Sunday: Hili dialogue

June 11, 2023 • 6:45 am

It’s the formal beginning of the week: Sunday, June 11, 2023, and National German Chocolate Cake Day, which is named after the company and not the country. (It was originally “German’s chocolate cake.”) It’s made with chocolate cake, of course, but with coconut and pecans and a custard filling. It is good.

It’s also Corn on the Cob Day, Cousteau Day (Jacques was born on this day in 1911), Multicultural American Child Day, Race Unity Day, and, in Hawaii, King Kamehameha I Day. a public holiday in the state honoring Kamehameha the Great, the first king (1758-1819) of the unified territory.

There’s a Google Doodle today (click on screenshot), for some reason celebrating scones. As the Google page says:

Hot off the press — or out of the oven! Today’s Doodle celebrates scones, an afternoon tea treat in the United Kingdom. They’re usually enjoyed with jam and clotted cream, and can be found in almost any bakery from the northern tip of Scotland to the southern end of England. On this day in 1657, the ‘afternoon tea’ idea was first introduced and offered in London.

The age-long debate around how to eat a scone still remains: cream or jam first? Some, like those in Cornwall, prefer adding jam first to let the fruity flavor sink into the treat before topping it off with clotted cream. Others, such as people in Devon, use the clotted cream to separate the jam from the pastry.

I am a jam-first man, but am still baffled why Google chose to celebrate scones today.

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this by consulting the June 11 Wikipedia page.

This just in: special sports nooz (from Greg) announcing that Manchester City has won “The Treble”

Manchester City achieved the Holy Grail of English football, defeating Inter Milan 1-0 to win the UEFA Champions League, the championship of European club football, to take the Treble. They had previously won the FA Cup, the most important tournament championship in English football, and the championship of the Premier League, the highest level of English club football. Winning all three championships in a single year is known as a “Treble”. Matthew, a City fan, will be very pleased.

Da Nooz:

*Obituaries first: Ted Kaczynski, known as “the Unbomber”, who killed three people and injured 23 with a series of pipe bombs sent to random people between 1978 and 1995, was found dead in his North Carolina cell yesterday morning. He was 81. The Harvard-trained math wizard, who lived in a shack in the woods for a quarter of a century, was turned in by his brother after his 35,000-word “manifesto” was published in the newspapers. Here’s his mug shot from 1996:

*The WaPo reports that “Trump Indictment largely based on insider accounts of life at Mar-A-Lago.” If you want verification by looking at the original indictment, you can get a pdf here.  The fun starts on page 10 with lots of documentation against Trump and his valet Waltine Nauta. And it’s clear that no, Trump did now have the power to wave his hands over documents and declassify them!

The 37-count federal indictment of former president Donald Trump unsealed Friday provides a vivid account of Trump’s actions at his homes in South Florida and New Jersey, and is based on information from a coterie of close aides, household staffers and lawyers hired to serve Trump in his post-presidency

The account from Trump insiders in the 49-page indictment provides a thorough rebuttal to many claims made by Trump about his handling of classified material, including that he may have kept some material by accident or may have considered the material declassified by him.

A secretary — identified in the indictment as “Trump Employee 2” — told prosecutors that Trump himself had been packing and looking through boxes, contrary to assertions from his own lawyers. A young political aide, referred to as “the PAC representative” in the indictment, told prosecutors that Trump showed him a classified map about a military operation in a foreign country and told him to stand back because it was a secret document. At a recent CNN town hall, Trump said he did not remember doing such a thing.

Key parts of the indictment are based on one of his lawyer’s detailed notes about Trump’s wishing to obstruct justice by not responding to a subpoena — contradicting the 45th president’s claims that he was always cooperative with the Justice Department and the National Archives and Records Administration. And Trump’s valet was indicted alongside him, after prosecutors obtained the aide’s text messages and accused him of lying about moving boxes at Trump’s request.

Trump never spoke to prosecutors in the case, but his actions, idiosyncrasies and thoughts were relayed in documents and text messages provided by staffers. Many accounts were provided reluctantly under subpoena, people familiar with those exchanges have said. Other aides’ phones were seized, giving prosecutors access to texts, photos and more.

