December 10, 2024

Tuesday, December 9, 2024. Annette’s News Roundup.

What Biden-Harris achieved

Much about this won’t be clear to the places affected for awhile, but the achievements are real and long-lasting.

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Trump may soon learn that not all Republicans are pro-Putin or anti-NATO.

Here, we learn learn that too. Even from a Republican we loath.

Here is what Trump said on Meet the Press on Sunday.

McConnell takes indirect swipe at Trump on America's role in the world.

Mitch McConnell gets standing ovation after speech with indirect swipe at Trump.

SIMI VALLEY, California — Outgoing Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell took aim at the isolationist faction of the Republican Party — and an implicit swipe at President-elect Donald Trump’s policies — in a speech Saturday, arguing the U.S. must double down on its commitments to alliances and hard military power to maintain its credibility on the international stage.

Speaking at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, after which he received a standing ovation, the Kentucky Republican invoked the hawkish legacy of the 40th president, arguing that “influential voices” are forgetting the lessons of the Cold War amid growing threats from China and Russia.

Within the party Ronald Reagan once led so capably, it is increasingly fashionable to suggest that the sort of global leadership he modeled is no longer America’s place,” McConnell said.

“But let’s be absolutely clear: America will not be made great again by those who are content to manage our decline,” McConnell said, paraphrasing Trump’s longtime campaign slogan.

Though McConnell stepped aside as GOP leader, he’ll continue to be a relevant player in Washington, maintaining a powerful perch as chair of the Senate Defense Appropriations panel, which helps dictate the Pentagon’s budget.

And though he didn’t mention Trump, McConnell’s remarks underscore that he could be a foil to the incoming administration on national security issues next year when he leaves leadership.

McConnell — who received the “Peace Through Strength” award alongside outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — criticized the state of U.S. military deterrence and called for deep investments to beef up weapons production. His first-ever appearance at the event, an annual conclave for the defense establishment, highlights the broader debate within the GOP about U.S. engagement in world affairs versus a more isolationist “America First” approach.

McConnell heaped criticism on elements of both parties, arguing they are endorsing “a dangerous fiction” about the U.S.’ place in the world.

“At both ends of our politics, a dangerous fiction is taking hold — that America’s primacy and the fruits of our leadership are self-sustaining,” McConnell said. “Even as allies across NATO and the Indo-Pacific renew their own commitments to hard power, to interoperability, and to collective defense, some now question America’s own role at the center of these force-multiplying institutions and partnerships.”

He also criticized the Pentagon, industry and Congress for the state of U.S. readiness for a major war. He scolded the Defense Department for “anemic” budgets he argued “encourage using critical munitions as bill-payers.” And he faulted lawmakers for an inability to secure military funding on time.

In a preview of McConnell’s likely top agenda item in his next act leading the Senate Defense Appropriations panel, he called for “generational investments in the national defense enterprise” to supercharge weapons production.

“The Pentagon is not equipped to meet the demands of protracted or multi-theater conflict,” he said. “Neither is our defense industrial base.”

The Senate Republican leader also challenged the defense industry to ramp up immediately to more quickly produce needed weapons.

“Patriotic companies have more work to do to expand production capacity. And they need to do it today, rather than wait for contracts we all know are coming,” McConnell said. “We need to adopt new technologies more quickly and expand production capacity at the same time.”

McConnell has been a steadfast advocate of substantial U.S. aid to Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of countering Russian aggression and upholding Democratic values. Trump, and his wing of the Republican party, have expressed skepticism toward assistance to Ukraine and the NATO alliance. (Politico)

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In case you wonder

Birthright Citizenship is in the Constitution and not likely to end. Ditto Naturalization Citizenship.

As the New York Times put it, The president-elect has revived his wish to do away with automatic citizenship for anyone born in the United States. The Constitution stands in his way.

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Trump is always crazy.

This may be the final proof, if needed.👇

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Here is what Times reporter Peter Baker said about other Trump’s lies on Sunday’s Meet the Press.

Trump claimed on @MeetThePress that Europe doesn't “take our cars, they don’t take our food product, they don’t take anything.” Except Europe is the 2nd-largest US car export market and the US exports $415 billion a year to Europe. Linda Qiu fact checks. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/us/politics/trump-nbc-interview-fact-check.html?smid=url-share

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt.bsky.social) 2024-12-09T16:59:44.012Z

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Some will take a pardon but others will refuse one.

Newly elected Senator Adam Schiff says he doesn’t want a pardon from President Biden and that it would be “unwise” for him to set the precedent.

