The Evening Blues - 6-17-22



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: J.T. Brown

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features Chicago blues saxophone player J.T. Brown. Enjoy!

J. T. Brown & Jeremy Spencer - Black Jack Blues

“The art of our necessities is strange
That can make vile things precious.”

-- William Shakespeare


News and Opinion

Biden Saudi visit is ‘presidential pardon for murder’

Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia and meeting with its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is “the equivalent of a presidential pardon for murder”, according to Khalid Aljabri, the son of the exiled former senior Saudi intelligence officer Saad Aljabri.

The US president once vowed to make Saudi Arabia “a pariah” after the death of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist whose 2018 murder was ordered, according to US intelligence. But this week the White House announced that Biden will meet the crown prince in Jeddah at the end of a four-day trip in July – a development described by Saudi human rights activists as a “betrayal”.

“Biden [has] made it clear that there won’t be any direct consequences for MBS for murdering Khashoggi. Unfortunately, [the visit] is the equivalent of a presidential pardon for murder, and MBS would perceive it as the Biden-issued license to kill more Khashoggis,” Aljabri told the Guardian. ...

Aljabri’s father, Saad Aljabri, was a senior aide to Mohammed bin Nayef, the former crown prince who was deposed in a 2017 palace coup. He fled to exile in Canada, where he has become an outspoken critic of the crown prince.

Aljabri’s younger sister and brother, Sarah and Omar, remain imprisoned in the kingdom after being arrested in March 2020 in Riyadh airport en route to the United States, where they planned to attend university.

Punished for Exposing War Crimes? U.K. Approves Assange Extradition to U.S., Faces 175 Years

As losses mount in war with Russia, US floods Ukraine with weapons

With the Ukrainian military losing territory and taking hundreds of casualties every day, the United States has made clear that it will only intensify its involvement in the war. In a press briefing Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said the United States would provide another $1 billion in weapons to Ukraine, including additional long-range missile systems.

The two officials explained that not only are high-end US weapons systems being funneled into Ukraine, but hundreds of Ukrainian forces are being directly trained by the US. Milley made clear that the US military is training long-range missile crews by the platoon in Germany and added, “By the end of this month, we will transfer HIMARs systems, ammunition and trained crews for operational use in the defense of Ukraine.” ...

In the face of questions by reporters on whether US weapons shipments were sufficient to turn the tide of the war, Milley boasted that the US and its allies had delivered nearly 100,000 anti-tank systems, “That’s more than there are tanks in the world. “They asked for 200 tanks; they got 237 tanks,” he continued. “They asked for 100 infantry fighting vehicles; they got over 300. We’ve delivered, roughly speaking, 1,600 or so air defense systems and about 60,000 air defense rounds.”

He added, “We have also provided over 1,500 Stingers, more than 700 Switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems, 20 Mi-17 and thousands of small arms and hundreds of thousands of small arms ammunition.” ...

In all of these discussions among media and foreign policy pundists, US involvement in the war in Ukraine is placed within the framework of a looming US war with China. Stephens concludes, “But if the war ends with Putin comfortably in power and Russia in possession of a fifth of Ukraine, then Beijing will draw the lesson that aggression works. And we will have a fight over Taiwan—with its overwhelming human and economic toll—much sooner than we think.”

Siemens, Nord Stream 1 exposes clueless Western leaders. Xi, Putin and SPIEF

‘Are We Ruled by Idiots?’

Ukraine suffering up to 1,000 casualties per day in Donbas, official says

Up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are being killed or wounded each day in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, with 200 to 500 killed on average and many more wounded, a top Ukrainian official said on Wednesday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 1 that 60 to 100 Ukrainian troops were being killed daily as Russia stepped up its Donbas offensive. Over the past two weeks that number has climbed significantly according to David Arakhamia, who leads Ukraine's negotiations with Russia and is one of Zelensky's closest advisers.

Ukraine has recruited one million people into the army and has the capacity to recruit two million more, Arakhamia said, so it has the numbers to continue the fight in Donbas, where Russia has been gradually gaining territory.

Putin dismisses 'stupid' Western sanctions 'blitzkrieg'

China's Holdings of U.S. Treasuries Skid to 12-Year Low; Japan Also Cuts Holdings

China's holdings of U.S Treasuries tumbled in April to their lowest since May 2010, data showed on Wednesday, with Chinese investors likely cutting losses as Treasury prices fell after Federal Reserve officials signaled sizable rate hikes to temper soaring inflation.

