February 11, 2023

Saturday, February 11, 2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

To read an article included in this Roundup, click on its blue title. Each “blue” article is hyperlinked so you can read the whole article. Please feel free to share. It would be great if you invite at least one other person to subscribe today. https://buttondown.email/AnnettesNewsRoundup

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Joe is always busy.

U.S. shoots down 'high-altitude object' over Alaskan airspace, White House says.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military on Friday afternoon shot down a "high-altitude object" flying over Alaskan airspace and Arctic waters, National Security Council official John Kirby confirmed at the White House.

The Pentagon had been tracking the object over the last 24 hours, he said.

"The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight," Kirby told reporters during the White House briefing. "Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military to down the object and they did and it came inside our territorial waters and those waters right now are frozen."

Fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command took down the object "within the last hour," Kirby said around 2:30 p.m. ET. The pilots were able to determine that it was “unmanned” before it was shot down, he added.

Biden briefly commented on the matter in response to a question from reporters at the White House.

"Success," the president said about the downing of the object.

Kirby made clear the U.S. does not know who owns the object and he would not call it a balloon, like the one allegedly owned by the Chinese government that the U.S. military shot down on Saturday.

"We're calling this an object because that's the best description we have right now," Kirby said. "We do not know who owns it, whether it's state-owned or corporate-owned or privately-owned. We just don't know."

Pilots shot the object down just off the northeastern part of Alaska, near the Canadian border, over the Arctic Sea, Kirby said.

Officials did not understand the full purpose of the object, Kirby added, saying the U.S. expects that it will be able to recover the debris. "A recovery effort will be made and we're hopeful that it'll be successful and then we can learn a little bit more about it," he said.

The U.S. initially detected the object on ground radar Thursday and further investigated it using aircraft, Ryder said. An F-22 fighter jet shot down the object using an A9X missile, he added.

U.S. Northern Command coordinated the operation with assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI, Ryder said.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said he was briefed by senior Pentagon officials about the object and said the U.S. needs to “reestablish deterrence” in response to the Chinese government, which he said, “believes they can willfully infiltrate American airspace whenever they want.”

“That has to stop. The best way to do this is through the type of actions that we’ve taken today in Alaska and to publicly reiterate that we will be shooting down any and all unknown aircraft that violate our airspace,” Sullivan said in a statement. “We also need to appropriately equip our military in Alaska with the sensors and aircraft needed to detect and, if necessary, destroy everything from slow-moving balloons to hypersonic missiles.” (NBC).

Biden, Lula to put focus on democracy, climate during visit on Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva meet in Washington Friday, the leaders will share some awareness of what it’s like to walk in one another’s shoes.

Biden, a centrist Democrat, defeated incumbent Donald Trump in a fraught race, securing victory with thin margins in several battleground states. In Brazil’s tightest election since its return to democracy over three decades ago, Lula, the leftist leader of the Workers’ Party, squeaked out a win against right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who earned the nickname “Trump of the Tropics” and was an outspoken admirer of the former U.S. president.

Both Trump and Bolsonaro sowed doubts about the vote, without ever presenting evidence, but their claims nevertheless resonated with their most die-hard supporters. In the U.S. Capitol, Trump supporters staged the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection seeking to prevent Biden’s win from being certified. Last month, thousands of rioters stormed the Brazilian capital aiming to oust the newly-inaugurated Lula.

Friday’s Oval Office talks, just over a month after Lula’s swearing-in and the failed attempt to topple his presidency, are meant to spotlight that Brazil’s democracy remains resilient and that relations between the Americas’ two biggest democracies are back on track.

Biden to travel to Poland ahead of first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Biden will travel to Poland Feb. 20-22, the White House announced Friday, ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The president is expected to deliver remarks ahead of the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia’s “brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outside the White House on Dec. 21, 2022.

Jean-Pierre said Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to “discuss our bilateral cooperation, as well as our collective efforts to support Ukraine and bolster NATO’s deterrence.” He will also meet with leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of nations including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Estonia, that was created after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. With those leaders, Biden will “reaffirm the United States’ unwavering support for the security of the alliance,” Jean-Pierre said. (Washington Post).
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MORE UPDATES ON FLORIDA.

What life is like for a professor in Florida. A First Person Account.

‘Most important, we must not upset DeSantis’: A Florida professor worries whom she’ll upset when teaching Faulkner.

In my senior Southern Literature class, I’m about to teach Go Down, Moses, William Faulkner’s great novel about how racism has warped America. I ask my students to think about the stories Faulkner tells: the dispossession of the Chickasaw people, the enslaved woman who drowns herself in despair, and the white family struggling to accept that the admired patriarch who built their Mississippi cotton kingdom also raped his own daughter. Here at Florida State University, in the capital city of the third state to join the Confederacy, I ask them to consider the ways our troubled past haunts our precarious present. I start writing dates on the board—1619, 1830, 1863—and I wonder if somebody will accuse me of breaking Florida law.