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@artcandee.bsky.social) 2024-12-09T23:13:14.810Z

Adam Kinzinger’s full response to Trump’s threat on Meet the Press on Sunday against the January 6 Select Committee.

Bring It On, Donald: The January 6 Committee Stands on Truth

Donald Trump’s latest threat to “jail” members of the January 6 Committee is nothing more than the desperate howl of a man who knows history will regard him with shame. Let me be clear: we did nothing wrong. The January 6 Committee's work was driven by facts, the Constitution, and the pursuit of accountability—principles that seem foreign to Trump.

If Donald wants to pursue this vindictive fantasy, I say bring it on. I’m not intimidated by a man whose actions on January 6th showed a cowardly disregard for democracy and the rule of law. A man too frightened to serve in the military, and a who requires a strong man like Putin to feel secure. While his supporters were attacking the Capitol, Trump sat in the White House, watching in glee as law enforcement and elected officials scrambled to protect our republic.

The truth we exposed through that committee’s work—the planning, lies, and dereliction of duty—cannot be erased by threats or political theater. Our hearings laid bare the reality: this was no spontaneous protest. It was an assault on the foundations of our democracy, encouraged and abetted by the former president himself.

Donald, go ahead and try to rewrite history. Use your platform to deflect blame, point fingers, and play the victim. But the evidence speaks louder than your words. History will remember the January 6 Committee as defenders of democracy—and you, as a man who betrayed it.

The truth has been laid bare. The American people have seen the evidence, and no kangaroo court or hollow threats will change that. You may fool some of the people some of the time, but the tide is turning, it just may take a bit. I’m confident that the name “Trump” will be a stain on our history, and my son will be proud of what I did.

So, bring it on. We aren’t afraid of the truth, but I suspect you are. (Substack).

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United we stand.

Nobel Laureates Urge Senate to Turn Down Kennedy’s Nomination

Elevating Mr. Kennedy to secretary of H.H.S. “would put the public’s health in jeopardy,” more than 75 laureates wrote.

Richard Roberts, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, helped draft the letter. “These political attacks on science are very damaging,” he said. “You have to stand up and protect it.

More than 75 Nobel Prize winners have signed a letter urging senators not to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

The letter, obtained by The New York Times, marks the first time in recent memory that Nobel laureates have banded together against a Cabinet choice, according to Richard Roberts, winner of the 1993 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine, who helped draft the letter. The group tries to stay out of politics whenever possible, he said.

But the confirmation of Mr. Kennedy, a staunch critic of mainstream medicine who has been hostile to the scientists and agencies he would oversee, is a threat that the Nobel laureates could not ignore, Dr. Roberts said.

“These political attacks on science are very damaging,” he said. “You have to stand up and protect it.”

The laureates questioned whether Mr. Kennedy, who they said has “a lack of credentials” in medicine, science or administration, was fit to lead the department responsible for protecting public health and funding biomedical research.

“Placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in the health sciences,” the letter warned.

If confirmed, Mr. Kennedy’s opposition to well-established public health tools, like vaccines and the fluoridation of drinking water, would pose a risk to the country’s well-being, the letter said.

The laureates decried Mr. Kennedy’s promotion of conspiracy theories. Mr. Kennedy has falsely linked vaccines to autism, rejected established science showing that H.I.V. causes AIDS, and suggested, without evidence, that the coronavirus targeted and spared certain ethnic groups.

The laureates also noted that Mr. Kennedy has been a “belligerent critic” of the agencies that would fall under his purview, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health.

Mr. Kennedy has threatened to fire employees of the F.D.A., which he says has waged a “war on public health,” and has promised to replace hundreds of N.I.H. employees the day after Mr. Trump’s inauguration.

More broadly, he said that vaccine scientists “should be in jail and the key should be thrown away,” according to NBC News.

“The leader of DHHS should continue to nurture and improve — not to threaten — these important and highly respected institutions and their employees,” the letter said.

In a statement on Monday night, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition team said: “Americans are sick and tired of the elites telling them what to do and how to do it. Our healthcare system in this country is broken, Mr. Kennedy will enact President Trumps agenda to restore the integrity of our healthcare and Make America Healthy Again.”

Seventy-seven laureates — in medicine, chemistry, economics and physics — signed the letter. They included Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who were awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of microRNA, and Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, who won the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics Sciences for research on global inequality.

Dr. Harold Varmus, a 1989 Nobel Prize laureate who signed the letter, said that scientific research — which depends on federal funding and helps drive the country’s economic growth — is impossible to disentangle from the political climate.

