Same shit, different year

Updates

  1. Originally published, January 9, 12:36 am.
  2. January 9, 8:19 am:
    • Apparently even Donald Trump didn’t expect his speech advocating a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to change much, and said so in what the New York Times calls “an off-the-record lunch with television anchors hours before the address.”[1] It didn’t. And it repeated many of his usual false claims.[2] Which is to say, it wasn’t newsworthy and the networks shouldn’t have carried it.[3] (Unauthorized migration)
  3. January 9, 11:42 pm:
    • I’m just not hearing from folks who think Donald Trump (other than Trump himself) is going to get his wall. Instead, we’re seeing that maybe being a delusional raging narcissist isn’t such an effective negotiating strategy after all.[4] (Unauthorized migration)
  4. January 10, 7:45 am:
    • As Brexit (also Brexit), with or without a deal (that would reduce the U.K. to a vassal state), draws near, the process is getting very, very ugly (so much so that I’m inclined to think U.K. politicians must think of U.S. politicians as “snowflakes”) as Theresa May appears (yet again, albeit this time through a highly controversial move by the Speaker) to have lost control as the government will now have to produce an alternative plan—which Parliament may amend—within three days of a parliamentary defeat for her plan to reduce Britain to a vassal state of the European Union[5] and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (the Protestants) reject her assurances over the “backstop,”[6] which will, since we can’t have a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, run a customs border through the Irish Sea instead. It really is all quite nuts and, for all the denials, an extension of the deadline for either a second referendum or a general election seems increasingly possible, if not yet likely.[7]
    • Donald Trump seems increasingly likely to declare a state of emergency to try to build his wall. The move would be immediately challenged, the court battle would be protracted, and Trump might well lose, but he could claim to his very, very precious and all-important authoritarian populist base that he did everything he could.[8] (Unauthorized migration)
  5. January 10, 9:50 pm:
    • There is—or was—a female columnist, I think from Texas (she might be retired or dead now) who had a magnificent talent for taking powerful men down, attacking their masculinity, and puncturing their male egos and exploiting a fragility that she somehow knew existed even when her targets didn’t. Her columns were an absolute treat to read. I’m too hazy in my recollection to be sure, but her name might have been Molly Ivins. Jennifer Rubin is not Ivins or whoever this colunist is or was. But Rubin is cheering Nancy Pelosi on as she takes on the allegedly master negotiator, Donald Trump, on the border wall. This column of hers is not in the style I remember of this other columnist. But there’s a little bit here to jog my memory and it’s truly worth a read.[9] (Unauthorized migration)
  6. January 11, 12:50 am:
  7. January 11, 12:31 pm:
    • A lot of folks are wondering how the shutdown ends but Molly Ball usefully summarizes the question well.[11] (Unauthorized migration)
  8. January 11, 8:36 pm:
    • When Donald Trump fired James Comey, the FBI investigated Trump for what sounds like treason. Robert Mueller took over this investigation[12] and so, I would expect, was able to get off to a running start.
  9. January 12, 3:12 am:
    • Had I not resigned from the U.S. Census Bureau due to methodological and ethical concerns,[13] I would apparently be among those working without pay. It’s quite a curious thing, actually: I resigned in November. I received this on New Years Eve.
    • The wall will never be built. Sorry, no dice. Take it from a lawyer. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to access the article that might explain this. I will try again, later. Looking at the text of the amendment,[14] I’m guessing the issue is about acquiring the land that the wall would be built on—I still want to see the argument. (Unauthorized migration)
  10. January 12, 2019, 2:16 pm:
  11. January 12, 8:10 pm:
    • Even senior White House officials often have to rely on intelligence agency reports of foreign reactions (often unfavorable) to learn what has been said in meetings between Donald Trump and foreign leaders, especially including Vladimir Putin.[16] (Golden Showers)
  12. January 13, 12:51 am:
    • Britain’s Labour party is plotting a parliamentary no-confidence motion possibly to be offered Tuesday (the 15th) night and possibly to be voted on on Wednesday the 16th if, as widely expected, Theresa May’s Brexit deal is defeated.[17]
    • Wait, this is news? Donald Trump is not even one little bit happy about reports he may have been a Russian ‘asset.’[18] One thing to notice here is that the threads I’ve been keeping distinct on all this are all starting to come together. (Golden Showers)
  13. January 13, 9:46 am:
    • So I finally got back to that article above that I wasn’t able to access before. The argument is this: The people who actually own the land the wall would be built on like their land and want to keep it. They are unwilling to sell. Elie Mystal thinks there’s no way the courts are going to find Donald Trump’s reasoning sufficient to justify an eminent domain seizure.[19] (Unauthorized migration)