Security video footage also was taken from Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida home and private club, showing the movements of boxes after prosecutors sent a subpoena demanding the return of documents marked classified. Photos in the indictment show Trump’s bathroom, complete with a dangling chandelier, where he stored dozens of boxes of documents. Additional photos show other places where documents were stored, including his ballroom and a storage room.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, this is the man whom Republicans are loudly defending now, agreeing with Trump that the investigation is a “witch hunt”. This is the man for whom many Americans will vote if he runs next year. And this is the man who, I’ll venture to prognosticate, will wind up in jail.

*Analyzing the Trump indictment, the NYT editorial board issued a group editorial called “Trump left the Justice Dept. no choice“.

The potential prison sentences for Mr. Trump add up to as much as 420 years, even though conviction almost never results in the maximum sentence. But this indictment confronts the country with the harrowing prospect of a former president facing years behind bars, even as he runs to regain the White House.

Mr. Trump and his Republican allies are already trying to politicize the indictment, insisting that the charges issued by 23 randomly chosen residents of South Florida were an attempt by President Biden to demolish his rival. But the evidence compiled by the government is so substantial that it is clear the Justice Department had no choice but to indict.

. . .The details in the indictment make it clear that Mr. Trump knew that he was not authorized to keep national security secrets in his possession and that he played a cat-and-mouse game to conceal them from the F.B.I. and other federal officials. At one point he suggested his lawyer take some documents to his hotel room and “pluck” out anything really bad, the indictment says. “Wouldn’t it be better if we just told them we don’t have anything here?” he asked his lawyers. He added, “Well, look, isn’t it better if there are no documents?” Meanwhile, he instructed his lawyers to falsely inform federal investigators that they had cooperated fully.

With these actions, the former president demonstrated once again his contempt for the rule of law, his disregard for America’s national security and his mockery of the oath he took to support and defend the Constitution.

. . . Mr. Trump’s recklessness in retaining and showing off military secrets is both arrogant and breathtaking. It put the lives of American soldiers at risk. These are some of the United States’ most closely guarded secrets — so sensitive that many top national-security officials can’t see them — and Mr. Trump treated them like a prize he had won at a carnival. These actions underscore, yet again, why he is unfit for public office.

And if Trump had just turned over the papers instead of fighting over them with the government, this all could have been avoided. He had no need for those papers. In the end, it was his ego, his determination to “win,” that brought him down.

*And two reports on the Ukrainian spring offensive from the NYT, one giving evidence from Zelensky that it’s really under way, and the other describing how the offensive is shaping up.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday offered the strongest confirmation yet that the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive to drive Russia back had begun.

“Counteroffensive and defensive actions are being taken in Ukraine,” Mr. Zelensky said at a news conference in Kyiv with the visiting Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau. ”At what stage, I will not disclose in detail.”

His comment confirmed what military analysts, U.S. officials and the Kremlin have been indicating for days: that Ukrainian troops with Western battle tanks and armored vehicles were assaulting fortified Russian positions in several places in the south and east.

A senior U.S. military official, offering a broad assessment on Saturday of Ukraine’s counteroffensive so far, said that “the Ukrainians are making steady progress according to their plan.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss continuing operations, gave no details.

But others aren’t so optimistic:

But a senior official in the Biden administration, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, gave a more tempered judgment of the counteroffensive on Saturday, saying Ukrainian forces were experiencing “mixed success” against Russian defenses.

As for the nature of the attack:

In fierce battles along the front line this past week, Ukraine’s push to reclaim lost territory is taking shape, presenting a major pivot in the war. With each clash, Ukraine is trying to show that it can attack anywhere, while trying to make Russia defend everywhere.

. . .In the south, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting on an unforgiving landscape, table-flat farmland with little cover for troops trying to advance.

Sixty miles away, they are attacking across the plains in a coal mining region dotted with slag heaps, pushing toward a strategic railway junction.

Farther east, they are targeting Russian positions on the hills outside Bakhmut, a city in ruins that fell to Russian forces last month after the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. Ukrainian forces have advanced by about a mile at some parts of the front line there, the military said on Saturday.

