesota. 

During the first round of voting, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) voted for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) voted for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) … but there was no second round. House Republicans suspended the vote, then huddled, and got Norman and Self to flip for Johnson, thus giving the incumbent speaker the 218 votes he needed, according to CQ Roll Call

Johnson said afterward that he had promised “nothing” to Norman and Self for their flips.

Will the GOP’s thin House majority be a problem for the incoming administration? President-elect Trump mounted a heavy-duty phone call campaign to push for Johnson, and Roll Call figures it should have been easier. But in reality, it doesn’t look to be too tough a ride for Trump’s agenda, as the friction is coming from MAGA GOP’s right-flank. 

As Self put it in comments to reporters; “We had a talk about how we admire the Trump agenda. That’s what this was about. I’ll say it a dozen more times, but this is how we support President Trump as a House with a very narrow majority. How’s that gonna happen?”

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 1/6/25

By Stephen Macaulay

In the opening to his “2024 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary” Chief Justice John Roberts writes:

“In December 1761, a little more than one year into what would be a fifty-nine year reign, King George III decreed that from that date forward, colonial judges were to serve ‘at the pleasure of the Crown.’ This royal edict departed from the long-standing practice in England, enshrined by Parliament in the 1701 Act of Settlement, of allowing judges to retain their offices ‘during good behavior.’ The King’s order was not well received.”

Roberts goes on to point out:

“the ninth of twenty-seven grievances enumerated in the Declaration of Independence charged that George III ‘has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.’”

And here he brings it home:

“Before the American founding, no other country had found a way to ensure that the people and their government respect the law.”

Which is supplemented by this:

“At the end of the day, judges perform a critical function in our democracy. Since the beginning of the Republic, the rulings of judges have shaped the Nation’s development and checked the excesses of the other branches.”

Roberts spends much time wallowing in the past, citing people including his predecessor William Renquist and Alexander Hamilton, whose work was instrumental in the creation of the Federal judiciary.

And when he writes about the contemporary, it is to point out that the independence of judges is threatened by violence, intimidation, disinformation and “threats to defy lawfully entered judgments.”

Perhaps he is being somewhat coy. Doesn’t that reference to serving “at the pleasure of the Crown” sound suspiciously like the rhetoric we are hearing about the role of the Department of Justice in the forthcoming Trump administration?

Were Trump a younger man, would it surprise anyone if he did his damnedest to hold office for 59 years?

Isn’t there something of an analogue of “Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices” with Trump during his first administration repeatedly referring to the Supreme Court justices as “my judges”?

When Roberts emphasizes the word “and” in his line about ensuring “the people and their government respect the law” is he intimating that government officials — past, present and, yes, future — didn’t, aren’t or won’t respect the law?

Gallup research has found Americans’ confidence in the judicial system hit a new low in 2024, at 35%.

In another survey that specifically included Supreme Court Job Approval, 51% of Americans disapprove of the job it is doing and only 44% approve.

That is better than the 58% disapproval of September 2023. But when Gallup started tracking this metric in September 2000, the disapproval was 29% and approval 62%, a long way from where it has gotten to.

While much of this can be ascribed to the current hyper partisanship that exists in the country, isn’t a measure of it the result of the behaviors of some of the justices, whether it is those who have hung on too long or those who think that they are deserving of special benefits because their positions?

Roberts writes in his review of how the Federal judiciary came to be that Hamilton argued that because the judiciary would have “neither the sword nor the purse” — the powers of the Executive and Legislature — lifetime appointment would be the means  through which the judges could maintain impartiality.

Clearly that is no longer the case — assuming that it ever was.

Judges put on their robes one arm at a time like the rest of us would. But we would like to think that once they have those robes on they have measures of probity and honesty that transcends what the rest of us generally have.

In the next few years we are going to see how well the members of the Supreme Court perform to the standard of independence from the other branches of government that Hamilton set forth in Federalist No. 78.

What are the odds that the Court’s Gallup numbers will rise any time soon?

Not good, I think.

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings.

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MONDAY 1/6/25

President Biden is expected to speak at the funeral for the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, and President-elect Trump has said he will attend. Scroll down the center column for details on President Carter’s funeral procession in Plains, Georgia, and Washington, DC. 

We are two-and-a-half weeks before "Day One" of the second Trump administration, so there is a lot to discuss. We have big plans for growth in 2025, including a new, more streamlined web design. Become a part of our quest for no-echo chamber, no-false equivalency civil media by voicing your opinion on current political issues. Email your comments to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate whether you lean left or right with a note in the subject line.

