When I heard that dozens, then hundreds, of packages were being dropped off at a home in Northern Virginia, I knew who sent them: You.
Washington
Senate Republican says Washington Post op-ed suggested ‘open rebellion’ against US
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) announced Wednesday that he sent a letter to officials demanding answers to an op-ed published by The Washington Post that he said suggested an “open rebellion” against the U.S.
Vance sent the letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a response to the Nov. 30 column written by a Post contributing editor Robert Kagan, which warns readers, “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable,” and, “We should stop pretending.”
“Based on my review of public charging documents that the Department of Justice has filed in courts of law, I suspect that one or both of you might characterize this article as an invitation to ‘insurrection,’ a manifestation of criminal ‘conspiracy,’ or an attempt to bring about civil war,” Vance’s letter said.
Kagan argued that former President Trump will be the Republican presidential nominee, and disapproving Republicans will fall in line.
“Votes are the currency of power in our system, and money follows, and by those measures, Trump is about to become far more powerful than he already is,” Kagan wrote.
Kagan argues that a second Trump presidency is likely and the road to dictatorship is possible.
In an announcement, Vance argued that Kagan’s piece said another Trump presidency would justify succession, treason and political violence.
“According to Robert Kagan, the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency is terrible enough to justify open rebellion against the United States, along with the political violence that would inevitably follow…” Vance’s announcement said.
Vance asked Garland and Blinken to respond to several questions by Jan. 6, 2024. He asked if the Department of Justice (DOJ) would open an investigation into Kagan, if the department agrees with the author that blue states like California and New York can “be free to flout the federal government.” Vance asked how the DOJ distinguishes between heated political rhetoric and evidence of a conspiracy, and if Kagan’s words might intimidate voters in the next election.
The Hill has reached out to Vance for further comment on his letter.
According to a spokesperson for the Post, the organization stands by Kagan’s “thoughtful essays.”
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Washington
Perspective | A final column from someone who has seen the power of local journalism
“An ENTIRE AMAZON TRUCK just arrived for the Little Yellow Free Pantry,” Susan Thompson-Gaines wrote me at one point.
After that delivery driver left, another pulled up, then another, until at one point, more than 350 packages filled her house. In those boxes were enough jars and cans and other containers of food to keep the neighborhood pantry outside her home stocked for a long while. Also in them: notes that made it clear those packages were in honor of a mysterious donor I had told you about in a column.
Washington
Washington Nationals news & notes: MacKenzie Gore Ks 8 in seven strong; Nats beat Mariners, 6-1 in series opener…
GORE STRIKES OUT 8 IN 7 IP:
MacKenzie Gore gave up a leadoff home run on the second pitch he threw in last night’s game, a 97.1 MPH fastball J.P. Crawford hit 399 ft. to center field to start the series in the nation’s capital. It was the only run, and one of just four hits, which Gore allowed overall, going seven strong in the start, which ended up being a seven-inning, 98-pitch outing in which he struck out eight and walked just one batter.
Nationals’ batters provided plenty of support for their starter, with Luis García, Jr. hitting a three-run home run in the fourth, Keibert Ruiz hitting a two-run home run in the sixth, and finally Eddie Rosario homering in the eighth as Washington ran away with the first of three against Seattle in Washington, D.C.
Gore gave up a two-out single in the second, a two-out walk in the third, a leadoff single in the sixth, and another one in the seventh, but stranded all four runners to reach base after the homer, generating 17 swinging and 18 called strikes on the night, with eight whiffs and 10 called strikes on his four-seamer, which he threw 55% of the time, averaging 96.9 MPH on the pitch, and mixing in his curve (26%; 6 whiffs, 5 called strikes), changeup (10%, 2/2), and slider (9%; 1/1).
The Nationals’ southpaw talked after the latest turn in the rotation about moving on quickly after the leadoff home run.
“You never want to lead off a game with a homer, but just [focus on] the next guy,” Gore told reporters after earning his 3rd win (3-4, 3.04 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 2.87 BB/9, 10.46 K/9, 0.84 HR/9 in 53 1⁄3 IP), as quoted by MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato.
“What had happened had happened,” he said.
“After that [home run], he controlled the game really good,” catcher Keibert Ruiz said after guiding the lefty through his outing. “He executed the plan.”
“You hope that it is [a long outing]; you hope that things don’t blow up,” Davey Martinez said in his own postgame presser:
“But as he got to that fourth inning and I’m watching his pitch count, I’m watching what he’s doing, I thought then that he can go deep in this game, which would be great. And he did. Going seven innings is really good, especially for our bullpen. We’ve got a lot of games coming up, so we’re going to need our starting pitchers to go a little deeper in games.”
“He was attacking the strike zone,” Martinez said when asked what was working for his left-handed starter.
“He got early outs. He pitched really, really well. I mean, his fastball was electric. He threw breaking balls when he needed to, but he really worked ahead.”
Gore’s curve was particularly effective late in the outing, the manager said.
“He started getting through it a little bit better later in the game. That sometimes happens when he gets a little tired, that you’re able to focus and get the ball down a little bit better, but a lot of times the fastballs will tend to creep up, and the breaking balls will tend to go down a little bit. That last pitch he threw was phenomenal.”
The final pitch was a 3-2 curve to Jorge Polanco which got the Mariners’ infielder swinging for the eight strikeout of the night for the Nationals’ starter.
“After throwing two fastballs, throwing a curveball like that was pretty good.”
Washington
Mariners’ Legend Meets Up with Team in Washington D.C. Ahead of Series Opener
Former Seattle Mariners’ outfielder Mike Cameron paid the team a visit in Washington ahead of the series opener with the Nationals.
Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 had the information on “X:”
Mike Cameron just showed up. His first visit since the start of the season. Needless to say, the clubhouse just got loud.
First and foremost, Cameron still works for the Mariners on special assignments, so he always makes a few appearances per year, which is great to see. Secondly, it’s always fun to see alumni come back to support the organization and to connect with the players. That isn’t the case in every organization but the M’s do a good job (mostly) at allowing alumni access to players and coaches.
Cameron really did the impossible for most Mariners fans: replace Ken Griffey Jr. in centerfield. After Griffey was traded to the Reds in 2000 for Cameron and a slew of others, Cameron became a fan favorite instantly. Over his four years with the M’s, he helped the team get to the playoffs twice, and made the All-Star Game in 2001. He won two Gold Gloves with the M’s over those four years and hit 25 homers in both 2001 and 2002.
In addition to the Mariners, he also played with the Chicago White Sox, Reds, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins over his 17-year career.
He won three Gold Gloves in total, stole 297 bases and was a .249 career hitter.
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