Governor Ron DeSantis sees Florida’s colleges and universities as hotbeds of trendy theories, where professors delight in propagating Marxism, pushing anti-racism, and undermining traditional gender identity. He likes to say he puts on “the full armor of God” to fight “wokeism” and create a “patriotic” education system. To that end, Florida has banned the teaching of what DeSantis declares erroneous doctrine, especially critical race theory and “The 1619 Project.” Both challenge our happier myths: that the Founding Fathers hated slavery even though they owned slaves, or that rugged individualism enables anyone to succeed if they just work hard enough. DeSantis doesn’t want Florida schools to explore how the legacy of slavery still casts a structural shadow on our democracy; to examine white privilege; or, as the “Stop WOKE Act” he pushed through our supine legislature puts it, to instruct students in topics that might cause “guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress” on account of their race. A federal judge has temporarily halted the law’s implementation, but the state has a good chance of winning on appeal to the Eleventh Circuit, which is dominated by Donald Trump appointees. (The Atlantic).

Florida’s Authoritarian Governor’s targets - the Press and Disney.

Ron DeSantis Wants to Roll Back Press Freedom.

When Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida convened a round-table discussion about the news media this week, he spared no effort to play the part, perching at a faux anchor’s desk in front of a wall of video screens while firing questions to his guests like a seasoned cable TV host.

But the panel’s message was as notable as its slick presentation: Over the course of an hour, Mr. DeSantis and his guests laid out a detailed case for revisiting a landmark Supreme Court decision protecting the press from defamation lawsuits.

Mr. DeSantis is the latest figure, and among the most influential, to join a growing list of Republicans calling on the court to revisit the 1964 ruling, known as The New York Times Company v. Sullivan.

The decision set a higher bar for defamation lawsuits involving public figures, and for years it was viewed as sacrosanct. That standard has empowered journalists to investigate and criticize public figures without fear that an unintentional error will result in crippling financial penalties.

But emboldened by the Supreme Court’s recent willingness to overturn longstanding precedent, conservative lawyers, judges, legal scholars and politicians have been leading a charge to review the decision and either narrow it or overturn it entirely.

Mr. DeSantis, a likely Republican presidential candidate, put the effort at the center of his war against the mainstream media.

“How did it get to be this doctrine that has had really profound effects on society?” he said at the event, which featured two libel lawyers known for suing news organizations and a conservative scholar who recently published an essay titled “Overturn New York Times v. Sullivan.” (New York Times).

DeSantis Gains Control of Tax Board Overseeing Disney World.

Last year, at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Legislature revoked Walt Disney World’s designation as a special tax district — a privilege that Disney held for 55 years, effectively allowing the company to self-govern its 25,000-acre theme park complex.

“I will not allow a woke corporation based in California to run our state,” Mr. DeSantis said at the time. “Disney has gotten away with special deals from the State of Florida for way too long.” Disney, which is Florida’s largest private employer, had paused political donations in the state and defied Mr. DeSantis by condemning an education law that opponents call “Don’t Say Gay.” It prohibits discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade and limits it for older students.

The problem: The abolishment of the district — set for June 1 — would require taxpayers in two counties to pick up the tab for Disney World services like fire protection, policing and road maintenance. Under the old setup, Disney paid for those costs. The district also carried roughly $1 billion in debt, which would be transferred to the counties.

So the Florida Legislature tried again, taking up a new Disney World measure in special session on Monday. This time, Disney would be allowed to keep the special tax district and almost all of its perks, including the ability to issue tax-exempt bonds and approve development plans without scrutiny from certain local regulators.

But Disney would no longer be able to appoint the five members of the tax district’s board. Florida’s governor would get to do that.

The board makeup is important because members vote on Disney World development efforts — if the company wants to build a new hotel or access road or an additional theme park. The worry is that a politicized board could delay or even block such plans. The board does not have the power to dictate the content Disney offers to its customers.

The bill passed the Florida House on Thursday and the Florida Senate on Friday. Mr. DeSantis claimed victory earlier in the week. “There’s a new sheriff in town,” he said.

[DeSantis may be claiming victory too soon. First of all, he came off looking like a fool in his initial action against Disney. He didn’t understand the damage he was doing to the local Orland area in terms of costs that would have fallen on them, and he had to back down.

Now, Disney keeps its tax status and its pro LGBTQ policies. It will also continue to have a strong hand to play because Disney does bring an estimated 50 million visitors annually to Florida. This fight isn’t over.]

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For the heck of it, an update on Classified Documents where they shouldn’t be.

Trump team turns over additional classified records and laptop to federal prosecutors.

CNN) — Former President Donald Trump’s legal team turned over more documents with classified markings and a laptop belonging to an aide to federal prosecutors in recent months, multiple sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.

The Trump attorneys also handed over an empty folder marked “Classified Evening Briefing,” sources said.

The previously undisclosed handovers – from December and January – suggest the protracted effort by the Justice Department to repossess records from Trump’s presidency may not be done.

The Trump attorneys discovered the documents with classified markings in December, while searching through boxes at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence. The lawyers subsequently handed them over to the Justice Department. (CNN).