So yeah, it’s been a while. And frankly, there hasn’t been much. It’s always been so low-grade I didn’t pull the trigger on developing a new issue here.

There are four new blog entries:

  1. Things I shouldn’t have to say about borders
  2. The love of a dog
  3. Hey, High Tech! Have you noticed it’s 2019?
  4. It might actually be a good thing that Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House right now

Updating the third of these blog entries in a minor way, I can’t even manage to close my GoBank account. They won’t answer their phones and they say they’ll only close the account over the phone.


Priceless, from a Telegraph newsletter:FireShot Capture 35 - Our favourite gadgets from tech’s bigg_ - https___mail.google.com_mail_ca_u_


Donald Trump

Daniel Politi, “Trump Is Reportedly Considering Firing Mnuchin Over Stock Market Woes,” Slate, December 25, 2018, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/trump-is-reportedly-considering-firing-mnuchin-over-stock-market-declines.html


Ageism

Helaine Olen, “Age discrimination is more common than you think. Why aren’t we doing anything about it?” Washington Post, January 3, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/03/age-discrimination-is-more-common-than-you-think-why-arent-we-doing-anything-about-it/


Gig economy

Josh Zumbrun, “How Estimates of the Gig Economy Went Wrong,” Wall Street Journal, January 7, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-estimates-of-the-gig-economy-went-wrong-11546857000


Foie Gras

Jonathan Kauffman, “California’s foie gras ban upheld, though chefs vow to fight on,” San Francisco Chronicle, January 8, 2019, https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/California-s-foie-gras-ban-upheld-though-chefs-13514763.php


Unauthorized migration

DC010819.jpg

“Next, we’ll tell you when the President’s speech is, so that you can avoid it.” (via the New Yorker, in a newsletter, January 8, 2019, fair use.)

Jon Allsop, “The challenges of covering a shutdown marked by lies,” Columbia Journalism Review, January 7, 2019, https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/trump_shutdown_border_wall.php

Peter Baker, “Trump’s National Address Escalates Border Wall Fight,” New York Times, January 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/us/politics/donald-trump-speech.html

David Frum, “Trump Has Defeated Himself,” Atlantic, January 8, 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/trump-speech/579850/

David Nakamura and Seung Min Kim, “‘He’s a gut politician’: Trump’s go-to negotiating tactics aren’t working in shutdown standoff,” Washington Post, January 9, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hes-a-gut-politician-trumps-go-to-negotiating-tactics-not-working-in-shutdown-standoff/2019/01/09/c7bb5ff2-142b-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html

Salvador Rizzo, “Fact-checking President Trump’s Oval Office address on immigration,” Washington Post, January 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/09/fact-checking-president-trumps-oval-office-address-immigration/

Jennifer Rubin, “Here’s the problem with only pitching to your craziest supporters,” Washington Post, January 9, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/09/heres-problem-with-only-pitching-your-craziest-supporters/

Rebecca Ballhaus, Kristina Peterson, and Natalie Andrews, “Trump Walks Out of Shutdown Talks, Calls Them ‘Total Waste of Time,’” Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-says-bypassing-congress-still-an-option-on-wall-11547056461

Jennifer Rubin, “Pelosi knows the magic word for beating Trump: ‘No,’” Washington Post, January 10, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/10/pelosi-knows-magic-word-beating-trump-no/

(continues with Unauthorized migration, immediately following)


Unauthorized migration

Yes, there are now two sections in this issue titled “unauthorized migration.” I have found it wise to limit page lengths. So this is continued from Unauthorized migration.

