Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
February 5, 2021
Biden signals sharp shift from Trump on diplomacy
By Laura Kelly and Morgan Chalfant - 02/04/21 03:58 PM EST
President Biden in a Thursday address from the State Department committed to rebuilding U.S. alliances and signaled a complete about-face from the Trump administration's norm-busting foreign policy, which antagonized NATO and other U.S. allies.
Biden emphasized the role diplomacy will play in achieving his aims, saying that democratic alliances had "atrophied" under former President Trump.
And he pledged to work with allies to promote democracy, battle climate change and work to counter Russia and China.
The president’s remarks were his first address to a government agency other than the White House and underscored his effort to turn the page on Trump’s “America First” agenda, which Biden has often criticized as leaving “America alone.”
more...
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/537412-biden-signals-sharp-shift-from-trump-on-diplomacy
Biden signals sharp shift from Trump on diplomacy
Biden signals sharp shift from Trump on diplomacy
By Laura Kelly and Morgan Chalfant - 02/04/21 03:58 PM EST
President Biden in a Thursday address from the State Department committed to rebuilding U.S. alliances and signaled a complete about-face from the Trump administration's norm-busting foreign policy, which antagonized NATO and other U.S. allies.
Biden emphasized the role diplomacy will play in achieving his aims, saying that democratic alliances had "atrophied" under former President Trump.
And he pledged to work with allies to promote democracy, battle climate change and work to counter Russia and China.
“America is back, diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy,” Biden said. “We will repair our alliances, engage with the world once again — not to meet yesterday’s challenges but today’s and tomorrow’s.”
The president’s remarks were his first address to a government agency other than the White House and underscored his effort to turn the page on Trump’s “America First” agenda, which Biden has often criticized as leaving “America alone.”
more...
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/537412-biden-signals-sharp-shift-from-trump-on-diplomacy
February 5, 2021
The Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
2/03/2021
Republicans Want to Ignore the Trauma of the Capitol Riot Because Most of Them Are Guilty of Inciting It
snip//
What happened to the members of Congress, their staffs, the building staff, and the police of January 6 was traumatic. I mean, Jesus fuck, imagine being a Democrat as you hear a crazed mob of conspiracy nuts hooting and yelling down the halls, shouting the names of Nancy Pelosi, the Squad, and others, a bunch of violent white people who broke windows and doors, who overwhelmed the Capitol police, who you know are hopped up on calls for them to "Stop the Steal," who have been talking openly about spilling the blood of those who oppose Donald Trump, their leader who gave them permission to make sure that Democrats and turncoat Republican got the message and ordered them to march on the Capitol. Imagine barricading yourself in an office with others, piling furniture against the door, hiding in closets and under desks, hoping that they don't find you, that you just wanted to come to work and do your job as, say, Rep. Ayanna Pressley's chief of staff and now you don't know if you'll get out alive because right outside the door is a literal lynch mob, one that has sent your boss and you a continuous stream of death threats, one that had set up an actual, useable gallows outside your place of work. The legit fear of being killed rewires you.
We don't have to totally imagine it because we're hearing from members and their staff about how they were traumatized by the events of that day, and, really, all the days after with much of the right's reaction to the riot. Conservatives mocked people who said they felt that their lives were in danger, like Tucker "I Always Look Like I'm Trying to Convince You I Didn't Fart" Carlson saying of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "When the most harrowing thing you've done in life is pass freshman sociology at Boston University, every day is a brand new drama." He sneered that out of his smug, dumb face on January 14, when the Democrat had said that she and her staff had "narrowly escaped death" in the Capitol.
On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez explained in detail what happened to her on that day, and, yeah, by any measure, it was gut-wrenchingly frightening. She framed the experience of trauma within another trauma she has suffered in her life, a sexual assault, and the PTSD that comes after that traumatic event. Of course, dickhead conservatives even mocked her for that, as if those who didn't experience any of this have a single fucking right to say how those who did handle it.