Chinese holdings dropped to $1.003 trillion in April, down $36.2 billion from $1.039 trillion the previous month, according to U.S. Treasury Department figures. China's stock of Treasuries in May 2010 was $843.7 billion, data showed.

The reduction in Treasury holdings may also have been aimed at diversifying China's foreign exchange holdings, analysts said.

The Chinese sales contributed to a drop in overall foreign holdings of Treasuries in April that helped propel yields higher. U.S. benchmark 10-year Treasury yields started April with a yield of 2.3895%, and surged roughly 55 basis points to 2.9375% by the end of the month.

Japan's holdings of U.S. Treasuries fell further in April to their lowest since January 2020, amid a persistent decline in the yen versus the dollar, which may have prompted Japanese investors to sell U.S. assets to benefit from the exchange rate.

Israeli Cops Won't Be Punished for Attack on Shireen Abu Akleh's Funeral

No Israeli police officers will be punished, despite brutally assaulting mourners at last month's funeral procession for slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a leading newspaper in Israel reported Thursday.

According to Haaretz, the decision to not hold any police commanders or officers accountable for their misconduct during Abu Akleh's May 13 funeral was made in advance of the official investigation.

As thousands of mourners made their way through occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli police attacked the cortege with batons, stun grenades, and tear gas, while stealing Palestinian flags from mourners and smashing the window of the hearse carrying Abu Akleh's coffin. At one point, officers assaulted pallbearers carrying the casket, nearly causing them to drop it to the ground.

"We all saw Israeli police beat Palestinian pallbearers and mourners in Shireen Abu Akleh's funeral procession," the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian rights tweeted. "There's video evidence of their brutal violence."

"We all know what happened," the group added, "and we demand accountability for Israel's murder of Shireen Abu Akleh."

Israeli police claimed the mourners did not have permission to carry Abu Akleh's casket on foot.

"Obviously the images that emerged were unpleasant and could have been different, but overall the police acted well in a complex and violent incident," one senior officer told Haaretz. ...

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate claims Abu Akleh was the 86th journalist to be killed while covering Israeli oppression since the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem were occupied in 1967.

Phyllis Bennis and Richard Falk of the Institute of Policy Studies called Abu Akleh's killing "part of a longer pattern of Israeli violence and collective punishment—not just against journalists but against all Palestinians — committed with impunity and rationalized by trumped-up 'security' concerns."

Key Democrat warns of major security risk if US firm acquires NSO hacking code

An influential Democratic lawmaker has said any deal by a US company to acquire NSO Group’s surveillance technology would pose a serious national security risk, and suggested that any intercepts obtained with the software by US intelligence agencies would end up in Israeli hands.

The remarks by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who chairs the finance committee and is known for being a strong supporter of privacy rights and a critic of government-sanctioned spying, come after the Guardian and media partners reported that the US defence contractor L3Harris was in talks to acquire NSO’s hacking technology.

People familiar with the talks have said that any acquisition of NSO’s controversial hacking tools – which are alleged to have been used by NSO’s government clients to commit human rights abuses – would mean that the spying tools would only be permitted to be used by US agencies and close American allies: the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and possibly some Nato countries.

Wyden said in a statement to the Guardian: “If the US plans on using foreign-made surveillance technology, it might as well bcc the country that produces it on every intercept. It’s a serious national security risk, similar to the concerns associated with using foreign communications technology. The White House is right to raise concerns about this deal.”

NSO was placed on a blacklist by the Biden administration last November, after the commerce department found that the company’s activities had acted contrary to the interest of the US.

U.K. Gov’t Ordered Censoring Of YouTube Videos – Leaked Emails

Key US baby formula plant closes again as ‘torrential storms’ cause flooding

Severe weather sweeping through the US midwest has forced the plant that produces much of America’s baby formula to shut down again, once again putting a chokehold on the country’s struggling baby formula supply chain.

Abbott Laboratories, the US’s largest baby formula manufacturer, closed down production in its main plant in Sturgis, Michigan, on Thursday, because of flooding caused by “torrential storms”.

In a statement, Abbott said: “Abbott has stopped production of its EleCare specialty formula that was underway to assess damage caused by the storm and clean and re-sanitize the plant. We have informed FDA and will conduct comprehensive testing in conjunction with the independent third party to ensure the plant is safe to resume production. This will likely delay production and distribution of new product for a few weeks.”

The development occurred almost two weeks after Abbott resumed operations, following the original shutdown in February when an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found contamination at the plant.

When pressed on Thursday in a White House briefing for a timeline for when US store shelves will be filled with formula again, the press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said she could not provide one.

