January 2, 2026

Akhilleus asked in today's Comments, "Has the MAGAsphere, Fox, Islamaphobes, white supremacists, democracy hating bloggers, or Fat (fickle) Hitler called for his resignation, arrest, imprisonment, deportation, or bludgeoning yet?" Well, there's this: ~~~

~~~ Liam Stack & Jeffery Mays of the New York Times: “The government of Israel accused Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York of antisemitism on Friday, following his decision the day before to cancel two executive orders issued by his predecessor that had barred city agencies from boycotting Israel and defined some criticism of Israel as antisemitic. New York City is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, and the statement, made on social media by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was an extraordinary accusation of anti-Jewish animosity leveled at the new mayor of that city by the leadership of the Jewish state. 

“'On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,' the Foreign Ministry wrote on X. 'This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.' Israel’s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, amplified that attack, saying Mr. Mamdani’s decision posed 'an immediate threat to the safety of Jewish communities in New York City and could lead to an increase in violent antisemitic attacks throughout the city.'... On Friday, a coalition of major Jewish organizations ... issued a joint statement opposing the cancellation of the executive orders.”

Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: “William J. 'Bill' Martin, director of the Valentine museum in Richmond, [Virginia,] died after being struck by a car Dec. 27.” An obituary of sorts worth reading. The link is a gift link.

Babak Dehghanpisheh & Colin Sheeley of NBC News: "... Donald Trump vowed Friday to intervene if Iran shoots or violently kills peaceful demonstrators, as economic protests spread and evolved into deadly unrest. If Iran 'kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,' Trump said in an overnight post on Truth Social. Senior Iranian officials fired back, warning that U.S. intervention would spark regional chaos and make American forces in the Middle East 'legitimate targets.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Here's a screenshot of Trump's 3 am social media post. This is how the "Peace President*" conducts "diplomacy." (Never mind that Trump was willing to "shot" U.S. protesters against his government, at least if they are likely to be people of color.) ~~~

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Matthew Purdy of the New York Times: “In the 1970s, Congress passed a raft of laws to hold the White House accountable.... [Donald] Trump has decided they don’t apply to him.... From the opening days of his second term, President Trump took aim at Watergate’s ethical checkpoints as if in a shooting gallery. First, he fired 17 inspectors general, a job established in the Watergate era to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse in government. He also fired the head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency created by legislation in 1978 legislation to protect government whistle-blowers. Then he fired the director of the Office of Government Ethics, created around the same time to guard against financial conflicts of interest by top government officials. And he has used the Justice Department and the F.B.I. as political tools, roles they worked to shed after Watergate.... He has removed barriers that might slow his pursuit of a highly personal presidency — punishing opponents and rewarding allies and financial backers while also reaping profits for family businesses that intersect with his powers as president.” The link is a gift link.

Annie Linskey, et al., of the Wall Street Journal: Donald “Trump is taking more aspirin than his doctors recommend. He briefly tried wearing compression socks for his swelling ankles, but stopped because he didn’t like them. And he regrets undergoing advanced imaging because it generated scrutiny of his health.... Trump, 79, the oldest man to assume the presidency, is showing signs of aging in public and private, according to people close to him. Yet he has at times eschewed the advice of his doctors and scoffed at the medical community’s widely accepted health recommendations, relying instead on what he calls his 'good genetics.'... Trump gets little sleep and has recently struggled to keep his eyes open during several televised events in the West Wing. Aides, donors and friends say they often have to speak loudly in meetings with the president because he strains to hear....

“He has for weeks said that he underwent an MRI at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October. When asked about the procedure by the Journal, Trump and his doctor said he got a different form of imaging: a CT scan.... His physical signs of aging are becoming more evident to some of his closest advisers. His skin is so delicate that Pam Bondi, now his attorney general, caused his hand to bleed when she nicked him with her ring while giving him a high-five at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.” Via Scott Lemieux. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Here's a precious sentence from the report: “Trump veers from topic to topic in his lengthy public statements, and sometimes makes factual errors.”  

     ~~~ Marie: If the link above doesn't work for you, try using the link in Lemieux' post. If you don't have a WSJ subscription, in order to read the article, you probably will have to collapse a nearly-full-screen ad for WSJ subscriptions.

