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The breakdown of the meltdown at NBC is an outstanding analysis of the pitiful condition of American news media, wrought by the suits, and the Press Poodles, and the advertisers, and the whole fuckin' mess that has grown out of the incredibly stoopid idea that the news division has to be a profit center.

7 Things

Quick little roundup.

1) Abortion rights advocates won big victories in three states yesterday.

• In Ohio: Voters passed a constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion access, making it the latest state to take this step since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year.
• In Virginia: Democrats took control of the General Assembly, meaning they can stop Republicans, led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, from introducing new abortion limits.
• In Kentucky: Voters reelected a Democratic governor who attacked his Republican opponent for supporting the deep-red state’s near-total ban on abortion.

2) Ivanka Trump will testify in her father’s New York civil fraud case today.

• The details: She is not a defendant in this case. But she will be the state’s last witness following testimony from her father, Donald Trump, and two of her brothers.
• In related news: The former president will skip a Republican primary debate in Miami tonight and host a rally nearby instead. The debate starts at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC News.

3) Israel’s endgame in the Gaza Strip is unclear after a month of war.

• What to know: Israel’s prime minister said Monday that Israel would control Gaza’s postwar security for an “indefinite period,” which reportedly concerned U.S. officials.
• In the U.S.: The House voted yesterday to censure the only Palestinian American member of Congress, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), over her comments about the war.

4) The Supreme Court appears likely to allow gun bans for domestic abusers.

• What happened? Justices seemed to agree yesterday that a federal statute preventing people under domestic-violence protective orders from possessing guns is constitutional.
• Why it matters: This case is the first big test of the court’s ruling last year which requires judges to decide challenges to the Second Amendment by finding examples in history.

5) Northern Greenland’s ice sheets are rapidly retreating.

• What to know: The vast floating ice shelves have lost 35% of their total volume since 1978, according to new research.
• Why it’s worrying: The ice shelves hold back glaciers from flowing into the sea. If more are lost to warming oceans, it could lead to significant sea level rise.
• In related news: Last month was the planet’s warmest October on record.

6) Nintendo is making the Legend of Zelda into a live-action movie.

• The details: The creator of the wildly popular video game series, Shigeru Miyamoto, revealed yesterday that he’s working on the film but said it will “take time” to finish.
• It will be tricky to pull off: The series’ main character, Link, doesn’t speak out loud. And the innovative games are famous for letting players choose their own pathways.

7) Cats might be more affectionate and articulate than we thought.

• How we know: Researchers watched 150 hours of cat videos to learn more about how felines express themselves. They found that cats can make nearly 300 facial expressions.
• What’s your cat saying? When cats are happy, they typically move their ears and whiskers forward and outward. When unhappy, they flatten their ears and lick their lips.

Today's 7 Things

Wednesday briefing:

1) A judge blocked U.S. officials from contacting social media companies.

• Why? In response to a Republican lawsuit, which accused the Biden administration of putting pressure on tech companies to suppress unfavorable viewpoints. 
• Why it matters: Yesterday’s ruling could upend years of efforts to improve coordination between the government and tech giants, particularly during elections and emergencies.

2) We learned more about Monday night’s deadly shooting in Philadelphia.

• What happened? Five people were killed and two children were wounded. The man suspected of the shooting, who is in custody, appeared to be firing at random, authorities said yesterday.
• The victims: The five killed were all male and ranged in age from 15 to 59. The two wounded children, ages 2 and 13, were in stable condition as of late Monday.

3) Israel said its troops are leaving the city of Jenin after a two-day assault.

• What’s going on? Israel launched its biggest military operation in the West Bank in two decades on Monday. It left at least 12 Palestinians dead and some 100 injured.
• What’s next? Continued assaults, including a rare Palestinian attack in Tel Aviv yesterday and an exchange of fire today, suggest the surge in violence is likely to carry on.

4) Suspected cocaine was found inside the White House.

• What we know: A white powder was found in the West Wing on Sunday evening, causing a brief evacuation. Early tests indicated that the substance was cocaine.
• What now? The powder is undergoing further testing to determine for certain what it is, and authorities are investigating how it got into the White House.

5) A Florida city is worried that it might run out of water.