NEITHER Party Has An Actual Plan To Combat Inflation: David Sirota

To Ease Pain at the Pump, Biden Urged to Declare Emergency Halt of US Oil Exports

With gas prices surging to unprecedented levels across the United States, President Joe Biden on Thursday faced fresh calls to use his authority to temporarily halt crude oil exports that—in addition to damaging the climate—have contributed significantly to rising costs at the pump.

In 2015, the Republican-controlled Congress crammed into an omnibus spending bill a provision that ended the four-decade ban on U.S. crude oil exports, a decision backed by the oil and gas industry. Democratic President Barack Obama signed the measure into law despite pushback from climate advocates.

On Thursday, more than six years after the export ban was lifted, the Wall Street Journal reported that a "rapid rise" in the nation's fuel exports this year "has helped push gasoline prices to a record $5 a gallon and is pressuring U.S. prices of natural gas, which hit the highest levels in over a decade earlier this month."

"In recent months, companies and commodities traders have shipped more U.S. gasoline and diesel to Latin America and other foreign markets, reaping higher prices than the fuel could fetch domestically," the Journal noted. "The jumps in fuel shipments abroad are further draining U.S. inventories that were already languishing at low levels after output cuts during the worst of the pandemic."

That news came as no surprise to Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program. In 2015 congressional testimony, Slocum warned that lifting the crude oil export ban would "erode surplus domestic stockpiles and allow domestic oil producers to sell oil overseas for higher prices than what they are able to charge domestically," resulting in "higher gasoline prices for U.S. motorists and small businesses."

In a statement on Thursday, Slocum said "unfortunately this is happening today"—but stressed that Biden has the tools necessary to mitigate the pain.

Specifically, the 2015 law that lifted the oil export ban contains a provision giving the president the power to "impose export licensing requirements or other restrictions on the export of crude oil from the United States for a period of not more than one year, if the president declares a national emergency and formally notices the declaration of a national emergency in the Federal Register."

"It's time for the president to act, declare an emergency on behalf of working families, and limit exports of petroleum," said Slocum. "Record oil and natural gas exports have realigned the U.S. fossil fuel industry to prioritize maximizing profit for international markets, turning them away from serving the American consumer or providing energy independence. They cannot be relied upon to deliver affordable energy, as their calls to expand production will only fuel exports and drive domestic prices higher."

Long-term US mortgage rates see biggest one-week jump in 35 years

Average long-term US mortgage rates had their biggest one-week jump in 35 years with the Federal Reserve this week raising its key rate by three-quarters of a point in an effort to tame high inflation.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported on Thursday that the 30-year rate climbed from 5.23% last week to 5.78% this week, the highest its been since November of 2008 during the housing crisis.

Wednesday’s rate hike by the Fed was its biggest in a single action since 1994.
The brisk jump in rates, along with a sharp increase in home prices, has been pushing potential homebuyers out of the market. Mortgage applications are down more than 15% from last year and refinancings are down more than 70%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Those figures are likely to worsen with more Fed rate increases a near certainty. The Fed’s unusually large rate hike came after data released last week showed US inflation rose last month to a four-decade high of 8.6%.

Criminal Defense Attorneys Warn About Impacts of Roe Reversal

With the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing majority expected to overturn Roe v. Wade any day now, criminal defense attorneys are preparing to defend a flood of clients facing abortion-related charges—and warning about the looming decision's likely consequences.

That's according to an NPR report from Thursday, which includes an interview with Lisa Wayne, executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), that aired earlier this week.

While the NACDL does not take a political position on abortion, Wayne said that "our legal concern is to make sure that we are sounding an alarm bell about the wave of expansive prosecutions that we are certain will follow any significant curtailment or reversal of Roe v. Wade."

Referencing recently enacted laws in states like Texas and Oklahoma that target people who aid and abet abortions, and the potential for similar legislation elsewhere in the future, Wayne warned that "we're talking about the doctors performing them, the friends, the parents, the boyfriends. All of those people will be exposed to criminal penalties, which opens up the floodgates to overcriminalization and mass incarceration."



the horse race



Nearly Half STRONGLY DISAPPROVE Of Biden As WH Flirts With Gas Rebates Amid Soaring Prices

Bernie Sanders Already Pledges Support For Biden In 2024



the evening greens


California delays Joshua Tree protections as experts say time is running out

California officials have deferred a decision on whether to list the western Joshua tree as a threatened species after hours of public comment and debate this week ended in a deadlocked vote.