Those in Congress who wish to deny that trauma, those who wish for the ones who incited it to go unpunished, those who just want to move on without figuring out why this happened and how to stop it from ever fucking happening again, they are also participants in traumatizing their colleagues and others. And it's easy to see why. Because the nation as a whole is suffering from series of collective traumas, from the pandemic to the economic turmoil to Trump and the Republicans' effort to overturn the 2020 election.
That last part is key because it's impossible to get over the abject cruelty (and greed) of what the GOP and conservative media did to this already weakened, beaten down country. And they essentially split the country into those who were driven mad believing the election lies and those who were anywhere from worried to shit-scared about what the mad mob would do. And then they fucking did it, and we are merely fortunate that the insurrection wasn't far, far worse than the 5 people who died that day, along with the over 100 injuries to law enforcement and others.
So when a GOP senator says that impeaching and trying Trump is a waste of time, when Republican senators refuse to even entertain the idea of saying that Trump is guilty of inciting the insurrection, what they are revealing is that they know they are guilty, too, with some, like the odious cockmites Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, directly guilty through encouraging the mob prior to the riot. And they can't even excise the garbage Republicans in the House who have doubled down on threats of violence and the overwhelming majority of whom voted to overturn the presidential election. Frankly, if you supported Trump at all during this attempted coup, you are guilty, too.
These motherfuckers can't wish the trauma away. They know that they fucked up, that they finally went too far. And their refusal to accept responsibility does continuing damage to not just the Congress, but to the country as a whole. We are all the victims of the GOP.
Rude One:Republicans Want to Ignore the Trauma...Because Most of Them Are Guilty of Inciting It
https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2021/02/republicans-want-to-ignore-trauma-of.htmlThe Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
2/03/2021
Republicans Want to Ignore the Trauma of the Capitol Riot Because Most of Them Are Guilty of Inciting It
snip//
What happened to the members of Congress, their staffs, the building staff, and the police of January 6 was traumatic. I mean, Jesus fuck, imagine being a Democrat as you hear a crazed mob of conspiracy nuts hooting and yelling down the halls, shouting the names of Nancy Pelosi, the Squad, and others, a bunch of violent white people who broke windows and doors, who overwhelmed the Capitol police, who you know are hopped up on calls for them to "Stop the Steal," who have been talking openly about spilling the blood of those who oppose Donald Trump, their leader who gave them permission to make sure that Democrats and turncoat Republican got the message and ordered them to march on the Capitol. Imagine barricading yourself in an office with others, piling furniture against the door, hiding in closets and under desks, hoping that they don't find you, that you just wanted to come to work and do your job as, say, Rep. Ayanna Pressley's chief of staff and now you don't know if you'll get out alive because right outside the door is a literal lynch mob, one that has sent your boss and you a continuous stream of death threats, one that had set up an actual, useable gallows outside your place of work. The legit fear of being killed rewires you.
We don't have to totally imagine it because we're hearing from members and their staff about how they were traumatized by the events of that day, and, really, all the days after with much of the right's reaction to the riot. Conservatives mocked people who said they felt that their lives were in danger, like Tucker "I Always Look Like I'm Trying to Convince You I Didn't Fart" Carlson saying of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "When the most harrowing thing you've done in life is pass freshman sociology at Boston University, every day is a brand new drama." He sneered that out of his smug, dumb face on January 14, when the Democrat had said that she and her staff had "narrowly escaped death" in the Capitol.
On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez explained in detail what happened to her on that day, and, yeah, by any measure, it was gut-wrenchingly frightening. She framed the experience of trauma within another trauma she has suffered in her life, a sexual assault, and the PTSD that comes after that traumatic event. Of course, dickhead conservatives even mocked her for that, as if those who didn't experience any of this have a single fucking right to say how those who did handle it.