. . . The multipronged assault, concentrated along the front in the south and the east, is a test run of Ukraine’s new arsenal of Western tanks and armored vehicles as well as tens of thousands of newly mobilized soldiers who trained in Europe for months in preparation for the fighting. Kyiv, which as expected in the early stages is suffering casualties, will need to show significant progress in its counteroffensive to keep the money and weapons flowing from the West.

The population of Ukraine: 43.8 million
The population of Russia:   143.4 million

Thta’s a huge difference in the size of the pool of potential fighters. But Ukraine has aid and weapons from NATO. Still, I have no strong feelings about how this war is going to play out. I do have strong feelings about how I’d like it to play out.

*The Mayo Clinic appears to have temporarily suspended one of its professors and subjected him to other discipline for innocuous comments he made about sports and transgender athletes. Well, at least comments that comport with science. The disciplinary letter has been reprinted on the FIRE website. First, from Dr. Vinay Prasad:

It appears Mike Joyner [“an anesthesiologist and expert in sports physiology”] is in part being punished for comments he made about fairness when trans-athletes compete in women’s sports. Allow me to outline the details of this action, and build my case that Mayo clinic is in complete and egregious violation of Academic Freedom.

From the Mayo Clinic’s letter to Joyner (a paragraph is redacted). The bolding is mine:

Your use of idiomatic language has been problematic and reflects poorly on Mayo Clinic’s brand and reputation. Prior to the most recent incident this issue was discussed with you when your June 2022 comments in a NY Times article were problematic in the media and the LGBTQI+ community at Mayo Clinic. Members of the Personnel Executive Committee met with you on November 28, 2022, to discuss several concerns, including your use of language viewed as inflammatory in this context. The fact that your selection of idiomatic expressions continues has caused the institution to question whether you are able to appropriately represent Mayo Clinic in media interactions.
This most recent incident has also allowed us to review the state of your relationship with Public Affairs. Over the years you have failed to consistently work within Mayo Clinic guidelines related to media interactions and failed to communicate in accordance with prescribed messaging. Currently concerns remain with disrespectful communications with colleagues who describe your tone as unpleasant and having a “bullying” quality to it. One individual has asked to not work with you anymore because of your behavior. It is unacceptable that you fail to consistently act in a professional manner with your Communications colleagues, abide by their direction, and accept the expertise they bring to the practice.
Apparently Joyner said something bad to the NYT, and that caused Mayo to dredge up all kinds of stuff on Joyner that they could use as an excuse to punish him. But what did he say to the NYT? He dissed trans women competing against biological women. As Prasad notes:

In an article on whether it is fair for Lia Thomas to compete with women, Mike Joyner— an expert in exercise physiology— is repeatedly quoted in a way that would imply he thinks it is unfair. Here is the relevant section. (Note the article is from May 29, 2022— not June, but I can’t find anything in June that fits the disciplinary notes description).

And the section is below. Prasad put the part in blue that, he thinks, led to Joyner’s suspension.

“The 800-pound gorilla” is almost surely the idiomatic phrase that brought down Joyner. And it’s perfectly innocuous! If Prasad is right, and this is the damning phrase, then Mayo made a big error, for they obviously caved to the gender lobby. Everything Joyner said above is in fact true.

FIRE wrote a letter to the Mayo Clinic saying they had breached the principles of free speech that they promise in their Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom Policy.  Not only that, but Mayo says that Joyner can’t talk to reporters any more. He’s muzzled.  If his NYT comments are really the reason he was punished (the letter gives others, but they look like window-dressing), then once again gender activism has rendered certain comments taboo, even if they’re accurate (I won’t say “innocuous”, because accurate comments, like “humans have only two sexes”, enrage the activists).

Mayo paid no attention to FIRE’s letter, and Joyner is fighting back with attorneys. You can send a letter to the Mayo Trustees at this site.

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is taking her constitutional:

Hili: Did you check what the weather will be tomorrow?
A: No, why are you asking?
Hili: I’m planning a hike.
In Polish:
Hili: Czy sprawdziłeś jaka będzie jutro pogoda?
Ja: Nie, dlaczego pytasz?
Hili: Wybieram się na wycieczkę.