Scientists predict that the spiny-crested fixtures of the high desert are unlikely to survive through the end of the century due to global heating. By 2100, only 0.02% of the tree’s current habitat in Joshua Tree national park would remain viable amid unmitigated climate change, according to a 2019 study published in the journal Ecosphere.

If officials eventually do choose to protect the tree under the state Endangered Species Act, it would be the first time a species has been listed primarily due to threats from climate change.

After a lengthy discussion on Thursday, the state’s divided four-member fish and game commission said it will reconsider a petition to protect Joshua trees under California’s Endangered Species Act in October.

In the meantime, the trees are protected conditionally, and officials have directed the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to pursue a conservation plan for the trees, with input from environmentalists, Indigenous Americans and developers.

Thousands of cattle dead due to heatwave in Kansas

The record-breaking heat sweeping across the US is having a deadly effect on livestock, with Kansas reporting 2,000 cattle dead.

This week, the National Weather Services (NWS) predicted extreme heat on parts of the Gulf coast and spreading to the Great Lakes in the midwest, with more than 100 million Americans advised to stay inside to fight the heat.

Kansas has also been hard hit and will continue to be. The state is among the top three producers of beef in the country, where there are twice as many cows as people, and beef is among its top exports.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), heatwaves in the US have steadily gone up by frequency, duration and intensity in four decades since the 1960s.

It says the annual number of heatwaves rose from two in the 1960s to six in 2010s. Heatwave seasons now accumulate more days than in past decades: whereas in the 1960s the heatwave season would last about 20 days, by the 2010s it reached 70 days on average.

How millions of lives can be saved if the US acts now on climate

The rapidly shrinking window of opportunity for the US to pass significant climate legislation will have mortal, as well as political, stakes. Millions of lives around the world will be saved, or lost, depending on whether America manages to propel itself towards a future without planet-heating emissions. For the first time, researchers have calculated exactly how many people the US could save by acting on the climate crisis. A total of 7.4 million lives around the world will be saved over this century if the US manages to cut its emissions to net zero by 2050, according to the analysis.

The financial savings would be enormous, too, with a net zero America able to save the world $3.7tn in costs to adapt to the rising heat. As the world’s second largest polluter of greenhouse gases, the US and its political vagaries will in large part decide how many people in faraway countries will be subjected to deadly heat, as well as endure punishing storms, floods, drought and other consequences of the climate emergency.

“Each additional ton of carbon has these global impacts – there is a tangible difference in terms of death rates,” said Hannah Hess, associate director at the research group Rhodium, which is part of the Climate Impact Lab consortium that conducted the study. “There’s a sense of frustration over the lack of progress at the national level on climate but every action at state or local level makes a difference in terms of lives.”

The lab’s new “lives saved calculator” uses a model of historical death records and localized temperature projections to come up with an estimate for the number of lives saved if emissions are eliminated. The analysis just looks at lives at risk from extreme heat, meaning the true climate toll would be higher due to other growing threats such as flooding and strong storms.


Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

The Mainstream Worldview Is Self-Evidently Bullshit: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

Ukraine KIA 500-1,000 A Day

Last Tango in Washington?

Trudeau Is Lying - Canadian Air Patrols Near China Are Not On 'UN Mission'


A Little Night Music

J T Brown - Round House Boogie

J.T. Brown - Boogie Baby

J.T. Brown - Give Her Plenty Of Money To Spend

J.T. Brown - Sax-ony Boogie

Nature Boy Brown - Blue Blues Boogie

J.T. Brown - Windy City Boogie

J.T. "Nature Boy" Brown - You Stayed Away Too Long

J. T. Brown - Strictly Gone

Jeremy Spencer & J. T. Brown - Madison Blues

Memphis Jimmy with J.T Brown's Boogie Band - Jimmy's Jump

J T Brown - Walking Home

J. T. Brown with Fleetwood Mac - I'm Worried

Elmore James w/JT Brown - Baby What's Wrong


Share
up
16 users have voted.

Comments

Pricknick's picture

is already putting on his sheepdog costume.
I'm sure it fits wonderfully.

up
11 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

@Pricknick

very disappointing to see how he has cowed to the overlords

Bye bye bernie bye bye ..

up
12 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@Pricknick

heh, it must fit perfectly. after all, the democrats have a team of highly-compensated tailor/consultants make fresh alterations to it with every election cycle.

up
10 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

“Biden [has] made it clear that there won’t be any direct consequences for MBS for murdering Khashoggi. Unfortunately, [the visit] is the equivalent of a presidential pardon for murder, and MBS would perceive it as the Biden-issued license to kill more Khashoggis,”

Not after he and Obama prosecuted 9 whistleblowers who have laws protecting them and especially after he continued Trump’s persecution of Julian Assange who Trump’s administration planned on murdering with the help of the UK. FJB and the corvette he rode in on!

