Oh wait hold the phone we have to stop being pleased that Kamala Harris is VP. It’s transphobic to be pleased! Stop it at once or I’ll tell the authorities.

Maybe it’s satire. Is there any chance it’s satire?

Well, you see, he’s a white guy.

Downing Street has said it is up to Joe Biden how he decorates the Oval Office, after it was reported that a bust of Winston Churchill, lent by the UK government, has been removed.

“The Oval Office is the president’s private office, and it’s up to the president to decorate it as he wishes,” Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said, adding: “We’re in no doubt about the importance President Biden places on the UK-US relationship, and the prime minister looks forward to having that close relationship with him.”

Really; they’re allowing us to decide how we decorate our own rooms? I’m overwhelmed by the magnanimity.

Johnson’s relaxed attitude is in marked contrast to his criticism of Barack Obama, when the former president moved the Churchill bust aside.

Writing in the Sun in 2016, Johnson, then London mayor, and the author of a Churchill biography, called Obama’s decision a “snub,” suggesting it may have been because of “the part-Kenyan president’s ancestral dislike of the British empire”.

He did. I posted about it at the time.

I guess the Irish Biden’s ancestral dislike of the British empire is more acceptable to Johnson than the “part-Kenyan Obama’s.”

Yes that must be it.

NBC News reporter says:

Translation: they set off the metal detectors, which means they could be armed, which is a big no-no after the insurrection just 15 DAYS AGO.

I would like to know that myself.

James Kirkup on the Care Quality Commission’s reports on the gender identity services offered by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust:

The CQC describes an NHS facility that — until last month — put vulnerable children on a pathway to the use of untested medicines and life-changing interventions, sometimes without keeping proper records proving consent for treatment or demonstrating the reasons for that treatment. An NHS service where staff were afraid to raise concerns about procedure and practice for fear of ‘retribution’ from their employers. An NHS service that failed to ask fundamental questions about the growing number of vulnerable children being presented for treatment.

It all sounds so old-fashioned, in the most literal sense, doesn’t it? Like the fashion for lobotomies, or bleeding.

These CQC conclusions are a significant vindication of a small but important group of people who have been raising concerns and questions about the Tavistock and its Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) for several years…

The accounts of these whistleblowers have not been welcomed by people who should have listened. In some cases, the Trust appears to have sought to penalise them…

For reference, this is what the CQC concluded about the Trust and GIDS’s approach to staff members raising concerns about its services:

Staff did not always feel able to raise concerns without fear of retribution. Some staff, particularly those in non-clinical roles, said there was a fear of blame within the service. This meant they were reluctant to raise concerns.

Oddly enough.

The CQC report resoundingly vindicates the journalism of good reporters such as Hannah Barnes and Deborah Cohen at BBC Newsnight, who have investigated the GIDS in the face of resistance. It also shows that a ‘shoot the messenger’ culture around trans issues can do real harm. For several years, anyone raising doubts about the GIDS ran the risk of being accused of transphobic bigotry, something that undoubtedly meant it has taken longer than it should have done for the failings of the clinic to be brought to light and (hopefully) addressed.

Hopefully indeed.

Yesterday I watched Anderson Cooper interview Amanda Gorman, the Youth Poet Laureate who blew everyone away at the inauguration. I was interested and impressed by what she was saying, and then suddenly I was some step beyond that, which I don’t know what to call but was about realizing that “Daaaaaamn this 22-year-old is doing what very few long-term adults can do who even is this” – and very soon after that Anderson Cooper ran out of cool and said more or less the same thing. (“You’re awesome!” were his exact words.)

The thing she was doing that suddenly struck me all of a heap was talk extemporaneously with barely a trace of fumble or filler words or backtracking or clumsiness or anything else that would differ from reading an elegant argumentative essay aloud. That is hard to do. She wasn’t just talking fluff, either.

She’s a stunner.

The Executive Order:

Section 1.  Policy.  Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love.  Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports. 