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President Biden is expected to speak at the funeral for the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, and President-elect Trump has […]

Speaker Vote Friday – Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) needs support of nearly all House Republicans – 218 of 219 -- to retain his speaker’s gavel when he comes up for a vote Friday afternoon. The House must choose a speaker by Monday in order to verify the November 5 presidential election, and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie already has said he will vote against Johnson, according to NPR’s Morning Edition.

FRIDAY 1/3/25

Steel Barrier – President Biden has blocked the $14.9 billion sale of US Steel to Nippon Steel, The Washington Post reports, citing two administration officials. Biden has for months opposed sale of the iconic American company to the Japanese corporation despite potential of alienating a close ally. The Biden administration held off to past the presidential election before announcing its decision, which is expected to come officially on Friday.

--TL

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THURSDAY 1/2/25

Terrorism? – That’s a question regarding the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck apparently filled with fireworks and gasoline cans at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s morning – tying businesses of the president-elect and his new Mar-a-Lago habitué, Elon Musk. Law enforcement officials have not identified the explosion as a terrorist attack, though Musk on his X/Twitter has, according to NPR’s Morning Edition.

The explosion, which killed an unidentified individual inside the truck and injured seven bystanders, occurred about six hours after a Ford F-150 Lightning driven by a US Army veteran and displaying an Islamic state flag avoided vehicle barriers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ French Quarters, killing 15 and injuring at least 35 more, about 3:15 am local time Wednesday. 

There are no connections between the two incidents as of yet, other than the Cybertruck and the Ford Lightning, which also is an electric pickup truck, were both rented via the Turo app. 

•••

Carter Funeral – The Joint Task Force for the National Capitol Region, which coordinates state funerals has announced the schedule for President Jimmy Carter’s funeral procession in Washington, DC and Plains, Georgia. 

Per U.S. News & World Report, services begin 10:30 am Saturday, January 4, with a motorcade through Plains to Carter’s childhood home with “a brief pause in front of the family’s farm.” There the National Park Service will ring its historic farm bell 39 times in honor of the 39th president. The motorcade proceeds through to the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta for a 4 pm service. He will lie in repose at the Carter Center from 7 pm Saturday to 6 am Tuesday, January 7, during which the public are invited to pay their respects. 

On January 7, the funeral travels to Washington for a procession along Pennsylvania Avenue to the US Capitol, followed by private services at the Rotunda for members of Congress to pay their respects. Carter will lie in state accompanied by a military honor guard to 7 am, Thursday, January 9, followed by a 10 am funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

President Biden is expected to speak at the funeral, and President-elect Trump has said he will attend. 

In the White House statement on the December 29 passing of President Carter, at age 100, Biden said that “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.

“He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism.”

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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THURSDAY 1/2/25

Ramaswamy reveals something many MAGAites don’t want to acknowledge

By Stephen Macaulay

First, let’s agree that no one wants illegal immigrants in the country. To be sure there may be all kinds of mitigating circumstances as to why they have broken the law to come to the U.S., but if we are a country of laws, not men, then upholding the laws is essential.

But there are illegal immigrants and there are immigrants.

In the last category there are people like, well, Elon Musk, who was born in Pretoria, South Africa, then moved to Canada before moving to the United States.

And let’s not forget that Melania Trump was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.

However, there are those in the Republican Party who paint all immigrants with a brush ladened with tar and are ready to run them on a rail out of town and out of the country.

This has become visible through the contretemps set off by Vivek Ramaswamy, who posted a message on somewhat social media about the need for an increase in the number of H-1B visas in order to have highly intelligent, high-skilled workers in the US.

Ramaswamy — who, incidentally, was born in Cincinnati, which is something that many of his sudden critics probably can’t imagine — went on to point out that too many Americans are not sufficiently interested in doing, well, the hard stuff.

He wrote that a society that “celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers”.

And engineers are important.

He also wrote there needs to be “more tutoring, fewer sleepovers. More weekend science competitions, fewer Saturday morning cartoons. More books, less TV. More creating, less ‘chillin’. More extracurriculars, less hanging out at the mall”.

(Presumably Ramaswamy spends too little time in the real world if he thinks that “hanging out at the mall” is still, as the kids say, “a thing.”)

These observations, caused considerable consternation among the anti-immigrant portion of the Republican Party, a portion that seems Super-Sized. 

Elon Musk, who probably doesn’t hire a whole lot of people for SpaceX or even Tesla who were regular attendees at Trump MAGA rallies, waded into the controversy by calling critics of Ramaswamy’s remarks “contemptible fools” and “hateful, unrepentant racists” who “will absolutely be the downfall of the Republican Party if they are not removed.”

