At this point we shouldn't be too surprised by any of the revelations coming out about the things the Trump Justice Department did, but the recent news that it went after the cellphone records for Democratic Congressmen Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell struck a personal note with me.
We had both men as guests frequently on "Newsroom," the weekly television news show at KQED, which is Northern California's major public media corporation, during the time in question.
As the executive supervising the show, I greeted Schiff and Swalwell and their aides when they arrived at the Green Room and chatted with them before we went into the studio to tape the interview.
You always get a different sense of people when the lights and microphones are off than when they are on the air.
Both guys are charming, in the way many politicians are -- personable, gracious, smart and well-spoken. They are ambitious but there are many Democratic stars in California, so they are also cautious about missteps when they are around media people.
I saw definite signs of improvement in their media performances over the years, as coaches stepped in to teach them how to stick with their talking points. Schiff seemed much more comfortable with national issues than state issues -- perhaps his media trainers had overlooked that part of his prep work.
TV is unforgivingly visual, so the men's appearance mattered more than it would in a print interview. Both dressed impeccably but Schiff is a rather wide-eyed fellow who occasionally got that "deer caught in the headlight" expression on the air.
I supposed that would create a ceiling on his long-term political prospects, although you never can tell, because it also makes him a bit endearing, almost naive-looking at times.
Swalwell, by contrast, has a more calculating look, can narrow his eyes and look more like the kind of an enemy the opposition researchers might take note of.
On a substantive level, as former prosecutors, both men are formidable questioners at hearings as they've demonstrated during their time in Congress.
So it didn't really come as a surprise to me, or to either of them, that Trump's J-Department hacks singled them out for special attention.
I'd summarize the impression I got from my visits with these two gentlemen this way -- I think I'd much prefer to be their friend than their enemy.
***
If you hang around with children long enough, they'll show you creative ways to express skepticism.
Case in point: A breakfast conversation I had with my 7-year-old granddaughter last month, not long after Mother's Day, which was on May 9th.
Often the two of us are the only ones in the dining room from around 7-8 a.m., when her parents are busy and her older siblings still asleep, or pretending to be. Such was the case on this particular morning.
One of the things we often do together is check on the date. She is just learning all kinds of skills, including how to tell time and keep track of upcoming events. Dates are a good way to practice math, as we did on 4-3-2-1, the sequence for April 3rd this year.
Or, if she feels bored after eating her breakfast cereal, I often suggest an art project, such as making a family member a birthday card or a card for some other special occasion.
"I know what you should do today," I told her. "Make your Mom a Mother's Day card!"
She didn't point out the obvious about my absurd suggestion, which is that Mother's Day had just happened. instead she got a peculiar look on her face and said to no one in particular:
"*That* day sure came around again fast!"
Realizing my error, I quickly recovered to say, "What I mean is you should make her a birthday card, you know."
"Ah," she said without expression.
A sardonic wit will suit her well.
***
Ever since I resolved the disruption that started a week ago with my posts, there appears to be a noticeable falloff in traffic to this page. Perhaps my writing has deteriorated (I would be the last to know), or everyone's left on vacation, or the algorithm really doesn't like me. Whatever the cause, this totally sucks.