Wait a second. What do we mean by “whether they will be denied access to the restroom”? Everybody is denied access to one of the two multi-user restrooms, because they are sorted by sex, because there are some men and boys who just will use opportunities like public restrooms with incomplete partitions to peer at or photograph or assault women. Women don’t want to share multi-user toilets with men. The same set of facts applies to locker rooms. A different but related set of facts applies to school sports. Sports and toilets are sex-sorted for various (but well known and obvious) reasons, and keeping it that way doesn’t result in children who don’t have access, it results in male children who still are not allowed to intrude on female children. The female children have rights too.

Discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation manifests differently for different individuals, and it often overlaps with other forms of prohibited discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race or disability.  For example, transgender Black Americans face unconscionably high levels of workplace discrimination, homelessness, and violence, including fatal violence.

That reads more like Twitter than adult legal reasoning.

It’s odd, because Biden is a very conservative Democrat. There’s none of this going way out on a limb over the wealth gap, or a genuine publicly funded national health system, or lobbying, or public housing – but somehow letting men play on women’s soccer teams is red-hot urgent?

It’s nuts.

So that’s why Trump put a whole bunch of trump hacks in the Pentagon after he lost the election.

The Pentagon blocked members of President Joe Biden’s incoming administration from gaining access to critical information about current operations, including the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, upcoming special operations missions in Africa and the Covid-19 vaccine distribution program, according to new details provided by transition and defense officials.

By “the Pentagon” here they mean civilian management, not the military.

The effort to obstruct the Biden team, led by senior White House appointees at the Pentagon, is unprecedented in modern presidential transitions and will hobble the new administration on key national security matters as it takes over positions in the Defense Department on Wednesday, the officials said.

The senior White House appointees are also new appointees, appointed for sheer spite, as well as perhaps to help with the military coup if the opportunity arose.

Biden openly decried the treatment his aides were receiving at the Pentagon in December, calling it “nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility” after meetings were canceled ahead of Christmas. He said his people were denied information on the SolarWinds hack, and said his team “needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies.”

They must have been doing that because Trump told them to. Trump told them to apparently because he hoped to stay in power with their help. Who knows what goes on in that liquefying brain.

But people involved with the transition, both on the Biden team and the Pentagon side, gave POLITICO a more detailed picture of what was denied, saying briefings on pressing defense matters never happened, were delayed to the last minute, or were controlled by overbearing minders from the Trump administration’s side.

…

Tensions between the Pentagon and the Biden agency landing team emerged almost the moment the General Services Administration authorized the transition to begin in late November after an initial delay following the election. While the military side of the house — the Joint Staff and the geographic combatant commanders — were more cooperative, the civilian side set up roadblocks at every turn.

“They really should not be allowed to get away with this. It’s just completely irresponsible and indefensible,” said one transition official. “To play politics with the country’s national security is just really unacceptable.”

They had to, they had a lot of bodies to hide.

So the Biden people find that Trump just dropped that whole vaccine distribution thing as if it were a rotting rabbit carcass.

The Biden administration has promised to try to turn the Covid-19 pandemic around and drastically speed up the pace of vaccinating Americans against the virus. But in the immediate hours following Biden being sworn into office on Wednesday, sources with direct knowledge of the new administration’s Covid-related work told CNN one of the biggest shocks that the Biden team had to digest during the transition period was what they saw as a complete lack of a vaccine distribution strategy under former President Donald Trump, even weeks after multiple vaccines were approved for use in the United States.

“There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch,” one source said.

Another source described the moment that it became clear the Biden administration would have to essentially start from “square one” because there simply was no plan as: “Wow, just further affirmation of complete incompetence.”

Complete incompetence coupled with complete indifference.

Andrew fucking Jackson is gone.

President Biden has filled the Oval Office with images of American leaders and icons, focusing the room around massive portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt that hangs across from the Resolute Desk. It is a clear nod to a president who helped the country through significant crises, a challenge Biden now also faces.

…

Biden is also nodding to segments of the Democratic Party’s base via historic references. Behind the Resolute Desk is a bust of Cesar Chavez. The office also includes busts of Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and sculpture by Allan Houser of the Chiricahua Apache tribe that once belonged to the late Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) — the first Japanese-American elected to both houses of Congress.

Why talk about segments of the party’s base? Why not just say they’re activists and symbols of social justice? Why translate that into dopy insider jargon about “the base”? It’s good that busts of Cesar Chavez and Rosa Parks are there, especially after Trump’s murderous white guys, so how about not tainting it with cynical base-wooing bollocks.