. . . and a photo of the affectionate Szaron:

 

********************

From reader Pliny the In Between’s Far Corner Cafe: a cartoon called “President for Life.”

 

From Pet Jokes &Puns;  I trust this is true:

From Jesus of the Day, a scene from the updated Bible:

From Masih, aggrieved Iranian mothers in Kurdistan:

Google translation:

According to reports, intelligence forces of Kurdistan have arrested dozens of members of Kurdistan plaintiff families who gathered from different cities. There is no information about the fate of many of them. The plaintiff families are the red line of the people. Whatever happens to them, the responsibility lies with the Islamic Republic. It is the intelligence and IRGC agents who should be detained, not the parents whose children were covered in blood. I ask all my countrymen, wherever they are, to be the voice of these innocent families.
#Mehsa_Amini
#Woman_Freedom_Life

From Malcolm, a sweet tweet:

From the Twittermeister himself:

Can you spot the real cat?

From the Auschwitz Memorial, a woman who survived a bit over a month:

Tweets from Professor Cobb, still in Norway (see below).

This cat just wanted a ride!

Ducklings trying to get out of the rain:

From Ziya Tong, clearly a vegetarian:

32 thoughts on “Sunday: Hili dialogue”

  1. On this day:
    173 – Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty (171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called “miracle of the rain”.

    980 – Vladimir the Great consolidates the Kievan realm from Ukraine to the Baltic Sea. He is proclaimed ruler (knyaz) of all Kievan Rus’. [Let’s hope that Vladimir the Not So Great doesn’t succeed in emulating him.]

    1748 – Denmark adopts the characteristic Nordic Cross flag later taken up by all other Scandinavian countries.

    1770 – British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef.

    1776 – The Continental Congress appoints Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to the Committee of Five to draft a declaration of independence.

    1892 – The Limelight Department, one of the world’s first film studios, is officially established in Melbourne, Australia.

    1895 – Paris–Bordeaux–Paris, sometimes called the first automobile race in history or the “first motor race”, takes place.

    1919 – Sir Barton wins the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown.

    1920 – During the U.S. Republican National Convention in Chicago, U.S. Republican Party leaders gathered in a room at the Blackstone Hotel to come to a consensus on their candidate for the U.S. presidential election, leading the Associated Press to coin the political phrase “smoke-filled room”.

    1935 – Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States at Alpine, New Jersey.

    1936 – The London International Surrealist Exhibition opens.

    1955 – Eighty-three spectators are killed and at least 100 are injured after an Austin-Healey and a Mercedes-Benz collide at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the deadliest ever accident in motorsports.

    1962 – Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin allegedly become the only prisoners to escape from the prison on Alcatraz Island.

    1963 – American Civil Rights Movement: Governor of Alabama George Wallace defiantly stands at the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in an attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from attending that school. Later in the day, accompanied by federalized National Guard troops, they are able to register.

    1963 – Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burns himself with gasoline in a busy Saigon intersection to protest the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam.

    1963 – John F. Kennedy addresses Americans from the Oval Office proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which would revolutionize American society by guaranteeing equal access to public facilities, ending segregation in education, and guaranteeing federal protection for voting rights.

    1968 – Lloyd J. Old identified the first cell surface antigens that could differentiate among different cell types.

    1970 – After being appointed on May 15, Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington officially receive their ranks as U.S. Army Generals, becoming the first women to do so.

    1987 – Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant are elected as the first black MPs in Great Britain. [Diane Abbott is still an MP although she is currently suspended from the Labour Party over allegations of anti-Semitism.]

    2001 – Timothy McVeigh is executed for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

    2004 – Cassini–Huygens makes its closest flyby of the Saturn moon Phoebe.

    2010 – The first African FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa. [There’s a FIFA Women’s World Cup due to kick off in Australia and New Zealand in less than 40 days, but FIFA has rejected the low bids from broadcasting companies so there’s no advertising or build up. According to The Guardian, “The opening offer in Italy was believed to have been €300,000 (£283,000), compared with the €160m that was paid for the rights to the men’s competition in Qatar. In England, the figure for the joint offer from the BBC and ITV is believed to be around €9m, about 8% of what was paid for the men’s edition.” At this rate we might not be able to watch on TV at all.]