But really, who can blame these people, as they, too, probably, in Ramaswamy’s words, spent too much time watching “reruns of Friends” rather than a movie about relentless work and achievement like Whiplash?

One reason why there is this divide in perception between Ramaswamy, who has degrees from both Harvard and Yale Law, and those who eked out of high school is because the latter are often chanting, in effect, “We’re number one!” when it comes to anything from education to health care.

For example, according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), when it comes to “tertiary education,” or simply graduating college, the U.S. isn’t number one, but number nine.

Perhaps Trump is interested in making Canada the 51st state because it is number one.

The US follows not only Canada in the number of those who have finished tertiary education, but also Japan, Ireland, South Korea, United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, and Luxembourg.

And as health care is going to become another area of consternation, it is worth noting that the US doesn’t rank so high there, either.

According a 2024 study by The Commonwealth Fund, which describes itself as “a nonprofit private foundation supporting independent research on health policy reform and a high-performance health system,” when it comes to health care system performance measured among 10 countries, the US, despite spending considerably more than the others, ranks 10th, behind Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany.

Far from number one.

Yet populist chants and slogans don’t allow there to be discernment of what’s really going on.

All Americans can be proud of the accomplishments of Silicon Valley, which is certainly a number one.

Tesla, which is a global leading player in electric vehicles (the leading player until China’s BYD ascended), was established in California, as was SpaceX, another remarkable global player.

According to new data from the US Census Bureau, there are more foreign-born people living in California — 26.7% of its total population — than any other state.

Coincidence?

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THURSDAY 1/2/25

“The Political World Just Lost Its Bipartisan Meeting Space,” reads the title of columnist Jonathan Martin’s latest piece in Politico Magazine. Martin is referring to David Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and a onetime political reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Martin “came to praise Axe, not bury him in a shroud of bygone-day nostalgia for civil discourse” for The Axe Files. Axelrod has wrapped up his eight-year-old podcast, which contained “candid, deeply personal and extended interviews with the leading figures for both parties.”

The Axe Files, in other words, managed to achieve what we are attempting in earnest – create a space for civil discourse among people all along the left and right halves of the political “horseshoe.” (If you are not familiar with the Horseshoe Theory, check out this description by the Vanderbilt Political Review. Personally, we learned about the theory from ‘60s-era standup comic Mort Sahl.)

While Axe interviewed well-known politicians and political operatives on his podcast, we are here for professional politicians and engaged, interested voters alike – political animals of various levels of interest.

To participate, send us your thoughts and opinions on any political news/news aggregate and analysis from the center column, and/or other comments from the right or left in those columns. Email us at editors@thehustings.news and please let us know how you lean, politically, in the subject line so that we post your civil comments in the appropriate column.

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MONDAY 12/23/24

October 1, 1924 – December 29, 2024, the 39th president (D) of the United States, 1977 – 1981. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 2002. (Photo: The Carter Center)

HOLIDAY 12/23/24 -- 1/1/25

Our Holiday Break: We are taking off for Festivus (Monday, the 23rd), Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza and will return after New Years, on Thursday, January 2. Happy Holidays to all.

•••

Why Gaetz Won’t be AG – Eponymous host of The Matt Gaetz Show on One America (ahem) News Network and former nominee to be attorney general by President-elect Trump regularly paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, between the time he joined Congress in 2017, and 2020, according to a 37-page House Ethics Committee report released Monday, The Wall Street Journal reports. The committee report, which the former Republican representative from Florida had asked a federal judge to block from release, also says Gaetz accepted impermissible gifts, including lodging and transportation for a 2018 trip to the Bahamas. 

Gaetz is suing the House Ethics Committee for defamation.

•••

Biden Commutes 37 Sentences – President Biden commuted sentences for 37 of 40 men on federal death row, The New York Times reports. All 37 had been convicted on murder charges and will continue to serve life sentences after the commutations. The three federal prisoners who still face execution are Robert D. Bowers, 52, who in 2018 killed 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh; Dylan Roof, 30, the white supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners in a 2015 shooting at a Charleston, South Carolina church; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 31, who with his brother killed three and maimed more than a dozen in the 2013 bombing of the Boston Marathon.

•••

Bully Tariffs – President-elect Trump wants to take back the Panama Canal over – irony alert – tariffs of 50 cents to $300,000 the country charges US ships crossing the canal to get between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. 

“It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions, you gotta treat us fairly and they haven’t treated us fairly,” Trump told Turning Point’s “American Fest” Sunday, according to The Hill.

“Take it back,” an audience member shouted. 

“That’s a good idea,” Trump replied. 

The US handed it over to Panama in 1999, in an agreement forged during the Carter administration. 