Those in Congress who wish to deny that trauma, those who wish for the ones who incited it to go unpunished, those who just want to move on without figuring out why this happened and how to stop it from ever fucking happening again, they are also participants in traumatizing their colleagues and others. And it's easy to see why. Because the nation as a whole is suffering from series of collective traumas, from the pandemic to the economic turmoil to Trump and the Republicans' effort to overturn the 2020 election.
That last part is key because it's impossible to get over the abject cruelty (and greed) of what the GOP and conservative media did to this already weakened, beaten down country. And they essentially split the country into those who were driven mad believing the election lies and those who were anywhere from worried to shit-scared about what the mad mob would do. And then they fucking did it, and we are merely fortunate that the insurrection wasn't far, far worse than the 5 people who died that day, along with the over 100 injuries to law enforcement and others.
So when a GOP senator says that impeaching and trying Trump is a waste of time, when Republican senators refuse to even entertain the idea of saying that Trump is guilty of inciting the insurrection, what they are revealing is that they know they are guilty, too, with some, like the odious cockmites Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, directly guilty through encouraging the mob prior to the riot. And they can't even excise the garbage Republicans in the House who have doubled down on threats of violence and the overwhelming majority of whom voted to overturn the presidential election. Frankly, if you supported Trump at all during this attempted coup, you are guilty, too.
These motherfuckers can't wish the trauma away. They know that they fucked up, that they finally went too far. And their refusal to accept responsibility does continuing damage to not just the Congress, but to the country as a whole. We are all the victims of the GOP.
February 4, 2021
Oopsie! Smartmatic sues Fox News for $2.7 billion over its election fables
Aldous J Pennyfarthing
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Thursday February 04, 2021 · 1:54 PM EST
Justice? Did someone say there’s still some justice in the world? I was really starting to wonder.
The New York Times:
more...
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/2/4/2014012/-Boom-Smartmatic-sues-Fox-News-for-2-7-billion-over-its-election-fables
Oopsie! Smartmatic sues Fox News for $2.7 billion over its election fables
Oopsie! Smartmatic sues Fox News for $2.7 billion over its election fables
Aldous J Pennyfarthing
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Thursday February 04, 2021 · 1:54 PM EST
Justice? Did someone say there’s still some justice in the world? I was really starting to wonder.
The New York Times:
Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation and three of its popular anchors are the targets of a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit filed on Thursday by a company that became a prominent subject of discredited theories about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Smartmatic, an election technology company, filed the suit in New York State Supreme Court on Thursday against the Fox Corporation, Fox News and the anchors Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. As part of the same action, the company is suing Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sidney Powell, who made the case for election fraud as guests on Fox programs while representing President Donald J. Trump.
In its 276-page complaint, Smartmatic argues that Mr. Giuliani and Ms. Powell “created a story about Smartmatic” and that “Fox joined the conspiracy to defame and disparage Smartmatic and its election technology and software.”
Smartmatic, an election technology company, filed the suit in New York State Supreme Court on Thursday against the Fox Corporation, Fox News and the anchors Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. As part of the same action, the company is suing Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sidney Powell, who made the case for election fraud as guests on Fox programs while representing President Donald J. Trump.
In its 276-page complaint, Smartmatic argues that Mr. Giuliani and Ms. Powell “created a story about Smartmatic” and that “Fox joined the conspiracy to defame and disparage Smartmatic and its election technology and software.”
more...
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/2/4/2014012/-Boom-Smartmatic-sues-Fox-News-for-2-7-billion-over-its-election-fables
February 4, 2021
Val Demings Open to Running for Higher Office
Selfishly, FL NEEDS a governor!
https://politicalwire.com/2021/02/04/val-demings-open-to-running-for-higher-office/
Val Demings Open to Running for Higher Office
February 4, 2021 at 1:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard
Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) told the Washington Post she is open to the possibility of running for Florida governor or U.S. Senate in 2022.
Said Demings: “I certainly would not talk about any private conversations that I’m having. But as I said, there’s plenty of work to do in the House right now. If that would take me to another campaign, then I’m keeping that door open.”