The news:
* America may be ‘back’ at G7, but allies’ doubts about U.S. democracy linger (Reuters)
* Hunting Leaks, Trump Officials Focused on Democrats in Congress -- The Justice Department seized records from Apple for metadata of House Intelligence Committee members, their aides and family members. (NYT)
* Trump Justice Dept. secretly sought records of two House Democrats -- The move in 2018 to subpoena Apple for the data of Reps. Adam B. Schiff and Eric Swalwell, as well as the data of several of their current and former staffers and family members, came as part of an aggressive push by the Trump administration to hunt down leakers. (WP)
* Former President Donald Trump’s Justice Department reportedly seized records on a dozen people connected to two House Intelligence Committee Democrats in an effort to find out who leaked classified information about Trump’s relationship with Russia to reporters. The spying reportedly targeted Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), the House committee’s top Democrat at the time of the subpoenas and currently its chair, and Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.), a committee member. [HuffPost]
* DOJ seeks internal probe on seizure of Democrats’ data (AP)
* Christian group tied to Justice Amy Coney Barrett faces reckoning over sexual misconduct (WP)
* Starbucks, Flush With Customers, Is Running Low on Ingredients -- At locations across the country, there have been complaints about shortages of key ingredients for popular drinks, breakfast foods and even cups, lids and straws. (NYT)
* Al Gore pressed Biden to stick with climate plans as liberals fear White House is softening its agenda (WP)
* Amazon Could Be Forced to Shed Assets Under Bill--The House bill could mandate structural separation of the e-commerce giant and other big tech companies that Congress spent 15 months investigating as part of an inquiry into their size and power. (WSJ)
* In a no-holds-barred rebuke of the federal judge who overturned California’s three-decade-old assault weapons ban, Gov. Gavin Newsom lambasted U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez as a “stone-cold ideologue” and shill of the gun industry. The state will appeal the ruling. [HuffPost]
* Ex-Mossad chief signals Israel attacked Iran nuclear assets (AP)
* Mapping the destruction left by Israeli strikes on Gaza --Data released by the U.N. this week shows that it could take years for Gaza to rebuild after the Israeli bombings in May. Along some 140 square miles, 459 buildings were destroyed or damaged. (WP)
* As U.S. Withdraws, Afghan Interpreters Fear Being Left Behind (NYT)
* Dreams of Hazara children snuffed out in attack on school (AP)
* FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers that companies shouldn't make ransomware payments to hacking groups, even as major companies in the past month have participated in multimillion-dollar transactions to get their systems back online. Such payments can encourage more cyberattacks and victims may not get their data back, Wray said. [AP]
* Elite German Police Unit Disbanded Over Far-Right Group Chat -- The move against the unit in Frankfurt is the latest by German authorities to clamp down on a rise in far-right networks in several state security units and in the military. (NYT)
* Alan Hostetter, a police chief turned yogi, was indicted along with Three Percenter extremists in a conspiracy to attack the Capitol. “Some people, at the highest levels, need to be made an example of: an execution or two or three,” he says in a recording he made of his thoughts. [HuffPost]
* Men Said to Be Tied to Three Percenters Movement Are Charged in Capitol Riot --The indictment marks the first charges lodged against conspirators linked to the radical gun rights group or involved with planning any of the political events held the week of the attack. (NYT)
* China’s children may be next in line for COVID-19 vaccines (AP)
* What You Need to Know About the Delta Variant --The COVID-19 variant that has ravaged India is now spreading in the United States, and some public health experts have warned that it could interfere with the progress we’ve made toward our return to normalcy. Preliminary reports suggest the Delta variant is more transmissible (up to 40% more than the original form of the coronavirus from 2019). There have also been anecdotal reports that it causes more severe illness and bizarre symptoms like gangrene and hearing loss. The Delta variant only seems to be a real issue in people who are unprotected; those who’ve been fully vaccinated appear to have sufficient protection against this variant. This is likely why the Delta variant became such a problem in India, where the vaccination rate was (and is) low. People who previously had COVID-19 also appear to similarly be protected. Evidence has found that though antibody levels drop after infection, another part of our immune system — the cell-mediated immune response — can kick into action. (HuffPost)
* PG&E Warns of More Blackouts During California’s Wildfire Season -- The state’s largest utility said a new shut-off criteria and California’s dry weather conditions could lead to more power cuts than in 2020, especially if seasonal winds are as strong as they have been in recent years. (WSJ)
* Illinois Restaurants Reopen At 95% Capacity After Factoring In Quarantine Weight Gain (The Onion)
***
(That's life)
That's what all the people say
You're riding high in April, shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change that tune
When I'm back on top, back on top in June
(That's life)
And as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks
Stomping on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down
Cause this fine old world, it keeps spinnin' around
A pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing
Each time I find myself
Flat on my face
I pick myself up and get
Back in the race
(That's life)
I tell you, I can't deny it
I thought of quitting, baby
But my heart just ain't gonna buy it
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try
I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly
A pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing
Each time I find myself layin'
Flat on my face
I just pick myself up and get
Back in the race
(That's life)
That's life and I can't deny it
Many times I thought of cutting out but my heart won't buy it
But if there's nothing shaking come this here July
I'm gonna roll myself up
In a big ball and die
My, my
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