How much in control … is the incoming Trump administration? We saw last week when a continuing resolution that would have suspended the debt ceiling so that Trump & Co. (World’s Richest Man Elon Musk) could quickly begin cutting corporate taxes at-will that its power is not as absolute as his “mandate” with an under-50% popular vote win might suggest. Hard-line Freedom Caucus House Republicans (who basically are Obama-era Tea Partiers gone full-MAGA) voted down that CR, despite a threat by Musk to use a small chunk of his estimated $400 billion to primary Republicans who don’t fall into line.

After they didn’t fall into line, Musk dropped the threat. 

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 12/23/24

By Stephen Macaulay

After Mitt Romney’s loss to Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, the Republican Party performed what was described as an “autopsy.”

They wanted to figure out (1) why they lost the election (remember, Romney’s bona-fides were much more substantial than Obama’s were, and if nothing else, Romney looked (and looks) absolutely “presidential”) and (2) what they needed to do so that the next time they would be successful.

So there was the “Growth and Opportunity Project.”

And arguably Donald Trump, who is not known for being a big reader, didn’t bother with it and he went his own way, which proved to be rather successful as he completely upended the conventional thought about presidential politics.

While the conventional Republicans talked about the importance of a “big tent,” Trump manifests images of luxury Palm Beach living for people who would be more likely to vacation in a tent rather than in a beach-side condo.

What Trump was selling was making regular people’s — as opposed to the political class — lives better. He was going to “Make America Great Again,” and as those folks are “America,” that meant them.

(If we go back to one of the causes of Romney’s loss was because he seemed to plugged in to the financial class, something that regular folk have a hard time with as they only deal with banking institutions when trying to get a home equity loan to finish the basement. The whole notion of “capital” is completely foreign to them. While it might be thought that Trump’s wealth would have been a negative, given that he spent money on what the monied class would consider outré, he was someone the regular folk were fine with because they knew if they had a chance. . . . Which goes to explain why some $270 million in lottery tickets are bought each day in the U.S. — nearly one $1 ticket for every American over the age 18.)

After Kamala Harris’s loss the Democrats are undertaking their own version of the “Growth and Opportunity Project,” trying to determine why, given all of the apparent flaws and flubs of Donald Trump, he was able to trounce the Harris-Walz ticket.

Which will undoubtedly become a document that will be better ignored by the next set of Democratic candidates.

What appears to be incomprehensible to many of the people who are hand-wringing and excoriating Trump’s pre-inauguration picks, policies and positions is that with few exceptions, the regular people don’t care.

During the campaign the Democrats talked a lot about “saving democracy” and how “Trump represented an existential threat.” (1) Most people didn’t see Hamilton. (2) And even more people have no idea who Jean-Paul Sarte was/is.

Trump, on the other hand, talked about how he was going to turbocharge the economy and make it better for people. That is something people can not only understand but get behind.

Consider this: Harris, apparently, felt constrained about criticizing Biden’s policies. Bidenomics — vis-à-vis the regular folks, not those who have invested in the markets (yes, yes, people who have 401(k) plans from their employer makes them investors in the market, even though they might not be aware of it) — wasn’t showing up in the form of better prices at Kroger or Walmart. That is what people know and understand.

Would Trump, had he been in the same position as Harris, hesitated to make it clear that it was going to be his way, not his predecessors?

Damn right.

Trump consistently said he will make things better for people. While that may or may not be the case, what is the case is that people felt the odds would be better for them by electing someone who talked about that rather than someone who generally gave that a swerve.

Today Trump says he’s going to straighten out the media. Given the state of newspapers in the US, for most people the “media,” a word they’d be unlikely to use, is what they see on Fox News because if a newspaper still remains in their locale, it is become ridiculously expensive — and when is the last time you saw a kid on a bike flinging papers on porches? They simply don’t care. It is not them. It is not anyone they know. It doesn’t make a difference.

There is consternation about the flaunting of political norms. Given that those norms have been kicked to the curb since 2015, isn’t it fair to say that they are no longer norms?

Maybe instead of hiring high-priced consultants and analysts if the Democrats want to win the next time out, the party pooh-bahs need to spend more time with the regular people in ways that governors and mayors do in their states and cities. What matters are things like roads (and while the Biden administration has done a great job in this regard, what percentage of regular people know that today?), schools teaching math and science, and the ability to take the family out every now and then at a place somewhat fancier than the local McDonalds. Things like that.

When people are wearing ballcaps with a politician’s slogan on them long after the election you’ve got to realize that there is more there than is likely to be sussed out by a think tank.

-30-

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MONDAY 12/23/24