No Shoes, No Shirt, No Servitude

Congressional Follies, Walk 'n Talk Therapy

Again and again, our national sanity hangs on by a shoestring. Even when there's no shoe. The House GOP's long-promised plot to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas failed in shocking manner last night. Usually, a House Leader doesn't call everyone to the floor unless they're sure they have the votes. But this is not a usual House. Even by today's standards, the impeachment vote was weird, as it was doomed by a surgical strike. Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas was unexpectedly wheeled onto the House floor from surgery, with no shoes, to vote against the impeachment, resulting in "a shocking loss for Republicans." These guys can't even do corruption right. If irony weren't dead, this would be a good time to point out that the GOP is trying to impeach Mayorkas for his failure to secure the border during the same week they scuttled the bipartisan deal that they negotiated to secure the border because Donald Trump told them it would be bad if something good got done while Biden is president. Shortly after the impeachment debacle, the House looked to pass a standalone bill to support Israel (Israel, Ukraine, and border funding were previously tied together). That bill failed, too. It's all enough to make one laugh, as long as one isn't an American ally like Ukraine, fighting a war and desperately waiting for funding. Putin's probably laughing though...

+ "The paralysis left the fate of aid to Ukraine and Israel in peril, closing off what had been seen as the best remaining avenue on Capitol Hill for approval of critical military assistance to U.S. allies. A broad measure that includes both is expected to fail in a Senate test vote Wednesday, raising immediate questions about whether Congress could salvage the emergency aid package — and if so, how." NYT (Gift Article): Dysfunction Reigns in Congress as GOP Defeats Multiply.

+ Here's the latest on the Senate vote on the border bill and foreign aid package. You can assume it will result in another punch (to the gut) line.

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Walk Therapy

"Dr. Schreiber-Pan is one of a growing number of therapists who are taking their therapy sessions outdoors and, in some cases, training other counselors to do the same. They say that combining traditional talk therapy with nature and movement can help clients feel more open, find new perspectives and express their feelings, all while helping them connect with the outside world." The only time I'd camp is if I were being chased. But the idea of connecting therapy with physical, outdoor activity seems like a few thousand steps in the right direction. NYT (Gift Article): Therapists Trade the Couch for the Great Outdoors.

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London Falling

"He got decent grades and excelled at tennis and cricket. Occasionally, he brought friends home, and they appeared to be nice kids. But Zac was becoming more fixated on wealth. He’d been interested in cars since childhood, and now expressed embarrassment at his family’s humble Mazda. Like many adolescent boys, he developed a fascination with gangsters, watching documentaries about figures from the London underworld, among them the homicidal twins Reginald and Ronald Kray. He loved movies about guys on the make, such as 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and 'War Dogs,' which tells the true story of two young men in Florida who became international arms dealers." Then his life became the stuff of movie scripts, but with a sadder ending. The excellent Patrick Radden Keefe in The New Yorker: A Teen’s Fatal Plunge Into the London Underworld. "After Zac Brettler mysteriously plummeted into the Thames, his grieving parents discovered that he’d been posing as an oligarch’s son. Would the police help them solve the puzzle of his death?"

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Getting the Picture

Let's take a momentary pause from news and politics and check out two inspiring photo collections. First, the winner and finalists of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Awards. (The polar bear has become my laptop wallpaper.) And the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 celebrate childhood joy and fiery festivities.

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Extra, Extra

Colorado's Rocky Road: "On Thursday, the justices will hear arguments in Trump’s appeal of a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that he is not eligible to run again for president because he violated a provision in the 14th Amendment preventing those who 'engaged in insurrection' from holding office. Many legal observers expect the nation’s highest court will reverse the Colorado ruling rather than remove the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination from the ballot." Trump’s presidential bid hangs in the balance in a Supreme Court case that’s broken new legal ground. (We've broken enough legal ground. Let's get back to reinforcing it.) Meanwhile, Trump's grip on the GOP remains locked. In Nevada, Nikki Haley just got beat by none of the above. And RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel told Trump she'd resign as chair. McDaniel, who previously dropped Romney from her name at Trump's request, was squeezed out by him. Oh, and three-quarters of Republicans back Trump being ‘dictator for a day.'

+ Cease the Day: "Surrendering to Hamas’ delusional demands that we heard now not only won’t lead to freeing the captives, it will just invite another massacre." Netanyahu rejects Hamas’ demands, complicating efforts toward a cease-fire and hostage-release deal.

+ News of Great Import: "The United States bought more goods from Mexico than China in 2023 for the first time in 20 years, evidence of how much global trade patterns have shifted."

+ Bundle Up: Big Media Circles the Wagons On Sports to Fend Off Tech Giants — Will It Work? "Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox to launch a joint streaming venture that has rights to the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football and NCAA March Madness basketball." All your TV on one service and you can just flip through channels? Sounds familiar.

+ Big Brother Tucker: "Tucker Carlson is interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reaction has been apoplectic." (Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin for viewing on Elon Musk's platform. As with Trump, the problem hasn't been exaggerated, it's been understated.)

+ CFOMG: "The elaborate scam saw the worker duped into attending a video call with what he thought were several other members of staff, but all of whom were in fact deepfake recreations." Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with deepfake chief financial officer.

+ PDA: "There were no social media sites to chronicle their every move, no midgame television shots inside packed luxury suites, no cable news shows to chew over the potential political implications of their relationship. But nearly 75 years before the connection between pop music icon Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce became a public obsession, Americans were similarly infatuated with the growing romance of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio." Before Taylor and Travis, there was Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. And before that, there was John Montgomery Ward and Helen Dauvray.

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Bottom of the News

"Butter chicken is among India’s most famous culinary exports. The fragrant, creamy curry has been adapted into pizzas in the U.S., a poutine topping in Canada and a pie filling in Australia. There is a 'World Butter Chicken Day.' Now butter chicken is at the center of a saucy real-life drama roiling India. The bone of contention: Who invented the dish?" WSJ (Gift Article): The Bitter Brawl Over the Origin of Butter Chicken. "Dueling grandsons. A 3,000-page court filing." (Putting a lot of butter on anything to make it great is always a genius move.)