While unlikely to dance away from the ton of money to become the next John McAfee now that McAfee's passed, the alleged perp must have set some form of bail record. The AP feed link is here.
Of interest to linguistic purists, this mid-item single sentence paragraph -
Prosecutors said Barrack used his long personal friendship with Trump to
benefit the UAE without disclosing his ties to the U.S. government.
What? He didn't disclose to the Emirates his ties to the U.S. government?
Somehow in context something else likely was intended, yet why not write an unambiguous sentence? One could guess Barrack failed to disclose ties to governmen, to Trump. Getting three possible meanings into one sentence likely was a difficult exercise.
Worth the effort?
NOTE: The earlier Crabgrass post is here. How much bail would Bezos have to post, percentage-wise, to equal this situation? As much or more than his trip through the stratosphere cost Blue Origin? Stratospheric contemplation, indeed.
FURTHER thought. Given the endings of McAfee and Epstein - the bail arguably was worth it. And is only forfeited if conditions of release are violated. House arrest with an ankle bracelet is not like sitting in some dank cell waiting for a strangulation.
Doth protest too much? Or facts being as facts are? Maskless unvaxxed gambling, is it better than losing some money at the casino? Is it a bigger thrill?
David Frum ended his Atlantic column, Vaccinated America Has Had Enough, this morning with a question: "Will Blue America ever decide it’s had enough of being put medically at risk by people and places whose bills it pays? Check yourself: Have you?" I have-- and long ago. That's why I cheer whenever any of them threaten secession. How much better off would the United States be without them! Build that wall!
Frum: "In the United States, this pandemic could’ve been over by now, and certainly would’ve been by Labor Day. If the pace of vaccination through the summer had been anything like the pace in April and May, the country would be nearing herd immunity. With most adults immunized, new and more infectious coronavirus variants would have nowhere to spread. Life could return nearly to normal. Experts list many reasons for the vaccine slump, but one big reason stands out: vaccine resistance among conservative, evangelical, and rural Americans. Pro-Trump America has decided that vaccine refusal is a statement of identity and a test of loyalty. In April, people in counties that Joe Biden won in 2020 were two points more likely to be fully vaccinated than people in counties that Donald Trump won: 22.8 percent were fully vaccinated in Biden counties; 20.6 percent were fully vaccinated in Trump counties. By early July, the vaccination gap had widened to almost 12 points: 46.7 percent were fully vaccinated in Biden counties, 35 percent in Trump counties. When pollsters ask about vaccine intentions, they record a 30-point gap: 88 percent of Democrats, but only 54 percent of Republicans, want to be vaccinated as soon as possible. All told, Trump support predicts a state’s vaccine refusal better than average income or education level.
Is it Schadenfreude from DWT's Howie Klein, with his post titled, "The Patheticness Of The GOP Is Almost The Only Thing Democrats Have Going For Them?"
Seemingly casting scorn all around.
Politically. But at DWT, also, geographically as well as politically -
Tonight's meme shows a very fitting form that statues for COVID could take but I have an additional idea: How about a statue of an awkward leaning 370 lb. orange freak with a basket full of virus spores in one tiny hand while the other tiny hand is depicted casting the virus spores into the air! There could be a nice plaque commemorating the hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths caused by the Orange Menace To Society, his administration, his party and his supporters in the media. The irony of how Trump will end up having more deaths on his hands than Sherman and Grant will be surely missed by all.
Overlapping Venn Diagrams. Said in a more embellished manner.
There were 10 states where Trump got over 2 million votes in the 2020 election, only 4 of which he won. This isn't about percentages; this is about raw numbers of Trump voters. And if Generalisimo COVID was looking for strategic places to easily infect, he might look for concentrations of Trump voters, the least likely demographic to be vaccinated. These are the states where the most people voted for Trump, along with the 14 day change in the number of new cases and hospitalizations:
California: 6,006,429 (up 213% and 58%)
Texas: 5,890,347 (up 162% and 57%)
Florida: 5,668,731 (up 227% and 95%)
Pennsylvania: 3,377,674 (up 158% and down 4%)
New York: 3,244,798 (up 192% and 9%)
Ohio: 3,154,834 (up 141% and 17%)
North Carolina- 2,758,775 (up 180% and 30%)
Michigan- 2,649,852 (up 136% and 3%)
Georgia: 2,461,854 (up 220% and 64%)
Illinois: 2,446,891 (up 143% and 26%)
How do we know these are Trumpists getting sick? We don't know for sure but when we look at the correlation between the counties with the most Trumpists and the case loads, it becomes impossible to deny. These are the worst-hit counties per capita in each of these states-- along with the percentage of voters who were stupid enough to try to reelect Trump in 2020:
Lassen County, CA- 1 in 5 people infected (74.5% Trump)
Childress County, TX- 1 in 5 people infected (85.3% Trump)
Lafayette County, FL- 1 in 5 people infected (85.5% Trump)
Forest County, PA- 1 in 5 people infected (71.1% Trump)
Suffolk County, NY- 1 in 7 people infected (49.4% Trump)
Pickaway County, OH- 1 in 7 people infected (72.7% Trump)
Hyde County, NC- 1 in 7 people infected (56.9% Trump)
Luce County, MI- 1 in 5 people infected (70.1% Trump)
Bacon County, GA- 1 in 7 people infected (86.1% Trump)
Cass County, IL- 1 in 6 people infected (68.2% Trump)
No one in the media wants to point out that it's the moron Trumpists who are bringing the pandemic back to America. If they don't have the brains to protect themselves, their families and their communities from a virus, how can anyone actually believe they have the brains to vote? The Associated Press reported on how horrible things are getting without once pointing out the correlation between Trump voters and COVID cases, which have tripled nationally in the last two weeks "amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation that is straining hospitals, exhausting doctors and pushing clergy into the fray."