    Births:
    1572 – Ben Jonson, English poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1637).

    1776 – John Constable, English painter and academic (d. 1837).

    1847 – Millicent Fawcett, English academic and activist (d. 1929).

    1864 – Richard Strauss, German composer and conductor (d. 1949).

    1910 – Jacques Cousteau, French biologist, author, and inventor, co-developed the aqua-lung (d. 1997).

    1933 – Gene Wilder, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2016).

    1939 – Jackie Stewart, Scottish racing driver and sports presenter.

    1949 – Frank Beard, American drummer and songwriter.

    1950 – Lynsey de Paul, English singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, cartoonist and actress (d. 2014).

    1952 – Donnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

    1959 – Hugh Laurie, English actor and screenwriter.

    1969 – Peter Dinklage, American actor and producer.

    “When I die,“ said Lawn, inspecting the patient, “I’m going to instruct them to put a bell on my tombstone, just so’s I can have the pleasure of not getting up when people ring.”
    323 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king (b. 356 BC). [Or maybe not – Wikipedia listed his death yesterday, too!]

    1796 – Samuel Whitbread, English brewer and politician, founded the Whitbread Company (b. 1720).

    1937 – R. J. Mitchell, English engineer, designed the Supermarine Spitfire (b. 1895)

    1979 – John Wayne, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1907).

    1998 – Catherine Cookson, English author (b. 1906).

    2014 – Susan B. Horwitz, American computer scientist, engineer, and academic (b. 1955).

    2015 – Ornette Coleman, American saxophonist, violinist, trumpet player, and composer (b. 1930).

    1. Thanks for the reminder of the Supermarine Spitfire, Jez. I was at BAE Preston in the mid or late 80’s to give a talk and after lunch, the engineers excitedly led me through the hallways to the back of their building and a small makeshift hangar that opened to the airfield. There, proudly stood a fully restored, flightworthy Spitfire in all its glory. It was beautiful … a tremendous and loving restoration by an extremely talented group of mechanics, engineers, and pilots.

      1. I loved making Spitfire models when I was a boy. Thanks, Jim and Jez, for bringing back fond memories! (Do kids make models anymore? Maybe LEGOs…)

  2. CNN published a piece (below) that notes (the Her is Lis Thomas):

    “Thomas pulled away in the final 150 yards to win in 4:33.24. […] Her [Lia Thomas’] time was the fastest of the NCAA season, but well off the NCAA record of 4:24.06, held by 10-time Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky.”

    Source:

    By Eric Levenson and Steve Almasy, CNN
    Updated 7:08 PM EDT, Thu March 17, 2022

    https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/17/sport/lia-thomas-ncaa-swimming/index.html

      1. What is CNN’s point, is one question I have – especially in the evaluation of inherent advantages of males that undergo medical procedures as a prerequisite to compete with females who do not elect to undergo medical procedures, and would likely be disqualified on “doping” grounds for doing so.

  3. 323 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king (b. 356 BC). [Or maybe not – Wikipedia listed his death yesterday, too!]
    I queried this on Wikipedia’s talk page for June 10 asking how the uncertainty should be flagged up to readers. Now Alexander’s death has been deleted from both June 10 and June 11, which wasn’t really the outcome I was hoping for…

  4. Russian population: What percent are Slavic vs. ethnic minorities? From somewhere awhile back I gathered that the latter are disproportionately represented in the Russian army.

    Also, near the end of the latest Reporting from Ukraine it is reported that a lot of Russian materiel in depots etc was ruined by the flood they created from the dam they blew up. Pity.

    1. At the other hand a huge part of young and middle aged Ukrainian men were either already in the EU when the war started (as workers) or left after it as refugees. I think roughly a quarter of Ukraine population is in the EU now, and I am pretty sure service-age men are over-represented. It would not be surprising if half of the potential soldiers were in the EU. And they need people for the country to function too.

  5. “Trans women are women” is a religious dogma. Dr. Joyner is guilty of blasphemy. Blasphemy has always been a crime. Blasphemy still is a crime. The dominant religion has changed from Christianity to ‘woke’. The crime of blasphemy has not changed.