Kudos to Lavrov

The Blinking idiot said that Zelensky has given his word that long range weapons wouldn’t be used against Russia. Zelensky then said he would use them against Russia after all. I’m sure that the Blinken will tell him that there will be consequences if he does. I’m more sure that Putin will send his own message to Blinken and Zelensky.

Roe was leaked so that people could start getting used to the idea that abortion will be illegal in most red states. It would have been worse if it just came out after the decision. HuffPost has been telling us all week that it’s a done deal.

up
8 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

lavrov is a pretty impressive spokesperson, his responses to hostile interviewers are quite good.

heh, i guess zelensky's word isn't worth much. on the other hand, i suspect that russia's willingness to let such an incursion pass again is pretty limited. i would expect that zelensky would pay a heavy price for his insolence. with blinken, putin just needs to let the current elites keep running america - that is punishment enough.

i would expect that the release of the roe decision will be used to cover for other awful decisions which the new majority is all too interested in making. watch out for decisions that are released right around the time roe is announced.

up
8 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

Gawd it’s past time people understood this.

up
7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg Carlson is correct, Dore is correct. Right Carlson, left Dore. And they agreed RIGHT DOWN THE LINE that it is the 1% against the 99%.
Neither my lefty nor my righty pals that actually watch that show, the 99%, would would hug one another. We need to get more media attention to the fact 99% of us are in the same sinking boat!

up
11 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

that was an awesome segment that jimmy did, and tucker carlson should get credit for just letting jimmy speak his truth. i'm not a big fan of carlson, but sometimes he gets some things right.

up
12 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

happy Friday night. I wonder how much grief Jimmy is going to get at his live show venues for that bit on Faux. Hope he stays safe. Cool jam session with Jimmy Rogers and friends that popped up as "next up" on one of the J.T. Brown videos, https://youtu.be/nR4Pxhvjr5s, heh.

I disagree with Sirota, however. Biden has a plan, he just can't ever remember it. The oligarchs plan, of course, is to suppress wages and eliminate the social safety net. (Nobody ever said that it had to be a workable plan, ya know.)

be well and have a good one as well as a wonderful weekend.

up
11 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

joe shikspack's picture

@enhydra lutris

jimmy has been going on faux for a while, so the shitlibs are pretty aware of it and would probably avoid jimmy's shows, i would think. on the other hand, i'm sure that they will attack him mercilessly on the interwebs.

biden has always planned to cut social security and medicare. i figure that such a lifelong ambition is not the sort of thing that biden is going to forget even in his current state of decrepitude. if he can get the republicans to "force" him to do it, so much the better in his scrambled mind.

anyway, thanks for the link and have a great weekend!

up
11 users have voted.

and tunes.
The planned steaks grilling didn't happen. We had a hard rain. Much needed, no complaints. I thought of all the thirsty vegetation in my yard, how they would jump after being watered, and this really goofy song came to mind.
It is GOOFY. But it came to my renowned sane brain:

up
8 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

joe shikspack's picture

@on the cusp

sorry to hear about the demise of your planned dinner. rain in texas sounds like a good thing generally speaking, though.

have a great weekend!

up
7 users have voted.

A comment at MoA on Germany's New law:

Chronicles of Democracy.

“Thanks to Putin for removing the Nazi regime and Ukraine will become free again,” wrote a German resident of the city of Saarbrücken, pasting a piece of paper to her window. Now Clara Schumacher is facing three years in prison for words of support for a Russian special operation in Ukraine. The pensioner has already been officially charged under the article “Encouragement and approval of criminal acts”(!).

Oh, mr. Orwell, if you only knew...

Posted by: alaff | Jun 17 2022 19:01 utc | 71

up
7 users have voted.
lotlizard's picture

@Linda Wood  
— the same arrogant, authoritarian, moralizing, elite bullshit they had before, just with different code-words and symbols, and a more extravagantly funded marketing propaganda and entertainment industry. Occupation continues, only with Yanks (“Amis”) replacing Russians.

Thus, many here vote for what, for all its flaws, is the only real opposition in Germany at the moment, the AfD, compared to voters in the former West German states.

https://dawum.de/

up
6 users have voted.