Said Demings: “I certainly would not talk about any private conversations that I’m having. But as I said, there’s plenty of work to do in the House right now. If that would take me to another campaign, then I’m keeping that door open.”
February 4, 2021
Key Judicial Seat Opens Up for Biden to Fill
February 4, 2021 at 4:04 pm EST By Taegan Goddard
Key Judicial Seat Opens Up for Biden to Fill
https://politicalwire.com/2021/02/04/key-judicial-seat-opens-up-for-biden/Key Judicial Seat Opens Up for Biden to Fill
February 4, 2021 at 4:04 pm EST By Taegan Goddard
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan is taking “senior status” in April, which opens up his seat on the U.S. District Court for President Joe Biden to fill, BuzzFeed News reports.
February 4, 2021
450,000 Dead From COVID—and These Fools Are Rolling Back Mask Orders
WILLFUL IGNORANCE
It’s utter insanity, or something even more sinister.
Michael Daly
Special Correspondent
Published Feb. 04, 2021 4:53AM ET
snip//
Along with defying science, the repeal makes no immediate political sense. Polls show that more than 70 percent of people in Wisconsin support a mask mandate. The Republicans may be seeking to placate the more fervent anti-maskers—the basest of the base—but it also seems to be a continuation of a partisan struggle that began back when Evers was first elected and House Speaker Robin Vos sought to strip him of his powers. The Republicans may now be seeking to end the popular mask mandate simply because Evers imposed it.
“A lot of pride, ego,” Hintz said.
Also a lot more death if the mandate is repealed. Hintz referred to a November CDC study in Kansas, where some counties opted out of a state mask mandate. Counties that rejected the mandate saw a 100 percent rise in COVID-19 cases. Counties that observed a mandate saw a 6 percent decrease despite a statewide surge.
Yet despite the proven success of mandates, two Kansas counties that had previously adhered to it decided to opt out at the end of December. A video of the Dec. 28 meeting of the Brown County Board of Commissioners shows that the CEO of Hiawatha Community Hospital, John Broberg, testified in favor of a mask requirement.
“This is so basic,” he said. “If we don’t act, we’re going to see these rates climb.”
snip//
The CDC will likely soon determine that the data supports double masking with variants spreading across the nation. Now what to do about the triple insanity of those who do not want to mandate any mask at all, even as the death toll hit 450,000 this week?
They endanger not just their own county or state but all of us everywhere.
450,000 Dead From COVID--and These Fools Are Rolling Back Mask Orders
https://www.thedailybeast.com/450000-dead-from-covid-and-these-fools-are-rolling-back-mask-orders?ref=home450,000 Dead From COVID—and These Fools Are Rolling Back Mask Orders
WILLFUL IGNORANCE
It’s utter insanity, or something even more sinister.
Michael Daly
Special Correspondent
Published Feb. 04, 2021 4:53AM ET
snip//
Along with defying science, the repeal makes no immediate political sense. Polls show that more than 70 percent of people in Wisconsin support a mask mandate. The Republicans may be seeking to placate the more fervent anti-maskers—the basest of the base—but it also seems to be a continuation of a partisan struggle that began back when Evers was first elected and House Speaker Robin Vos sought to strip him of his powers. The Republicans may now be seeking to end the popular mask mandate simply because Evers imposed it.
“A lot of pride, ego,” Hintz said.
Also a lot more death if the mandate is repealed. Hintz referred to a November CDC study in Kansas, where some counties opted out of a state mask mandate. Counties that rejected the mandate saw a 100 percent rise in COVID-19 cases. Counties that observed a mandate saw a 6 percent decrease despite a statewide surge.
Yet despite the proven success of mandates, two Kansas counties that had previously adhered to it decided to opt out at the end of December. A video of the Dec. 28 meeting of the Brown County Board of Commissioners shows that the CEO of Hiawatha Community Hospital, John Broberg, testified in favor of a mask requirement.