Another classified document was found at Mike Pence’s Indiana home during FBI search.

The FBI discovered an additional classified document at former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home Friday during a voluntary five-hour search of the house, a Pence adviser said in a statement.

The adviser, Devin O'Malley, said "the Department of Justice completed a thorough and unrestricted search of five hours and removed one document with classified markings and six additional pages without such markings that were not discovered in the initial review by the vice president’s counsel.”

"The vice president has directed his legal team to continue its cooperation with appropriate authorities and to be fully transparent through the conclusion of this matter," O'Malley said. He also noted that Pence and his legal team had "agreed to a consensual search of his residence that took place today."

A source familiar with the search said DOJ was given unrestricted access to Pence's home, and a member of his legal team was present through its duration.(NBC).

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POLITICAL TRAILBLAZER.

Before Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., was the first Black woman to represent her state in Washington, D.C., she was the first Black woman to serve on the Boston City Council. She told Cheddar News what it took to break these "concrete ceilings," why historic firsts are never the work of one person, and how to survive and win political fights. Here's a first look at the exclusive interview.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley announces a joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment on Capitol Hill recently. (Need2Know) .

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France honors the President of Ukraine.

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As many as 2 million cases may be stopped and all those lives may be saved.

Transporting a patient to a cesarean delivery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In large study, a single antibiotic dose slashed rate of sepsis in childbirth.

An inexpensive and easy-to-deliver intervention — a single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin — could sharply reduce the number of pregnant people in low- and middle-income countries who develop the life-threatening condition sepsis in childbirth, a study published Thursday reported.

The results of an international trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that administration of the antibiotic during labor cut the risk of the mother developing sepsis by about 35% — a large effect for such a simple intervention. The study was stopped early when a planned interim analysis found the clear benefit for those getting the drug.

One funder of the study, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), estimates that if the approach is adopted widely in low- and middle-income countries, as many as 2 million cases of maternal sepsis could be averted annually. (Stat News).

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‘Tis the season… for Girl Scout cookies.

NEED A SOURCE FOR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES?

Many of us have access to someone nearby selling Girl Scout Cookies, but for those of us who do not, Troop 6000 can help.  “Troop 6000TM is a Girl Scout program specially designed to serve girls in the New York City Shelter System.”  Let’s learn more about them and sign up to get our cookies from them here and support this hopeful group.  (Rogan’s List).

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Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum is the most comprehensive ever.

Even if you haven’t paid much attention to this seventeenth century Dutch painter before, even photographs of the paintings from this exhibit (shown in the article below 👇) may overwhelm you. They did me.

The actual paintings overwhelmed the reviewer in the New York Times too. Should we all fly to Holland?

The Absolute Vermeer, in a Show More Precious Than Pearls.

This blockbuster at the Rijksmuseum, never to be repeated, pares the sphinx of Dutch art to the essence: 28 gemlike paintings.

AMSTERDAM — What is a masterpiece?

There’s a kind of confidence, generous but wrong, we afford classic works of art. They have passed “the test of time”; they have beaten the suspicions of fashion, revealed some inner greatness no one can dispute. We look at the Venus de Milo and we quiver, just like they must have two thousand years back; we listen to Beethoven’s Ninth and our breath catches, from the same notes played in Vienna in 1824.

Only the history of culture screams back: it isn’t true! Much of Beethoven’s audience never heard a note of Bach, who lay in obscurity for decades after his death in 1750. Whole centuries went by when people looked at El Greco’s attenuated saints and disciples, and felt nothing. Our ancestors lived and died deaf to the achievements of Dickinson, Melville, Kafka, Hurston. What is a masterpiece? A thing agreed on as such in time, riding high on the vicissitudes of taste, but always liable to fall.

On the highways and in the lowlands of European painting, there may be no more perplexing case of reputational caprice than Johannes Vermeer (1632—75). He was well established in Delft during his life; his art sold; and yet for two centuries after his death, his small and silent pictures of women reading letters or pouring milk elicited no attention at all. When “Girl With a Pearl Earring” came up at auction in 1881, it hammered at just two guilders. Now Vermeer stops traffic; he diverts planes. And you wonder: that luminousness, that inner calm, how could this not stop everyone’s heart like it stops mine?(New York Times).

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King Charles will be coronated on May 6. There is now an official Coronation Logo.

The logo designed by the legendary designer, Sir Jon Ive, will be used for events over the coronation long weekend. It features a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock - emblems from across the United Kingdom.

Speaking of the story behind the emblem, Sir Jony explained: "It is such an honour to be able to contribute to this remarkable national occasion, and our team is so very proud of this work. The design was inspired by King Charles' love of the planet, nature, and his deep concern for the natural world. (Hello mag).

Working closely with Steve [Jobs] during their tenure together at Apple, Ive played a vital role in the designs of the iMac, Power Mac G4 Cube, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and parts of the user interface of Apple's mobile operating system iOS, among other products. He also helped design Apple's major architectural projects, such as Apple Park and Apple Stores. (Wikipedia).

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