Arguably, a bit of Schadenfreude went into that op-ed/report.
Ars Technica, here, here and here. Trump has the excuse for the Ajit Pai years - he's an asshole and appoints like minded thralls of money politics and greed.
Now, Biden? What's his decades-long track record? Uh-huh.
How are Hunter's works of art selling? Has there been an auction? Any public notice?
When Hunter's "art auction" scheme first surfaced, there was some coverage. Now? What deeds have been done?
The Biden family is an unimpressive one. Compared to the Trumps and Bushes, no better, not worse. Same old. But what did you expect?
At least the Clintons seem quelled to having to endure an elected office drought since start of this millennium. (Actually since Hillary left the Senate.) There is some good to be said for present times.
But Joe Biden could be kin to the Clintons; at least spiritually, ethically, whatever. Career politicians becoming millionaires from that career is an unseemly truth.
Or do you disagree?
On a tangent or part of thread integrity: If in a contest to describe in one single word the illness or our times, my choice would be "Zuckerberg." As "Kissinger" was, earlier in time. Different symptoms. Otherwise . . .
Thomas Barrack: Trump ally arrested and charged with acting as foreign agent
Mr
Barrack and two other defendants ‘are accused of acting and conspiring
to act as agents of the UAE between April 2016 and April 2018,’ the
Department of Justice says
Thomas
Barrack, left, with Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, greet Donald Trump in
front of the US Capitol on the day of his inauguration as president, on
20 January, 2017
(Getty Images)
Longtime Trump confidant Thomas Barrack has been arrested in Los Angeles and charged with acting as a foreign agent of the United Arab Emirates, the Department of Justice has announced.
According to the DOJ,
Mr Barrack and two other defendants “are accused of acting and
conspiring to act as agents of the UAE between April 2016 and April
2018”.
In addition, Mr Barrack has been charged with obstruction
of justice and making false statements to federal law enforcement at an
FBI interview in June 2019.
Mr Barrack, the 74-year-old former CEO of Colony Capital, was an informal adviser to Donald Trump’s
2016 presidential campaign, and served as the chairman of Mr Trump’s
2017 inaugural committee. Prosecutors say he exploited those connections
to advance the UAE’s interests.
That's the screen capture. [UPDATE: link] Unfortunately, the item later says -
The other two defendants are Matthew Grimes, 27, and Rashid Sultan
Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, 43, a UAE national. All three are accused of
lobbying for the Arab country without registering as foreign agents, as
they would be required to do by law.
“The defendants repeatedly
capitalized on Barrack’s friendships and access to a candidate who was
eventually elected President, high-ranking campaign and government
officials, and the American media to advance the policy goals of a
foreign government without disclosing their true allegiances,” DOJ
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark Lesko said
in a statement. “The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing short
of a betrayal of those officials in the United States, including the
former President.”
According
to the Justice Department, Mr Barrack was “regularly and repeatedly in
contact with the senior leadership of the UAE government” during and
after the 2016 election, and repeatedly referred to Mr Alshahhi as the
UAE’s “secret weapon” for pushing its agenda within the US government.
So, whatever, secret weapon and all, it appears the Adelsons are not, NOT, the other two acting as UAE agents. Not UAE agents, if anyone's.
UPDATE: Local LA media outlet KTLA carried the AP feed of the story; where it ended with this paragraph - either it's own, or the way AP wrapped things up:
Barrack’s Los Angeles-based Colony Capital is a publicly held
investment firm with $44 billion of assets under management that often
bets on distressed assets. In 2008, for instance, Colony bailed out Michael Jackson when the late singer’s Neverland Ranch was on the brink of foreclosure.
The grandson of Lebanese Christian immigrants, Barrack also has business ties to the Mideast
— and a deep knowledge of its politics and cultures — dating to the
early 1970s, when as an attorney he worked on a project in Saudi Arabia
and then spent the next four years there as an advisor to the royal
family.