  6. Perhaps Matthew Cobb will send a set or two of photos from his trip to Norway? That would be wonderful….

  7. The idea that Trump “left the DOJ no choice,” that the DOJ has in some way been exercising a judicious restraint up until now, is risible. The DOJ, as the Durham report shows, has been trying to get Trump since he was elected. The pursuit is nothing but political, and is itself evidence of corruption within the Federal government. The last three years have shown that the Biden Administration only cares about law and order when it applies to its opponents. I don’t know if Trump has committed crimes, but the fact that I don’t like him and that I wish he was out of the picture does not mean that I think any means are justified in ending his political career. Many people are taking that attitude without concern for the precedent it’s setting. What I do know is that I no longer believe in the political neutrality of the DOJ, and am fully prepared to believe that this indictment is nothing but gotcha journalism.

    1. Thanks Hannity.
      You are prepared to believe that a Federal grand jury is indulging in gotcha journalism. That’s incoherent.

    3. Trump is the leader of a cult. As such, he can do no wrong, will admit nothing, and
      deny everything. His followers are as deluded as devoted believers should be and
      will remain faithful til the end. The only thing that can bring down the leader is
      strong evidence of child sexual abuse. This usually will break the trance.

    4. You should actually read the federal indictment returned against Donald Trump, DrBrydon. A close reading of that indictment reveals two things:

      First, Donald Trump could have avoided an indictment in this case merely by responding honestly and in good faith to May 11. 2022, federal grand jury subpoena served upon him calling for him to produce all documents in his possession bearing classification markings. (Trump has been charged with 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information. None of these counts relate to documents that Trump took from the White House, but eventually returned to the government, either to the National Archives, or to the Justice Department in the spring of 2022, or in response to the grand jury subpoena itself. All 31 counts are based solely on documents found at Mar-a-Lago during the execution of a federal search warrant on August 8, 2022. Of the 102 documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago bearing classification markings, 30 of the 31 counts are based on documents bearing “top secret” or “secret” classification markings.)

      Second, Donald Trump did anything but respond honestly and in good faith to the May 11, 2022, grand jury subpoena. The acts alleged in the indictment to have constituted obstruction of justice are among the most egregious and deliberate I have ever read in an indictment (or even ever heard about). Trump lied to federal investigators. He solicited his lawyers to lie to federal investigators (and suggested that they destroy documents required to be produced to the grand jury). He lied to his lawyers regarding the whereabouts of the boxes containing classified documents so as to prevent them from discovering those classified documents and turning them over in response to the grand jury subpoena. Trump also knowingly had his lawyer submit a false, sworn declaration attesting that all documents responsive to the grand jury had been turned when, as Trump well knew, they had not. And Trump had his staff engage in an elaborate scheme to move boxes containing the 102 documents marked classified from room-to-room around Mar-a-Lago to prevent the discovery of those documents by either federal investigators or his own lawyers.

      Proof of the charged acts of obstruction of justice in this case does not depend upon the testimony of witnesses who have plea bargained to reduce their own exposure to punishment or upon the testimony of “weaponized” FBI agents. Instead, as the indictment sets out in excruciating detail, as to every count in which an obstructive act is alleged, the obstructive act can be proved either through video surveillance from Mar-a-Lago, or through text-message exchanges between people in Trump’s inner circle, or through Trump’s own statements on a tape-recording made with Trump’s knowledge and consent, or through the 50 pages of contemporaneous detailed notes and a contemporaneous narrative audio recording made by Trump’s then-lead lawyer regarding the documents’ investigation, Evan Corcoran. (This served as the basis for a federal judge’s finding that Trump’s attorney-client privilege with Corcoran was breached by the crime-fraud exception.)

      Given the detailed, devastating evidence set out in the indictment regarding Trump’s obstruction of justice, I am at a loss to see what possible factual theory of defense as to the obstruction charges Trump can present at trial. If you read the indictment, DrB, and see a viable potential defense to these factual allegations, please share it with us.

      1. DrBrydon presents a viable defense – What about Biden and Hilary? Why weren’t they charged? Weaponisation of the DOJ by Democrats!
        (online definition:of viable: “capable of working successfully; feasible” no mention of facts or truthfulness.)