• It’s a little ironic: Zephyrhills, famous for bottled water from its sparkling springs, is known as the “City of Pure Water.” But its fresh water supply can’t keep up as its population grows.
• Managing resources: It’s a problem across Florida, the nation’s fastest-growing state. In Zephyrhills, officials last month passed a one-year moratorium on approving new construction.

6) Scientists have found a better way to take apart old solar panels.

• How? Microwaves. Researchers in Australia used a modified kitchen appliance to soften solar panels so that materials, including glass and silver, can easily be taken apart and recycled.
• Why it matters: Solar panels are a key source of renewable energy but can end up in landfills. The microwave method could make recycling them profitable.

7) Vietnam has banned commercial screenings of “Barbie.”

• There’s a Barbie movie? Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, it follows the iconic doll’s journey out of fantasy land and into the real world. It hits theaters July 21.
• Why it’s banned: The film features a cartoonish world map that appears to depict the nine-dash line, which marks China’s disputed claims to a large swath of the South China Sea.

Today's Recap

WaPo runs a quickie rundown most days.

1. The nation’s biggest banks staged an emergency intervention yesterday.

• What happened? Eleven Wall Street banks pledged to put $30 billion into First Republic Bank, which had been at risk of becoming the third U.S. bank to fail in less than a week.
• The big picture: This extraordinary move, which was coordinated by the Biden administration, is designed to put an end to the fears rippling through the U.S. financial industry.

2. Poland said it will give fighter jets to Ukraine.

• The details: Four planes will be delivered soon, Poland’s president said yesterday. It would be the first time any of Ukraine’s NATO allies have provided jets.
• Why it matters: Ukraine has long been asking for jets to strengthen its defense against Russia. This could ramp up pressure on other allies, including the U.S.
• What else to know: Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.

3. Protests erupted in France over its new retirement age.

• French police fired tear gas and water cannons March 16 to disperse protesters during a rally in Paris against the government's pension reform.
• What to know: The French government used executive powers yesterday to raise the retirement age by two years — to 64 — avoiding a vote in Parliament on a deeply unpopular bill.
• The response: There were demonstrations across the country. In Paris, police made hundreds of arrests and fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters.

4. Three hospital workers were charged with murder in a Black man’s death.

• What happened? Irvo Otieno, 28, died of asphyxiation at a Virginia hospital this month after seven sheriff’s deputies put their body weight on him, according to prosecutors.
• The latest: The charges, announced yesterday, came after charges this week against the seven deputies. Otieno’s family was shown video of the incident yesterday.

5. A key starfish is in danger of going extinct.

• The latest: A federal agency announced this week that the sunflower sea star needs protection under the Endangered Species Act.
• What’s happening? A mysterious disease has devastated this starfish along the Pacific Coast.
• Why it matters: Starfish are crucial for maintaining huge underwater kelp jungles that store carbon. Without them, the effects of climate change could get even worse.

6. You can blame climate change for making your spring allergies worse.

• Why? Warmer temperatures mean that trees are blooming earlier and for longer periods of time. More carbon dioxide in the air can also help plants produce more pollen.
• This year’s outlook: Thanks to record warmth in parts of the U.S., spring has already started in the South and along the East Coast.
• The worst cities for allergies: Wichita, Dallas and Scranton PA (See the full list.)

7. Volcanic activity on Venus may offer clues about Earth’s “evil twin.”

• What to know: A new study looked at images of the planet from the 1990s. It found a volcanic vent that changed shape over time, suggesting Venus remains geologically alive.
• Why scientists are excited: It could help explain why Venus, similar in size and starting ingredients to Earth, became so hot and uninhabitable.

News Shorts

A new thing from WaPo - listenable

(pay wall)

1) Democrats will keep control of the Senate.

• The latest: Close races in Arizona and Nevada were called for Democrats this weekend. It gives the party at least 50 seats — a majority, with Vice President Harris’s tiebreaking vote — for the next two years.
• What’s next? The Senate seat in Georgia is headed for a runoff election on Dec. 6.
• What else to know: Control of the House remains up in the air. Many districts where votes are still being counted expected delays because of mail-in ballots.

2 Ukraine said it found evidence of Russian war crimes in a newly liberated city.

• Where? Kherson, in the country’s south. Ukraine retook the city — the only regional capital seized by Russia since its invasion — on Friday, marking another major victory.
• What Russia left behind: Evidence of atrocities and widespread damage to infrastructure, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a surprise visit to the city today.