Ed Pilkington, “Trump tours border after repeating threat to call national emergency,” Guardian, January 10, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/10/trump-border-visit-mexico-government-shutdown

Molly Ball, “Trump and Pelosi Are Locked in Their First Battle. Neither Can Afford to Lose,” Time, January 10, 2019, http://time.com/5498900/donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-battle/

Elie Mystal, “Can All Lawyers Just Admit The Wall Will Never Be Built Because Of The Fifth Amendment?” Above The Law, January 10, 2019, https://abovethelaw.com/2019/01/can-all-lawyers-just-admit-the-wall-will-never-be-built-because-of-the-fifth-amendment/


Cuba

So, remember the reports of diplomats in Cuba falling ill, apparently due to mysterious noises that some blamed on Cuban spying?[20] Call it the “Cuban Cricket Crisis.” Yes, really.[21]

Ed Yong, “Animals Keep Creating Mysteries by Sounding Weird,” Atlantic, January 8, 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/sound-haunted-diplomats-cuba-crickets/579637/


Brexit

Peter Foster, “DUP slams government attempts to reassure them over Brexit backstop,” Telegraph, January 9, 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/09/dup-slams-government-attempts-reassure-brexit-backstop/

Gordon Rayner, “John Bercow row: Tory MPs plot to dock Speaker’s pay or axe his pension over Brexit intervention,” Telegraph, January 10, 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/09/john-bercow-takes-control-brexit-critics-warn-unprecedented/

(Continued at Brexit, immediately below.)


Brexit

This is a similar situation to that with Unauthorized migration above.

Oliver Wright, “Brexit: Starmer insists a second vote may be the only way out,” Times, January 10, 2019, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/brexit-starmer-insists-a-second-vote-may-be-the-only-way-out-3tkzc9mdq

Toby Helm and Michael Savage, “Labour set to call vote to topple Theresa May’s government,” Guardian, January 13, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/12/labour-set-to-trigger-vote-to-topple-theresa-may-government


James Comey

Brooke Seipel, “Comey firing prompted FBI to probe whether Trump was working for Russia: NYT,” Hill, January 11, 2019, https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/425020-comey-firing-prompted-fbi-to-probe-whether-trump-was-working-for

Jonathan Chait, “Mueller Is Investigating Trump as a Russian Asset,” New York, January 12, 2019, http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/mueller-investigating-trump-russian-asset.html


Golden Showers

Greg Miller, “Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin from senior officials in administration,” Washington Post, January 12, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-has-concealed-details-of-his-face-to-face-encounters-with-putin-from-senior-officials-in-administration/2019/01/12/65f6686c-1434-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html

David Smith, “Trump vents fury over Russia stories and again threatens national emergency,” Guardian, January 12, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/12/trump-tweets-fbi-russia-new-york-times-james-comey


