Skimming headlines

MAGA is coming at us fast and hard. Political opposition will be attacked. People just doing their jobs, like federal prosecutor Jack Smith, will be attacked. Pipsqueaks in opposition like me are presumably under the MAGA radar and probably relatively safe. I hope.

1. Two Presidents, Two Policies, One Superpower: America in Transition (not paywalled) -- Even as President Biden brokers a cease-fire in Lebanon, President-elect Donald J. Trump is running his own foreign policy without waiting to be sworn in. -- Without waiting to be sworn in, President-elect Donald J. Trump effectively declared a trade war this week by announcing that he would impose tariffs on America’s friends, Canada and Mexico, as well as its rival China on Day 1 of his administration. The next day, President Biden strode into the Rose Garden to announce an agreement to end more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Perplexity:

Q: Is it illegal for citizens to conduct foreign policy?

A: The legality of citizens conducting foreign policy in the United States is primarily governed by the Logan Act, a federal law that prohibits unauthorized private diplomacy with foreign governments. .... Violating the Logan Act is classified as a felony, punishable by up to three years in prison and/or fines. However, it has rarely been enforced since its inception, with only two known indictments and no convictions.

2. Inside the Plastic Industry’s Battle to Win Over Hearts and Minds -- Documents leaked from an industry group show how plastics companies are pushing back against a “tide of anti-plastic sentiment.” .... A trove of documents leaked from an influential industry group shows how some of the world’s largest petrochemical and plastics companies have been waging a campaign to push back against a “tide of anti-plastic sentiment” — especially among young people concerned about the environment. The industry group, the National Association for PET Container Resources, or NAPCOR, worked to deliberately obscure its connection to the campaign and make its content “authentic and from the creators’ viewpoints,” the documents show. .... despite being recyclable, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) remains a major source of plastic waste and microplastics, those extremely small pieces of plastic debris.

Pro-plastic pollution influencer on TikTok

praising plastics and lying about recycling

Another TikToc influencer lying to people

3. Trump tied migrant entries and fentanyl to tariffs. Here are the facts. (not paywalled)-- Neither his claim that border crossings are an unchecked “invasion” nor his depiction of drugs pouring across an unguarded border has any basis in federal data. .... Donald Trump’s claim that illegal border crossings are out of control — which was among the reasons he cited for the tariffs he said Monday he plans to enact against Mexico, Canada and China — is contradicted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection data showing lower levels of crossings this fall than during the final months of Trump’s first term.

Comment: Note the reference to federal data. Here is my 11/13/24 prediction about federal data: Federal data collection functions will be (i) stopped entirely, or (ii) almost completely kept from the public, and spun into lies when the data is inconvenient. (That was a Ronald Reagan tactic -- I think he invented it)

4. Did Merrick Garland Blow It? Left-wingers Blame AG as Trump Charges Dropped -- Merrick Garland, who leads the DOJ, has now faced backlash for not moving forward with the investigation quickly enough, including waiting until November 2022 to appoint Smith as special counsel. Others have said this delay ultimately led to Trump winning the 2024 election and being allowed to reenter the White House next year.

Comment: No, Garland did not blow it. He wanted to protect DJT and he succeeded. Garland helped put DJT in power. Those left-wingers now complaining are still clueless. Un-fracking-believable.

5. Ty Cobb says Trump has no ‘legitimate way’ of going after Smith’s team -- “They have vowed, certainly he has vowed, and others, you know, involved in the transition team have vowed vengeance with regard to the prosecutors and … the agents. Of course, they didn’t do anything wrong, and there’s really nothing to pursue them about,” Cobb told CNN’s Erin Burnett.

Comment: Cobb is clueless. DJT has made it very clear that he is perfectly willing to use illegitimate ways to get what he wants, vengeance in this case, if there isn't a legitimate way. After all, DJT will be immune from essentially all crimes (federal and apparently state) he commits while in office. When his thugs break laws, he will just pardon them. My Dog, how out to lunch are most of DJT's critics? Very far out as far as I can tell. I have to fight the urge to call 'em idiots.