        1. At trial, Trump’s defense counsel will not be able to present evidence of “what about Biden and Hillary?” or about the “weaponization” of the DoJ. (These are strictly political defenses meant for the consumption of Trump’s ride-or-die dead-end base.)

          Trump’s defense counsel may try to raise a selective prosecution argument via pretrial motion, but such motions almost never succeed and seem doomed in the facts of this particular case.

          A viable “theory of defense” in a criminal case entails an argument that defense counsel can present with a straight face to a jury during closing argument — one that provides an innocent explanation for all the known facts that are beyond reasonable dispute.

          As I say, I’m at a loss to see how Trump’s lawyers could present such a defense to the obstruction charges at the trial of this case, though I’m always open to the possibility that there’s a theory I haven’t considered.

      2. When you think about how easy it would have been for Trump to have avoided this mess, it’s made clear just how deranged he is. (As if we needed more proof…)

  8. It’s interesting that many were shocked by the conservative USA Christians accepting and defending Trump.

    As if Christians don’t have a rich history of accepting and defending their fealty to figure who is depicted transgressing most moral norms. I mean, just look at the amount of time Christians have put in to defending their Biblical God against the countless charges of norm-busting and ethical lapses! Once you’ve figured out ways of following a Being who would give brain cancer and countless afflictions to children because two people were disloyal to him years ago…justifying allegiance to a Trumpian figure, whatever he does wrong, is hardly a big reach.

    And then, they can make the even more circular move of saying the unethical God they follow is using His Authority to use an unethical figure like Trump for whatever God wants to achieve…(which is what the Christian in question just happens to want to achieve).

    1. Trump also fulfills the Christian need for victimhood. Like Jesus, he’s seen as the ultimate victim, and with all his whining and lying and bitching, he makes sure they never forget what a poor hapless victim he is.

    2. Right-wing Christians got what they wanted with Trump, who appointed enough right-wing justices to overturn Roe Vs. Wade. Trump being a far from a good Christian was outweighed by his catering to the religious right in furthering their efforts to reshape America. They will undoubtedly support him again, because while he may be an imperfect instrument, he is the best one they have.

  9. Unibomber’s brother came to my law school (St. John’s, NYC) in 2001 and gave a talk which I attended. He was an interesting guy, very bright, put in a terrible position.
    D.A.
    NYC

  10. The search engine is celebrating scones today because it is the anniversary of the invention of Afternoon Teas, something scones are synonymous with. However, scones themselves are even older.

    The Afternoon Tea was first introduced on this day back in 1657 in London.

    However, it became really popular in the Victorian Era. It is believed that a duchess, Anne Russell had a fondness for them and began having them with her tea. Once railways were popularised, those from the city headed to the South West coast in search of the scones, and so Cream Tea and Afternoon Tea became a British staple.

    https://www.freshered.com/why-is-todays-google-doodle-celebrating-scones/

  11. I saw this tweet yesterday. I didn’t save who wrote it, but here it goes:

    “My father in law once interviewed for a Fulbright at Harvard. They noticed that he was from Montana and asked “wasn’t the Unabomber from there?” Without missing a beat he answered, “I thought he was from Harvard.” They didn’t offer him the Fulbright.”

  12. Not that important given all the happenings, but I checked with my Italian friends about the lamb carrier. His response:

    “Never seen nor heard about this strange way to carry lambs. I think it is not true.
    Moreover we eat newborn lambs.”

  13. Trump l’oeil…very nice pun Pliny the In-between. I didn’t notice the caption the first time I saw it, since the title “President for Life” summed it up as well.

    Top Chef’s last season (World All-stars) had a challenge where the chefs had to do a culinary trompe l’oeil. Pretty cool what some of them came up with.

  14. Apologies if I’ve missed it (skim reading in back of Uber), but how are the dots joined to the end that Mayo suspended/fired Joyner due to his statement on trans advantage in sport?

    The FIRE letter doesn’t mention it (I think?) and Mayo took umbrage with Joyner’s comments on “convalescent plasma”? Which still sounds anti free speech of course, but not quite as silly as taking action due to his comments on trans athletes in sport.

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