  1. [1]Peter Baker, “Trump’s National Address Escalates Border Wall Fight,” New York Times, January 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/us/politics/donald-trump-speech.html
  2. [2]Peter Baker, “Trump’s National Address Escalates Border Wall Fight,” New York Times, January 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/us/politics/donald-trump-speech.html; David Frum, “Trump Has Defeated Himself,” Atlantic, January 8, 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/trump-speech/579850/; Salvador Rizzo, “Fact-checking President Trump’s Oval Office address on immigration,” Washington Post, January 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/09/fact-checking-president-trumps-oval-office-address-immigration/
  3. [3]Jon Allsop, “The challenges of covering a shutdown marked by lies,” Columbia Journalism Review, January 7, 2019, https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/trump_shutdown_border_wall.php
  4. [4]David Nakamura and Seung Min Kim, “‘He’s a gut politician’: Trump’s go-to negotiating tactics aren’t working in shutdown standoff,” Washington Post, January 9, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hes-a-gut-politician-trumps-go-to-negotiating-tactics-not-working-in-shutdown-standoff/2019/01/09/c7bb5ff2-142b-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html; Jennifer Rubin, “Here’s the problem with only pitching to your craziest supporters,” Washington Post, January 9, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/09/heres-problem-with-only-pitching-your-craziest-supporters/
  5. [5]Gordon Rayner, “John Bercow row: Tory MPs plot to dock Speaker’s pay or axe his pension over Brexit intervention,” Telegraph, January 10, 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/09/john-bercow-takes-control-brexit-critics-warn-unprecedented/
  6. [6]Peter Foster, “DUP slams government attempts to reassure them over Brexit backstop,” Telegraph, January 9, 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/09/dup-slams-government-attempts-reassure-brexit-backstop/
  7. [7]Oliver Wright, “Brexit: Starmer insists a second vote may be the only way out,” Times, January 10, 2019, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/brexit-starmer-insists-a-second-vote-may-be-the-only-way-out-3tkzc9mdq
  8. [8]Rebecca Ballhaus, Kristina Peterson, and Natalie Andrews, “Trump Walks Out of Shutdown Talks, Calls Them ‘Total Waste of Time,’” Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-says-bypassing-congress-still-an-option-on-wall-11547056461
  9. [9]Jennifer Rubin, “Pelosi knows the magic word for beating Trump: ‘No,’” Washington Post, January 10, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/10/pelosi-knows-magic-word-beating-trump-no/
  10. [10]Ed Pilkington, “Trump tours border after repeating threat to call national emergency,” Guardian, January 10, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/10/trump-border-visit-mexico-government-shutdown
  11. [11]Molly Ball, “Trump and Pelosi Are Locked in Their First Battle. Neither Can Afford to Lose,” Time, January 10, 2019, http://time.com/5498900/donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-battle/
  12. [12]Brooke Seipel, “Comey firing prompted FBI to probe whether Trump was working for Russia: NYT,” Hill, January 11, 2019, https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/425020-comey-firing-prompted-fbi-to-probe-whether-trump-was-working-for
  13. [13]David Benfell, “Unethical research,” November 13, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/drupal7/journal/2018/11/10/unethical-research; David Benfell, “Methodological Problems of the American Community Survey,” November 17, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/drupal7/journal/2018/11/17/methodological-problems-american-community-survey; David Benfell, “Socially constructed ethics,” November 24, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/drupal7/journal/2018/11/24/socially-constructed-ethics
  14. [14]U.S. Const. amend. V.
  15. [15]Jonathan Chait, “Mueller Is Investigating Trump as a Russian Asset,” New York, January 12, 2019, http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/mueller-investigating-trump-russian-asset.html
  16. [16]Greg Miller, “Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin from senior officials in administration,” Washington Post, January 12, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-has-concealed-details-of-his-face-to-face-encounters-with-putin-from-senior-officials-in-administration/2019/01/12/65f6686c-1434-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html
  17. [17]Toby Helm and Michael Savage, “Labour set to call vote to topple Theresa May’s government,” Guardian, January 13, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/12/labour-set-to-trigger-vote-to-topple-theresa-may-government
  18. [18]David Smith, “Trump vents fury over Russia stories and again threatens national emergency,” Guardian, January 12, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/12/trump-tweets-fbi-russia-new-york-times-james-comey
  19. [19]Elie Mystal, “Can All Lawyers Just Admit The Wall Will Never Be Built Because Of The Fifth Amendment?” Above The Law, January 10, 2019, https://abovethelaw.com/2019/01/can-all-lawyers-just-admit-the-wall-will-never-be-built-because-of-the-fifth-amendment/
  20. [20]Tim Golden and Sebastian Rotella, “The Strange Case of American Diplomats in Cuba: As the Mystery Deepens, So Do Divisions in Washington,” Pro Publica, November 9, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/the-strange-case-of-american-diplomats-in-cuba-as-the-mystery-deepens-so-do-divisions-in-washington
  21. [21]Ed Yong, “Animals Keep Creating Mysteries by Sounding Weird,” Atlantic, January 8, 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/sound-haunted-diplomats-cuba-crickets/579637/