At Colony Capital, Barrack also has tapped various Mideast investors to help fund the firm’s operations.
With partners from Qatar, Barrack was part of an investment group that bought Miramax Films in 2010, later selling the studio to investors in Qatar. However, his dealings have been complicated since a blockade of Qatar started in 2017 by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
This IS bigger than chopping little guys without a pot, who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6. This is an attention grabber. However, nobody's gone to jail over the indictment, and there are many a slip twixt cup and lip. Anyone want to bet against the guy drawing a wrist slap, no jail time?
[...] Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) proudly joins with and promotes
leaders like Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT
who regularly and especially at times of great adversity fight for
someone they don’t know. This #COVID19 pandemic is just such a time, and
these leaders are all working to #ExpandMedicareNow while at the same
time helping to provide the full quality and equity that is clearly
still needed with #SinglePayer #MedicareForAll.
[...] See previous Town Halls archived on YouTube here.
UPDATE: The opposition to Turner is organized and sophisticated, yet truth and fairness ought to win out. In theory. If winning seldom, in practice. Which reflects back to the propaganda skills and deep pockets rallied against Turner.
Three items Crabgrass readers should study to see a background dimension to the contest besides support for either status quo or progress; respectively local, national and international. Perhaps the Russians even have a preference, but not one easily tracked down. They are the ones who've gotten all the negative finger-pointing as "international meddlers" in U.S. elections.
FURTHER: As to subtle messaging skills, what do readers make of a juxtaposition of the two candidate photo image inclusions the local paper choose to use in presenting its online analysis of both of the two leading Democratic primary candidates:
Grim-faced men and Tina there with her short haircut.
Anger vs fellowship; progressives vs entrenched inner party? Seriousness vs restaurant hopping; progressive directness vs inner party operative ways and means in greeting and forming solidarity? What's it all about?
Propaganda need not be in-your-face aggressive, and arguably is more effective when not. Is each photo a "thousand word" equivalent, or more, to persuade the district's Shaker Heights vote?
FURTHER: This election is not in some vacuum, but in a populated Ohio gerrymandered predominantly Democratic district with demographics. Moreover, the special election is front burner; with GOTV effort, spending, media attention, and turnout expectations in excess of most special elections.
FURTHER: Grassroots inner party vs Grassroots progressive non-contents is the contest; with Republican crossover mischief possible or not depending on Ohio election structure and procedure law, which was not researched. Per Wikipedia statistics, the reelection margins Rep. Fudge attained prior to her joining the Biden cabinet and the presidential election results together suggest Republicans in that district don't matter. Rep. Omar's Minnesota District 5 might be similar, except for Ohio CD11 snaking into Shaker Heights being arguably different from Omar's MN5 extending to include a part of contiguous suburbia.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo told a gathering of about 100 conservatives in north Des
Moines on Friday morning that their beliefs are under “assault,” but
they can “retake” their country by getting engaged now.
“There is an assault on the ideas you all got up to come work hard
for — and the candidates you all are working hard for,” Pompeo said in a
speech and question-and-answer session for which he earned a standing
ovation at both ends. Pompeo’s comments came at the Northside
Conservatives Club gathering early Friday morning at the District Venue
in the Ankeny neighborhood of Iowa’s capital. The address represents one
of the earliest forays of a potential GOP presidential candidate in
2024 into the first state that will help decide who represents the party
in the next presidential election.
This is serious shit. Not a ludicrous traveling freak show. Even though the endgame aims of both bombastic exercises are identically mean. Each in its way wants to "Go into ‘Every Nook and Cranny of America and Retake’ What Made U.S. Special." What escapes my understanding, if we're special as a nation, why would one presume to suggest a need to be made great again. Unless, special in a bad way. Going into every nook and cranny to gin up money? Not Iowa, that's aimed at political capital. And that's why Pompeo this early in Iowa is serious shit.
And Pompeo would be the first to say, made us special - in the past tense. Suggesting we gotta work at being special again. I.e., Great Again. That Beacon of Light refrain, yet again, and get that light kindled for whatever reason, in Iowa.
FURTHER: Politico publishes about a perceived lack of vigor to the Pence campaign, the post ending:
Stuart
Spencer, the famed Republican strategist who advised Ronald Reagan,
said he concluded that Pence was a “sincere guy and has a belief system”
when Pence refused to be cowed by Trump on Jan. 6. But he doubted that
will do him any good in 2024.
“The Trump people don’t like him, and all the people who were anti-Trump don’t like him,” Spencer said.
For Pence, he said, “That’s not a big Lincoln Day dinner.”
Olivia Beavers and Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.
Interestingly, that Filed Under list - a fact highlighting Pompeo is one among several, early. None of whom were collaterally mentioned. Not a horse race yet.