3) President Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this morning.

• What to know: This was their first face-to-face meeting as presidents. It took place in Bali, Indonesia, a day before a G-20 summit, a global forum of the world’s most powerful governments.
• Why this matters: The relationship between the U.S. and China is at its lowest point in decades, which has huge economic ripple effects worldwide.

4) At least three people were killed in a shooting at the University of Virginia.

• What we know: A gunman opened fire on the Charlottesville campus late last night, officials said. At least two other people were injured. None of the victims have been named.
• The latest: The university identified a 22-year-old student as the suspect. Police were still searching for him as of this morning.

5) An explosion in one of Turkey’s busiest shopping districts killed six people.

• What we know: The attack took place in one of Istanbul’s main pedestrian thoroughfares yesterday and injured at least 81 other people, authorities said.
• The investigation: Police detained 46 suspects in connection with the attack, including a woman who they said had planted the explosives.

6) Your phone can now warn you before an earthquake hits.

• How? It’s a new early-warning system called ShakeAlert. It can give you a few crucial seconds to drop, cover and hold on before an earthquake reaches your location.
• How to get it: It’s active in California, Oregon and Washington state, and Alaska could be next. Find out how to turn on the alerts on Android and iPhones here.

7) Dolly Parton received $100 million from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

• What to know: She’s the second winner of the Courage and Civility Award. The Queen of Country can give the money to any charity she wants. (Bezos owns The Post.)
• Why this matters: Parton has spent years giving back. Her best-known program has gifted nearly 200 million books to children since 1995.

A Few Highlights

WaPo: (pay wall)

National Archives counters Trump’s baseless claims about Obama records

The National Archives and Records Administration issued a statement Friday in an attempt to counter misstatements about former president Barack Obama’s presidential records after several days of misinformation that had been spread by former president Donald Trump and conservative commentators.

Since the FBI search of his Florida home and club this week for classified documents, Trump has asserted in social media posts that Obama “kept 33 million pages of documents, much of them classified” and that they were “taken to Chicago by President Obama.”

In its statement, NARA said that it obtained “exclusive legal and physical custody” of Obama’s records when he left office in 2017. It said that about 30 million pages of unclassified records were transferred to a NARA facility in the Chicago area and that they continue to be maintained “exclusively by NARA.”

- more -

House sends Biden the centerpiece of his economic agenda to sign into law

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act — a sprawling climate and health bill — marks the end of more than a year of internal debate and negotiations among Democrats over the president’s economic agenda.

Reuters:

Trump's Mar-a-Lago, a security 'nightmare' that housed classified documents

WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The seizure of classified U.S. government documents from Donald Trump's sprawling Mar-a-Lago retreat spotlights the ongoing national security concerns presented by the former president, and the home he dubbed the Winter White House, some security experts say.

Trump is under federal investigation for possible violations of the Espionage Act, which makes it unlawful to spy for another country or mishandle U.S. defense information, including sharing it with people not authorized to receive it, a search warrant shows.

- more -

Drought in England, fires rage in France as heatwave persists

• Firefighters from across Europe help France with monster fire
• Drought officially declared in parts of England
• Europe hit by successive heatwaves

SAINT-MAGNE, France, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Firefighters from across Europe came to France's rescue on Friday to battle a massive wildfire, while fire also raged in Portugal and parts of England faced a severe drought, as successive heatwaves renewed the focus on climate change risks.

Much of Europe has faced weeks of baking temperatures that have also depleted water levels of the Rhine River in Germany and seen the source of Britain's River Thames dry up further downstream than in previous years.

High temperatures and a worsening drought brought a high risk of new fires breaking out in Gironde, in southwestern France, local officials said, even after an overnight reprieve held in check the wildfire that has been burning for days, scorched thousands of hectares and displaced 10,000 people.

Firefighters from Germany, Romania, Greece and beyond were on the ground to help France battle the fire in the region - home to Bordeaux wine - as well as on other fronts, including in Brittany in the northwest.

- more -

What's On The Menu Today?

Let's do a quick rundown on all the shit the Republicans will have to bitch about (while doing nothing) any day now, shall we?

