February 24, 2021
It's been a tough week for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees, and one common denominator has emerged in the mounting gridlock: Joe Manchin. The West Virginia senator and so-called conservative Democrat has voiced opposition to Neera Tanden, Biden's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, as well as Deb Haaland for Interior secretary. Both nominations are historic. If confirmed, Tanden would become the first Asian American woman to fill the role; Haaland would become the first Native American to hold a Cabinet position. But Manchin, like several moderate Republicans, has taken issue with Tanden's record of supposedly mean tweets, which include calling Susan Collins "the worst" and comparing Mitch McConnell to Voldemort, the Harry Potter villain. These are two exceedingly staid, possibly even corny insults, particularly when compared to the cesspool of racist, sexist, and violent tweets we saw from the last White House occupant. But Manchin also has reservations about Haaland over her commitment to shift away from fossil fuels, though he seems to have already backed down, slightly. Manchin, who voted to confirm some of Donald Trump's worst nominees, including Brett Kavanaugh, Bill Barr, and Jeff Sessions, has since drawn condemnation for his resistance to two highly qualified women of color. He insists it's "nothing personal at all," but with a record of voting for ghouls only to oppose some dumb tweets, you've got to wonder what the hell is going on with Manchin. In the meantime, a vote on Tanden has been delayed, but the White House is still supporting Tanden. Let's see how things unfold in the next few days. —Inae Oh Advertisement    A snake pit. Severed fingers. COVID. A US immigration judge. BY ISABELA DIAS
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 SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE
Since Mar-a-Lago isn't going anywhere, let's skip town for Mars. Far away, on a planet less warped than one that elected Donald Trump and invented American cheese product, NASA has given us the first sounds ever recorded from the planet’s surface. Just as impressive is the first panorama from the rover. A recap of Mars music is in order: Mars Breslow, the jazz photographer, has a classic portrait of Ornette Coleman, and Mars Volta, the rock band, has a song fit for Mars. Bruno Mars, the singer, has one. And John Coltrane’s "Mars," from Interstellar Space, is transcendent. Here’s one from Branford Marsalis, who makes the cut because “Mars” is right there in his name and he's got a riveting live one of “Giant Steps.” It’s been a big time for the planet generally. Scientists recently cracked a mystery. Glaciers on Mars reveal many ice ages, offering a glimpse into its past and settling whether the planet has had just one ice age or multiple. Not that ice ages are paradise, but expanding our understanding of what's beyond us—beyond our news cycles, election cycles, supply chains, bicycle chains, chains of favorite restaurants—can sharpen our perspective by scaling our sense of space. And a new study finds that Earthly organisms could temporarily survive there. Mars, you know, is named after the Roman god of war, so, on that subject, heed this warning from astronomer Carl Sagan: “Mars has become a kind of mythic arena onto which we have projected our Earthly hopes and fears.” Careful where you plant your hopes and fears. And take my colleague Jackie Flynn Mogensen’s advice: “Stop Building a Spaceship to Mars and Just Plant Some Damn Trees.” Lastly, recall H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, in which Martians try to escape their dying planet by invading Earth. They appear to have succeeded. Welcome back to Earth. Sorry for the turbulent landing. Mar-a-Lago is on your right. Say hello at recharge@motherjones.com. —Daniel King Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by forwarding it to a friend or sharing it on Facebook and Twitter.
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