A painting of Benjamin Franklin is intended to represent Biden’s interest in following science. The painting is stationed near a moon rock set on a bookshelf that is intended to remind Americans of the ambition and accompaniments of earlier generations.

I think “accompaniments” is supposed to be “accomplishments.”

Gone are the flags of branches of the military that Trump displayed behind the Resolute Desk. Biden has installed an American flag and another with a presidential seal.

From sojers to union organizers.

Not such a cheerful inauguration day for Joseph Biggs.

A Proud Boys leader caught on camera storming the U.S. Capitol with a pro-Trump mob has been arrested and charged for participating in the deadly insurrection.

Joseph Biggs, a top organizer with the white nationalist organization, has been slapped with three charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, for his role in the Jan. 6 riots.

Prosecutors say the 37-year-old Florida resident is a “self-described organizer” of the Proud Boys, which describes itself as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world; aka Western Chauvinists.”

Biggs can be seen in several videos and photos taken inside the Capitol building, including one where someone shouts out his name. In the video, Biggs pulls down his face mask and declares, “This is awesome,” according to a criminal complaint.

The complaint against Biggs says he was seen on Jan. 6 with “a group of people that hold themselves out as Proud Boys” on the east side of the Capitol. The men were dressed “incognito”—instead of donning the Proud Boys colors of black and yellow, Biggs was “wearing glasses and a dark knit hat, is dressed in a blue and grey plaid shirt,” according to the court papers.

Videos and photos show the men marching down Constitution Avenue during the riots, chanting “Fuck antifa!” and “Whose streets? Our streets!” When the group reached the Capitol, Pezzola broke a window with a clear plastic shield before a swarm of rioters—including Biggs—entered the building, authorities said.

But Trump said he could.

It’s another not-Trump, but since it has been Trump for all this time let’s enjoy the not-Trump now that we can.

Trail of Tears guy out; good.

This is more than not-Trump; a lot more.

And does it in the building that was a scene of violence, intimidation and death just two weeks ago. Take that, haterz.

Lots of fizzled protests out there.

Police were on high alert in state capitals around the U.S. Sunday, after warnings that pro-Trump extremists might attempt to storm legislatures similar to the assault on the U.S. Capitol last week. But at many statehouses and capitols, security and the media outnumbered protesters.

One, Trump wasn’t there. Two, getting arrested probably doesn’t look so attractive any more. Three…ohIdon’tknow, whohastheenergy.

In Denver, the Colorado Capitol’s lower windows were covered in anticipation of possible unrest — but hardly anyone showed up on Sunday. “I’m really surprised. I figured there’d be more than this,” a supporter of President Trump told Colorado Public Radio.

Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.

In Lansing, where protesters swarmed Michigan’s Capitol building last May and a plot against the governor was uncovered in recent months, Sunday’s protest was deemed “eclectic, but small and dull” by Michigan Radio. Events remained quiet, despite some demonstrators bringing their guns to the protest.

…

There was “relative quiet at the Oregon State Capitol,” according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, despite the arrival of a small group of armed demonstrators. The group included members of the extremist “boogaloos” movement, who are known for advocating for a new civil war.

But advocating for a new civil war goes a little flat when hardly anybody shows up for the advocamations.

“A couple dozen armed demonstrators gathered at the Texas Capitol on Sunday,” member station KUT reports, adding that the group said they had come to spread a “message of individual liberty.” But not many people were around to hear it, as the grounds were closed.

Individual liberty, man. They stayed home. Those beers aren’t going to drink themselves.

In Florida, the Capitol in Tallahassee was mainly populated by a range of law enforcement agencies and journalists, according to member station WFSU — which reports a man as he rode by on a bicycle called out, “It’s a beautiful day! Nothing happening here!”

There are a number of possible explanations for the smaller than expected protests – including that some right-wing activists are reluctant to congregate at a time when police are looking for any sign of trouble and the FBI is vigorously seeking people to face charges related to the assault in Washington.

Yes but it’s seriously also that Trump was not there, so 1. he was not a draw, and 2. he did not whip them into a rabid frenzy by screaming at them through a microphone.