“This is so basic,” he said. “If we don’t act, we’re going to see these rates climb.”
snip//
The CDC will likely soon determine that the data supports double masking with variants spreading across the nation. Now what to do about the triple insanity of those who do not want to mandate any mask at all, even as the death toll hit 450,000 this week?
They endanger not just their own county or state but all of us everywhere.
February 4, 2021
Biden's surprisingly successful first two weeks...
Biden's surprisingly successful first two weeks
David Ignatius
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bidens-surprisingly-successful-first-two-weeks/2021/02/02/e45f0d80-65a4-11eb-8c64-9595888caa15_story.html
snip//
Biden walked into the White House with the gift of low expectations. His supporters were praying that he would be a strong leader, but when pressed for examples to buttress their faith, they often came up short. But it turned out that being a sleeper had its advantages — especially following the chaotic presidency of a narcissistic showman like Trump.
Two weeks into the job, Biden’s performance has surprised Republicans and Democrats alike. His policy moves have been quick and deliberate. His political touch has been light and deft. Every day, the White House rolls out a new policy initiative, presidential appointment or string of executive orders. By doing the ordinary tasks of government competently, Biden manages to seem unusual. It feels like the reinvention of what used to be known as “regular order.”
Biden’s most nimble maneuver has been to ignore Trump and the political mania he brought to every interaction. He doesn’t talk about his predecessor; he won’t take a position on whether Trump should be convicted in the Senate impeachment trial. Rather than being miffed about Trump’s decision to skip the inauguration, he said it was “one of the few things we agree on.”
Biden’s initial two weeks have been one of the best-scripted political rollouts I can remember. Politicians often talk about messaging — contrived events such as Trump’s “infrastructure week” — but Biden’s team actually set a political agenda and hammered it home, day after day. It’s a startlingly simple set of priorities — get the country vaccinated; fix the economy — and though Biden’s deputies talk other policy initiatives, the centerline remains clear.
more...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bidens-surprisingly-successful-first-two-weeks/2021/02/02/e45f0d80-65a4-11eb-8c64-9595888caa15_story.html
February 3, 2021
I'm an NHS consultant anaesthetist. I see the terror in my Covid patients' eyes
As a hospital consultant working in intensive care, the reality of coronavirus and patients’ fear is brought home to me every day
Sun 31 Jan 2021 05.30 EST
I’m not ready,” the patient implores me through her CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] hood. She’s breathing at more than triple her normal rate and I’ve been asked to intubate her as she’s deteriorating, despite three days in intensive care. She is 42 years old.
There’s terror in her eyes. A tear runs down her cheek. She’s looking at the patient opposite who is in an induced coma, intubated and ventilated, and isn’t doing well.
The noise of 30-litres-a-minute of oxygen in her CPAP hood makes communication almost impossible. She repeats, “I’m not ready”, and raises trembling hands.
But her oxygen saturation is only at 84%, when it should be close to 100%, and she’s becoming exhausted and agitated. She tries to rip off her hood. “I need to phone my family,” she gasps. I nod and say OK, almost shouting to be heard over the noise of the alarms.
I’m wearing clawingly claustrophobic PPE for this aerosol-generating procedure: an FFP3 respirator face mask, face visor, gown and double gloves. I’m starting to sweat, and realise that, due to her obesity, it is likely to be a difficult intubation.
The patient tries to talk to her family on FaceTime. She is extremely breathless and looks like she is dry drowning in thin air. Tears pour down her face. I hear someone on the phone crying and saying “I love you”.
more...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/im-an-nhs-consultant-anaesthetist-i-see-the-terror-in-my-covid-patients-eyes
I'm an NHS consultant anaesthetist. I see the terror in my Covid patients' eyes
I'm an NHS consultant anaesthetist. I see the terror in my Covid patients' eyes
As a hospital consultant working in intensive care, the reality of coronavirus and patients’ fear is brought home to me every day
Sun 31 Jan 2021 05.30 EST
I’m not ready,” the patient implores me through her CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] hood. She’s breathing at more than triple her normal rate and I’ve been asked to intubate her as she’s deteriorating, despite three days in intensive care. She is 42 years old.