“Science is dependent on the political structures of this country,” he said. “I don’t think we should be burying our heads in the sand just because we’re scientists.”

For many of the signatories, this is the second political campaign they’ve participated in this year. Dozens of Nobel Prize winners signed an open letter in October endorsing Kamala Harris for president.

Dr. Roberts hoped that this letter will be successful. Even if the letter swayed a small number of senators, he said, it might be enough to block Mr. Kennedy’s appointment.

“Maybe there are some who will read this and think, Well, we really do want to protect the health of our citizens,” he said. “They didn’t elect us so that we could kill them.” (New York Times)

Read the 4 page letter the Nobel Laureates wrote.

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Now is the time for Courage.

One month after the election of Donald Trump I feel more certain about who he is and what he aims to achieve but less certain about who stands in opposition to him. Trump is an aspiring dictator who aims to aggregate his power to reward his friends and punish his enemies.

His nominations are neither surprising nor unexpected. He is elevating his henchmen to key positions without shame or explanation. He seeks to convert the power of the state to a personal arsenal. He wants to transform government policy to enrich himself, his family and his cronies.

As I said, none of this is unexpected. It was both predictable and predicted. Not only by me, but by countless politicians, journalists and civic and business leaders. For months leading up to Election Day there were warnings nearly every day of what would happen if he was returned to power — Project 2025, weaponizing the government, staffing his cabinet with unqualified people loyal to him rather than the nation.

What has surprised me, depressed me and ultimately angered me are the voices that have gone silent. So many who were so loud in warning about the dangers of Trump now speak only in whispers if at all. The critics who were bold and brash when they thought Harris would win are now tamed and seeking accommodation. Media figures who claimed to be the bastion of protection for our democracy now make pilgrimages to temper Trump’s anger.

Martin Luther King Jr. said that “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge.” We are in a time of challenge. The question for every leader, every citizen is where do you stand?

One of the most common refrains I now hear is that people are exhausted and want to tune out politics. I’m sorry you are tired, but you don’t get to claim you are fighting for democracy only when you think your side will win. It is a fight precisely because the other side may prevail. It is exactly in those times that we need your voice, your energy and your action.

Others confess they want to avoid the fight because they are scared. They worry about what Trump might do to them, their families and their jobs. They take Trump literally and seriously when he talks about retribution. They fear the financial, emotional and legal toll of a politically motivated investigation.

It is okay to be afraid. It is natural to worry about what Trump and his minions might do. It is productive to plan to stay safe, secure and sane in a time of uncertainty and insanity. But do you think you will survive that way for four years? Do you really think Trump will spare you because you now show obedience?

He won’t. Trump is a bully and bullies prey on the weak. They understand the power of fear and exploit it. Capitulating to Trump now — even before he has been sworn in — makes you more vulnerable, not less.

When he was 28 and living in the Jim Crow South, King gave another, less famous speech that speaks to our times. He spoke about the need to confront fear with courage.

Courage breeds creative self‐affirmation; cowardice breeds destructive self-abnegation. Courage faces fear and thereby masters it; cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it. So we must constantly build dykes of courage to ward off the flood of fear.

My ask of you is this: don’t disengage. It is okay to be fearful, but don’t let it rule you. As King said, “build dykes of courage to ward off the flood of fear.” Start with a simple act of telling a friend that what Trump is doing is wrong. When you have built up the courage, tell a larger group or post it online. When you are ready, join a group or civic organization aimed at protecting our democracy.

If you are a leader who previously boasted about your pro-democracy positions, you have a greater obligation. If you feel obliged to obey Trump, spare us your justifications and rationalizations and just tell us you are too scared to continue the fight. If you feel the need to bow down, then stand down and let someone else with more courage take your spot.

Unfortunately, too many legacy media outlets may have catchy slogans but have already chosen to bow down. They hide behind false neutrality and journalistic “ethics” as an excuse to do nothing. I started Democracy Docket to be fearlessly independent and unapologetically pro-democracy. It will always stand tall. It will not obey.

Donald Trump has not yet taken office. The abuses of his administration have not yet begun. It is going to get worse, much worse. We need to stand up an opposition not for a month or two but for four years or more. To do that, we cannot allow ourselves or our leaders to be too tired. We must insist they have courage or get out of the way.

by Marc Elias, who, in 2020 and 2021, oversaw the state-by-state response to lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign contesting the 2020 presidential election results. He continues to lead many of the legal fights against Trump now. (Democracy Docket)

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