And so then the crowd didn’t form so there wasn’t the crowd energy to feed off. Protests and rallies always carry that risk with them, including the ones with benign motivations and goals. I think it’s quite possible that some of the people who took part are now feeling terrible about it, and wondering what the hell they were thinking.

Two weeks ago today a lot of us were not expecting what happened. Today…

It’s a day to rejoice, it’s a day to breathe a massive sigh of relief, it’s a day even to celebrate. It’s not a day to congratulate ourselves. That day is a long way off.

Like this.

I admire Norm Eisen, but I reject that punchline “America.” It would be pretty to think so, but no. We remember what happened there just two weeks ago, and we know the people who did it are still out there, along with a lot of allies who didn’t make it to the Capitol but nevertheless think the insurrection was awesome. No, we’re not All Better Now. No, Trumpism has not received its death blow. No, this isn’t all over. No, we don’t now stand for all that is good and just and reasonable and decent. It’s not that easy.

Ok this made me laugh:

In a subdued, discursive speech on a windy tarmac, Trump made glancing references to his accomplishments in office but seemed bitter at his loss.

“I hope they don’t raise your taxes, but if they do, I told you so,” he said.

Aides had prepared a speech for the President that included references to the incoming administration and more gracious language about a peaceful transition, according to a person familiar with the matter.

But Trump discarded the speech, and teleprompters were removed from the stage before he arrived at Joint Base Andrews.

“What’s all this more gracious shit, fuck that, being more gracious is for pussies, fire the pussies who wrote this.”

President Biden is now officially the 46th president* of the United States of America.

*Only 45 people have been president, Grover Cleveland counts as both 22nd and 24th.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 20, 2021

It’s done.

Joe Biden has been sworn in as president, bringing an end to four years of Donald Trump’s leadership in Washington.

Biden was sworn in by supreme court chief justice John Roberts, and his wife, Dr Jill Biden, held the Bible as he took the oath.

It’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over.

He’s been dumped out on Florida and that’s his last trip on the big important plane yaboosucks.

As former presidents arrived at the Capitol for Joe Biden’s inauguration, Air Force One touched down in Florida.

Donald Trump did not go back to the press cabin to talk to reporters during his trip down to Florida, according to the White House pool.

Trump will be the first president in more than 150 years to not attend the inauguration ceremony of his successor. His vice-president, Mike Pence, is in attendance.

It’s great that he’s breaking precedent by sulking this way; it makes him look so wise and balanced and not at all warped by conceit and entitlement and narcissism hahahahahahaha

People were laughing.

One could almost imagine the credits rolling on a screen as Donald Trump and his family departed on Air Force One toward Florida, the morning sun gleaming down on the plane as Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” – a popular funeral song – played at Joint Base Andrews, where Trump delivered his farewell speech.

“The soundtrack that we continue to hear throughout these scenes is surreal, perhaps surreally appropriate,” noted CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on live TV as the plane could be seen preparing for takeoff, his co-anchor laughing.

You’re dead to us Donnie.

We’re resetting.

Senator Amy Klobuchar celebrated today as a new start for the country, two weeks after the Capitol was attacked by a violent mob.

“This is the day when our democracy picks itself up, brushes off the dust and does what America always does — goes forward,” the Democratic senator said.

Mind you, so does everyone else, because going backward isn’t an option, but never mind, it’s over it’s over it’s over. In 16 minutes.

It seems Trump managed to do one decent thing in the final hours, by using most of those pardons on people who were serving excessive sentences. But of course he also pardoned Bannon.

The vast majority of the pardons and commutations on Trump’s list were doled out to individuals whose cases have been championed by criminal justice reform advocates, including people serving lengthy sentences for low-level offenses.

Here’s an idea: let’s stop dealing out long prison sentences for low-level offenses.

Over the course of Tuesday, Trump continued to contemplate pardons that aides believed were settled, including for his former strategist. The President continued to go back and forth on it into Tuesday night, sources told CNN.

Then he did the wrong thing.

The January 6 riots that led to Trump’s second impeachment have complicated his desire to pardon himself, his kids and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and a source close to the process said those are no longer expected.

40 minutes. Just 40 minutes and the nightmare is over.

Pliny says sure Trump should get the intel briefings.