1. Soon-to-be hurricane Fred is set to beat up on Florida
2. Tropical storm Grace will be fucking up Haiti in the wake of two earthquakes which have killed 1,300 that they know of so far.
3. PG&E may cut power to thousands to prevent new blazes as Dixie Fire spreads
4. The Secretary of Homeland Security has issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin regarding the current heightened threat environment across the United States.
5. Gigantic wildfires are burning across Siberia on a record scale that is larger than all the fires raging this summer around the world combined.

Bad News Good News

The bad news is that Bill Cosby is on the loose again.

The good news is that Donald Rumsfeld is dead.

fuck 'em

Short Roundup

Reuters:
Special Report: Former Labradoodle breeder was tapped to lead U.S. pandemic task force

“We developed a diagnostic test at the CDC, so we can confirm if somebody has this,” Azar said. “We will be spreading that diagnostic around the country so that we are able to do rapid testing on site.”

While coronavirus in Wuhan, China, was “potentially serious,” Azar assured viewers in America, it “was one for which we have a playbook.”

Azar’s initial comments misfired on two fronts. Like many U.S. officials, from President Donald Trump on down, he underestimated the pandemic’s severity. He also overestimated his agency’s preparedness.

As is now widely known, two agencies Azar oversaw as HHS secretary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, wouldn’t come up with viable tests for five and half weeks, even as other countries and the World Health Organization had already prepared their own.

• It's been 3 months since Azar told us his super tests were on the way.
• It's been 7 weeks since Pence told us millions of test kits were on the way
• Right now, tests are available only to those who're symptomatic, which means each of those patients have been sick for at least seveal days, which means they've been infecting others for at least several fucking days.

Labradoodles!?!

Business Insider:

44 Texas spring breakers who partied in Cabo have tested positive for the coronavirus

Originally, 28 people who returned from the trip were confirmed positive, reported Tony Plohetski of local station KVUE-TV in a string of tweets on Tuesday. "According to officials, about 70 people in their 20s got on a chartered plane for a spring break trip about a week and a half ago," he wrote in a follow-up tweet. "Although they were not under a travel advisory at the time, people are still asked to limit travel to essential needs."

The chartered plane, which took off from the Austin airport, was part of an organized trip by college trip planner JusCollege, according to The Times. The company had sent out emails to students before the trip assuaging any coronavirus fears, reported local station KVUE. One sent on March 12 read, "we're currently in our 2nd week of Cabo and have had almost 5,000 travelers, all with no issues."

Profit before people.

skynews:

Coronavirus: Nicotine patches to be tested on patients after study suggests smokers less likely to catch COVID-19

Researchers in France say early data indicates those who smoke make up a disproportionately small number of people in hospital with COVID-19.

A study at Paris's Pitie-Salpetriere hospital suggests a substance in tobacco, thought to be nicotine, was preventing smokers contracting coronavirus.And then, most helpfully:

Those leading the study stressed they did not advise people to start smoking, with scientists pointing out it kills half of those who do so regularly - claiming around 75,000 deaths each year in France.

... as if any kind of admonishment would make any fucking difference to people who're already in panic mode - not so much panicked about the virus, but about looking to latch onto some bullshit magic bullet that'll help them rationalize their own mush-brained thinking about every goddamned thing in the whole fucking universe.

COVID-19 LowLights

WaPo:

Navy reports first death of a sailor associated with aircraft carrier crippled by the coronavirus

NYT:

3 Vans, 6 Coolers, a Plane, a Storm and 2 Labs:

A Nasal Swab’s Journey

The backlog for Covid-19 testing in New Jersey and other parts of the country is getting worse, not better. From the nose of a patient on a mile-long line to a phone call days later, bottlenecks thwart its progress.

The Week:

Stop declaring premature victory against coronavirus

Over the past week or so, the direst possible futures for the novel coronavirus pandemic have seemingly receded. Though the U.S. has by far the greatest number of confirmed cases of any country (at time of writing about 558,000 cases and 22,000 deaths, which are almost certainly drastic underestimates), a recent analysis from the University of Washington revised its estimate of the predicted total American death count down to "only" about 60,400.

This has led many to question the necessity of all the social-distancing and lockdown measures that are wreaking economic havoc. But while a possibly lower death count is certainly good news, it would be wildly premature to declare victory now. America is not even close to finished with the first wave of infection, and we have done almost nothing to prevent a second.