Dan Diamond & Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: “The White House is moving to install Trump-aligned appointees to a commission charged by Congress with reviewing Washington’s public art and national memorials, seeking members likely to clear the way for ... Donald Trump’s controversial ballroom and other projects. The White House is expected to invite past Trump appointees to rejoin the Commission of Fine Arts, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss those plans.... White House officials have also considered appointing Trump loyalists with little formal arts expertise.... Beyond the ballroom, the commission is expected to review future projects that would shape Washington’s landscape, including a planned triumphal arch.”

The Puppets' Dilemma. Nicholas Nehamas, et al., of the New York Times: “The government of Russia has made a formal diplomatic request that the United States stop its pursuit of an oil tanker that had been sailing for Venezuela and is now fleeing the Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The request was delivered late on New Year’s Eve to the State Department, said the people, who discussed the diplomatic message on the condition of anonymity. It was also sent to the White House’s Homeland Security Council, one of the people said.” MB: Oh, what is Putin's No. 1 U.S. Puppet to do? Will Little Mario displease No. 1 Puppet? (Also linked yesterday.) 

John Bowden of the Independent highlights some of Jack Smith's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. ~~~ 

~~~ Marcy Wheeler: "Jim Jordan tried to bury the Jack Smith deposition in a News Years Eve document (and video) dump. Perhaps that’s because the funniest answer Smith gave (after already explaining why he had obtained subpoenas for the phone records of members of Congress, which was, in part, because Boris Ephsteyn and Rudy Giuliani were using two phones that day) was that Jim Jordan’s toll records were important because Jordan called the White House on January 6 because he was scared [of Trump's mob that was bearing down on Congress]. Wheeler goes through a good deal of the Q&A. It's worth reading because it's much less dense than Wheeler's usual deep dives and she does highlight some significant testimony. ~~~

     ~~~ Eric Tucker of the AP: “'The evidence here made clear that President Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit. The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him. The other co-conspirators were doing this for his benefit,' Smith said.... Part of the strength of the Jan. 6 case, Smith said, was the extent to which it relied on the testimony of Trump allies and supporters who cooperated with the investigation. 'We had an elector in Pennsylvania who is a former congressman, who was going to be an elector for President Trump, who said that what they were trying to do was an attempt to overthrow the government and illegal,' Smith said. 'Our case was built on, frankly, Republicans who put their allegiance to the country before the party.' Accounts from Republicans willing to stand up against the falsehood that the election had been stolen 'even though it could mean trouble for them' created what Smith described as the 'most powerful' evidence against Trump. When it came to the Capitol riot itself, Smith said, the evidence showed that Trump 'caused it and that he exploited it and that it was foreseeable to him.'” ~~~

~~~ Sarah Burris in AlterNet: "The video of a closed-door interview with former special counsel Jack Smith was released at the end of the day, New Year's Eve, but it hasn't stopped legal analysts from walking through some of the most important details.... Legal analyst Allison Gill ... noted that she understands now why Jordan [-- the committee chairman --] wanted to bury the interview.... 'The whole time Jim Jordan had the microphone, which was a long time,'  Gill began, 'he winged about the toll record thing where the members of Congress against the 'Speech or Debate Clause' got their phone records subpoenaed by Jack Smith, and it should be against the law. And every time Jack Smith was like, yeah, that's cool, bro, but it's not against the law, and the courts agreed. So, we did it. And if you have a problem, guess what? You make laws.... Gill also pointed out a key point in the Smith probe about Rudy Giuliani, who Smith's team asked whether he believed his 2020 election lies. Giuliani confessed he didn't 'and that neither did Donald Trump.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you've watched the deposition, or long chunks of it, you know that there's only one camera, and it's focused on Smith & his attorney. (I think this is pretty standards for depositions.) Yet some of the villains in this story are in the room. I should love to have seen reactions to Smith's testimony by Trump collaborators like Jim Jordan when the poker-faced Smith dispassionately but convincingly skewers them, both directly and indirectly. 

Steve M. on the GOP messaging machine: "...  most people think the Republican Party is a personality cult led by a man who's experiencing age-related decline and alienating millions of voters. But the Republican Party is more than just Trump. In this story [of Minnesota daycare fraud], he's following the lead of younger Republicans.... It doesn't matter that the ... federal investigation of this fraud started in 2021, the year Joe Biden became president. Republicans have a propaganda machine that can mold the truth, one that doesn't rely on Trump. When Republicans think they have a good story, everyone in the party works together."