There’s terror in her eyes. A tear runs down her cheek. She’s looking at the patient opposite who is in an induced coma, intubated and ventilated, and isn’t doing well.
The noise of 30-litres-a-minute of oxygen in her CPAP hood makes communication almost impossible. She repeats, “I’m not ready”, and raises trembling hands.
But her oxygen saturation is only at 84%, when it should be close to 100%, and she’s becoming exhausted and agitated. She tries to rip off her hood. “I need to phone my family,” she gasps. I nod and say OK, almost shouting to be heard over the noise of the alarms.
I’m wearing clawingly claustrophobic PPE for this aerosol-generating procedure: an FFP3 respirator face mask, face visor, gown and double gloves. I’m starting to sweat, and realise that, due to her obesity, it is likely to be a difficult intubation.
The patient tries to talk to her family on FaceTime. She is extremely breathless and looks like she is dry drowning in thin air. Tears pour down her face. I hear someone on the phone crying and saying “I love you”.
more...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/im-an-nhs-consultant-anaesthetist-i-see-the-terror-in-my-covid-patients-eyes
February 3, 2021
Schumer and McConnell Reach Deal, Officially Giving Dems Senate Control
This is a beautiful headline!
https://www.thedailybeast.com/chuck-schumer-and-mitch-mcconnell-reach-deal-officially-giving-democrats-full-senate-control?ref=home
Schumer and McConnell Reach Deal, Officially Giving Dems Senate Control
FEELIN’ BLUE
Arya Hodjat
Breaking News Intern
Updated Feb. 03, 2021 10:46AM ET /
Published Feb. 03, 2021 10:29AM ET
Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have reached an agreement on governing the chamber, officially allowing Democrats to take control of committee chairmanship, after weeks of negotiation. The full Senate is expected to approve the measure later on Wednesday. As the body is split 50-50, it is up to the Vice President to split the tie on floor voters, giving Democrats the effective majority with Vice President Kamala Harris. However, the agreement was necessary in terms of operating Senate procedure. A similar agreement was passed in 2001, the last time the body was split 50-50, though that came into effect just days after new senators were sworn in—rather than a month, as Wednesday’s agreement was.
February 3, 2021
Hundreds of Congressional Aides Beg Senators to Convict Trump Over Attack on Their Workplace
GET IT DONE
Jamie Ross
Reporter
Published Feb. 03, 2021 7:01AM ET
Reuters/Stephanie Keith
Hundreds of Congressional Aides Beg Senators to Convict Trump Over Attack on Their Workplace
https://www.thedailybeast.com/hundreds-of-congressional-aides-plead-with-senators-to-convict-trump-over-attack-on-their-workplace?ref=homeHundreds of Congressional Aides Beg Senators to Convict Trump Over Attack on Their Workplace
GET IT DONE
Jamie Ross
Reporter
Published Feb. 03, 2021 7:01AM ET
Reuters/Stephanie Keith
Some 370 Democratic aides in Congress have banded together to issue a rare public statement urging senators to convict Donald Trump for his part in the attack on their place of work last month. In the letter, which was shared with The New York Times, the aides write: “As congressional employees, we don’t have a vote on whether to convict Donald J. Trump for his role in inciting the violent attack at the Capitol, but our senators do... And for our sake, and the sake of the country, we ask that they vote to convict the former president and bar him from ever holding office again.” It’s unusual for aides to express their own opinions publicly, but they spoke up as they say they feel they were personally in put in harm’s way. The letter describes how some had to hide under desks or barricade themselves in offices as the pro-Trump riots took place. They directly blame Trump and his “monthslong effort to reject votes lawfully cast by the American people.” No Republicans aides signed the letter, according to the Times.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: NY
Home country: US
Current location: Florida
Member since: Mon Sep 6, 2004, 09:54 PM
Number of posts: 171,054