Let's deal with the idiots first. Fox News conservatives and pudding-brained contrarians like former New York Times reporter Alex Berensonhave seized on the revised estimates to conclude the experts were wrong all along, and coronavirus is not as bad as they claimed. This is like a firefighter in a burning building saying that because his flesh has not been scorched off his bones, he can safely ditch all his fireproof gear. The researchers are clear that the estimated death toll has declined because all the lockdown measures have drastically cut the infection rate. The appalling failure of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio shows what happens to places that don't get on top of an outbreak quickly — they end up digging mass graves.

Front Page

Cheat Sheet®

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Service

You don't have to wear a uniform and carry a gun to serve your country.

In case you were wondering what that occasionally looks like, here's the front page of The Capital Gazette (Annapolis, MD) the morning after some asshole with a gun and a grudge murdered 5 people because he felt aggrieved, and blamed the newspaper for his troubles.

Fuck yeah they published the next day. The bad shit people do to each other never takes a day off - so the news can't take a day either. Way to go, guys.

I bitch a lot about Press Poodles. I'm not sorry for most of that - sometimes I show my love by poking you with a stick - but that's got nothing to do with what happened yesterday in Annapolis.

Every day we get a new batch of horrors. It's not unreasonable to attribute some of them directly to Cult45, while others have a more tenuous connection.

Sometimes though, out of these horrors, we get a new hero.

Selene San Felice (Capital Gazette survivor) is that hero. Because the truth must be spoken.

Today's Buzz

Pointing up some shitty shit that's been flying under the radar.

InfoPorn

The Podcast



Sweeping Generalization Alert

The pizza guy is not really a pizza guy.
The lady plumber is not really a plumber.

What we see on way too many cable news shows is not news.
Those journalists on your TV machine are not really journalists.

It's not a news program. It's a performance.  It's InfoPorn.

Revisit And Relearn

An explainer from Carlos Maza at Vox - one I keep going back to.

White Like Me

This guy reversed the old experiment (Black Like Me), by creating an online persona so he could step into the shoes of an Alt-Right knuckle-dragger.

WaPo interview with Theo Wilson:

After engaging in endless sparring matches in the comments section, Wilson began to notice something curious: His trolls seemed to speak a language unto themselves, one replete with the same twisted facts and false history. It was as if they had all passed through some “dimensional doorway,” arriving from an alternative universe where history, politics and commonly accepted facts had been turned inside out.

There was the idea that slavery was a form of charity that benefited enslaved Africans; that freed blacks owned more slaves than whites before the Civil War; that people of color make up the majority of those receiving aid from America's safety-net programs; and that investor and philanthropist George Soros is funding protest movements like Black Lives Matter.

You mention that in their forums they're also seeking “answers” to questions. What are they trying to resolve?

In today's America, they're struggling to understand why they'll have less opportunity than their father's generation. They also want answers to basic questions about race in America, such as: What's the point of multiculturalism? Why can only black people say the “N” word? How is racism not over when LeBron James and Oprah have huge bank accounts? How is affirmative action anything other than reverse racism? Why shouldn't I be proud to be white if someone else is proud to be black?

You mention that they also have some “fair points.” What are they?

I think it’s a fair point that leftists are widely tolerant of all kinds of people, but are often quite hateful to those who honestly hold conservative values. There are people who actually believe in God with all their heart. There are people who cannot cognitively resolve a guy kissing a guy. It doesn’t mean they’re seconds away from a hate crime. There is a legitimate human need to want to hold on to tradition in any culture.
Mr Wilson at Tedx Talks

Yikes

From the front page of the Chicago Tribune yesterday:

So, there is actually a President Bartlet, and they call her Chancellor Merkel.

Angela Merkel has an undergrad in Physics & Physical Chemistry (1978 - Leipzig U), and a doctorate in Quantum Chemistry (1986 - German Academy of Science, Berlin).

Donald Trump can't even spell PhD.

WTF Moments

Rolling Stone

Standout: "The leaks are real. The news is fake."

I can say I've been a little impressed with the Press Poodles performing better than they've done before.  We still need to find the new Sam Donaldson, but they're starting to get up and push back.

The 45* Problem

Headlines at Vox this morning:

This is a very bad pattern.