Let's Dance. The Ghoul & the Puppy-Killer Celebrate. Brendan Rascius of the Independent: “The architects of ... Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown were seen dancing to 'Ice Ice Baby' at the president’s New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago — triggering a wave of criticism online. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem were captured on video singing along as Vanilla Ice performed the hit 1990 tune to a crowd of party goers. In the video, Miller can be seen impassively mouthing the lyrics before the camera pans to Noem, who loudly chants 'Ice Ice Baby' while pointing her arm in the air.... Many saw the not-so-subtle nod to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as tone-deaf, cruel and cringeworthy.” Here's the 11-second video, which Miller's wife uploaded. MB: They don't know they're monsters.

Heather Cox Richardson recounts the history of Ellis Island, which opened for business January 1, 1892. MB: It's a good thing Donald Trump can't read, because if he read Richardson's essay, he would send the wrecking balls right down the National Mall to knock the head off the gigantic likeness of Abraham Lincoln.    

More "Achievements" to Celebrate. On Bluesky, Dr. Peter Hotez reprises Bobby Kennedy Jr.'s "accomplishments" (in less than a year). Pretty staggering. Thanks to RAS for the link.:

Ali Swenson of the AP: “Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight [December 31/January 1], cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year. Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue. Moderate Republicans called for a solution to save their 2026 political aspirations.... Donald Trump floated a way out, only to back off after conservative backlash. In the end, no one’s efforts were enough to save the subsidies before their expiration date. A House vote expected in January could offer another chance, but success is far from guaranteed. The change affects a diverse cross-section of Americans who don’t get their health insurance from an employer and don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare — a group that includes many self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers and ranchers.”

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New York. Dana Rubenstein of the New York Times: “Zohran Kwame Mamdani ... was publicly sworn in as New York City’s mayor on Thursday. In his first speech as mayor, before a shivering crowd of thousands outside City Hall, Mr. Mamdani sought to immediately assure New Yorkers that he intended to carry out his affordability agenda, and that he would refuse to 'reset expectations' for what government can and should deliver for the working class and the unprotected.... 'I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,' he said — and as a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who did not support him.... The star-studded ceremony at City Hall featured two avatars of the progressive wing of American politics who had helped propel Mr. Mamdani to the mayoralty: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ... delivered opening remarks, and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont administered the oath of office, with Mr. Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, resting his hand on two Qurans held by his wife, Rama Duwaji. The message from the stage was unmistakable: In New York City, the left is ascendant. And to national Democratic leaders struggling to regain the party’s footing, Mr. Mamdani’s victory and the excitement surrounding it may suggest a path forward.” ~~~

     ~~~ The second link above is to a New York Times transcript of Mamdani's speech. You can watch the speech in this YouTube video. ~~~

     ~~~ Talya Minsberg of the New York Times: “Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on New Yorkers to celebrate the moment as their own inauguration on Thursday during opening remarks at Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ceremonial swearing-in. 'It is the people of New York City who have chosen historic, ambitious leadership in response to untenable and unprecedented times,' she said. 'New York, we have chosen courage over fear. We have chosen prosperity for the many over spoils for the few.' Ms. Ocasio-Cortez first endorsed Mr. Mamdani in June 2025 and rallied voters in the months before the election.” Here's YouTube video of AOC's remarks. ~~~

~~~ Deanna Garcia of New York 1: "On his first day as mayor, Zohran Mamdani signed executive orders that aim to address housing in the city Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn.... According to a news release, the orders will revitalize the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and create two new task forces that aim to speed up housing construction, get New Yorkers into homes faster and increase supply by identifying city-owned properties." ~~~

~~~ Paul Krugman looks at the livability of New York City. He runs down some stats that surprised me.

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Ben Hubbard, et al., of the New York Times: “At least one person has been killed in Iran in clashes between protesters and the security forces, Iran’s state-run media and activist groups said on Thursday, as the government sought to quell demonstrations fueled by financial woes. The government identified a man killed in a protest late Wednesday as a 21-year-old member of a militia that works alongside the security forces. A rights group countered that, saying that he had been among the protesters. Semiofficial news outlets and a rights group described violence and other deaths during a protest in the western city of Lordegan on Thursday, but it was not possible to immediately verify those claims. On Wednesday, protesters threw objects at a government building complex in Fasa, in south-central Iran, and then shook its gates until they opened. President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday said the Iranian government urgently needed to address people’s concerns.”