Grumpy Editor

CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE OVERDUE, WARNS L. A. TIMES

Following the major earthquake in Turkey-Syria, the Los Angeles Times warned a major shaker is overdue in California, notes Grumpy Editor.

It mentioned an earthquake the size of the one that made headlines last week would bring devastation and death to Southern California, citing "A quake as strong as magnitude 8.2 is possible on the southern San Andreas fault and would bring disaster to all of Southern California simultaneously, with the fault rupturing from near the Mexican border to Monterey County.

“Such an earthquake would cause widespread damage from Palm Springs to San Luis Obispo — and everything in between,” it added.

Among the impacts, the report mentioned:

• Death toll could be among the worst for a natural disaster in U.S. history: nearly 1,800.
• Los Angeles County could suffer the highest death toll, more than 1,000, followed by Orange County, with more than 350 dead.
• Nearly 50,000 could be injured.
• Main freeways to Las Vegas and Phoenix that cross the San Andreas fault would be destroyed.
• Some 500,000 to 1 million people could be displaced from their homes.
• Southern California could be isolated for some time, with the region surrounded by mountains and earthquake faults.
• Major utilities such as gas, power and cell service would likely be severely compromised.

California’s most famous earthquake was the epic 1906 shaker from the San Andreas fault that smacked San Francisco.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

BEER SALES SOAR WITH SUPER BOWL GAME. For the Super Bowl game yesterday, it is estimated that nearly half (47 percent) the viewers purchased beer for the high viewership match.

 

NORTH KOREA SHOWS OFF LONG-RANGE NUCLEAR MISSILES.  A North Korea military parade showcased many long-range nuclear missiles to illustrate the country is producing missiles than can cross the Pacific.

 

WOODPECKERS STORE 700 POUNDS OF ACORNS IN HOME.  A pair of woodpeckers in Sonoma County, California, stored a massive 700 pounds of acorns in the walls of a home.  The birds entered through a hole in the attic.

 

GOLDEN RETRIEVERS FLOOD STREETS IN GOLDEN, COLO.  Over 1,000 Golden Retrievers gathered in appropriately-named Golden, Colo., and strolled the streets for an annual event called “Goldens in Golden,” which honors National Golden Retriever Day.

 

WORLD WAR II BOMB EXPLODES IN ENGLAND.   A World War II bomb exploded in Great Yarmouth, England, on Friday as workers attempted to defuse it.  Luckily, no one was injured in the unplanned detonation.

 

AUTO RENTALS REGAIN STRONG DEMAND.   Hertz Global Holdings reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, aided by strong demand for rental cars with improved hotel and airline bookings.

NAVY PLANS TO BUILD 82 SHIPS BY 2026

Not widely covered by media, the Defense Department announces the Navy plans to build 82 ships by 2026 at a cost of $147 billion, notes Grumpy Editor.

The shipbuilding plan includes three attack submarines, four large unmanned surface vessels, development of light amphibious warships and retirement of most of the Navy's current cruisers.

Observers  say the ambitious plan, based on a classified study presented to Congress earlier this month, will likely initiate a battle in Congress between the Navy and other U.S. service branches over funding.

"The plan calls for a larger fleet of both manned and unmanned vessels prepared to face greater challenges on, above or under the sea, by accelerating submarine construction, modernizing aircraft, extending the service life of cruisers and increasing the number of destroyers," says David L. Norquist, deputy secretary of defense.

The Defense Department adds, “The Navy will still sail proven, traditional capabilities, such as attack submarines, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and air wings, and logistics forces, but the study also looked at building more small multi-mission combatants.”  

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

POPULATION, MEDIAN AGE EDGE UP.  U.S. population increased about 8 percent --- to 332.6 million people --- over the past decade, reveals the Census Bureau.   Median age edges up to 38.5 years, vs. 37.2 in 2010.

 

YES, SAME AFGHANISTAN.  On Saturday, five rockets are fired at Bagram Airfield, major U.S. base in Afghanistan.  Grumpy Editor finds many things don’t change in the world after viewing “Enchantment,” a 1948 movie that takes place during World War II.  In the movie, actor David Niven plays a military officer informed that he is going to --- Afghanistan. 

 

MONARCH BUTTERFLY RECOGNIZED.  Federal officials declare the monarch butterfly is a candidate for threatened or endangered status with action likely in the years ahead.

  

TOO MANY WOMEN WORKERS BRING FINE.  City hall in Paris, France, is fined about $110,000 for appointing too many women to top positions in 2018.

 

DAYTIME TV IS SECOND PRIME TIME NOW.  With the pandemic resulting in more people at home, ratings-research firm Nielsen says daytime is a second prime time --- with an audience with much higher spending power.

MARINES WITHOUT TANKS?  U.S. Marines plan to shed its heavy armor (battle tanks) battalions as part of a 10-year redesign.

COYOTE VISITS FIRE STATION.  Firefighters in a Fort Lauderdale station are surprised to find an unusual visitor wandering through their firehouse --- a coyote.  It is surprising since the station is in a dense urban neighborhood about a mile from the beach.  The coyote soon ran out of the station.

BUSINESSMAN PAYS UTILITY BILLS.  Gulf Breeze, Florida, business owner Michael Esmond covers overdue utility bills for 114 families at risk of losing service in the holiday season.  Esmond, owner of Gulf Breeze Pools & Spa near Pensacola, donates $7,615 as the city faces an economic downturn caused by the pandemic and Hurricane Sally.

CALIFORNIA CONSIDERS FEE FOR TEXT MESSAGING

As if Californians aren't being taxed enough --- with the highest state income tax rate in the nation along with lofty sales and gasoline taxes --- Sacramento wants to charge a fee for text messaging on mobile phones, notes Grumpy Editor.

Funds from that would go to subsidize wireless services for lower income residents.

The proposal, frowned on by wireless industry and business groups, is slated for a vote next month by the State Public Utilities Commission.

Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council business group calls it "a dumb idea," adding, “This is how conversations take place in this day and age, and it’s almost like saying there should be a tax on the conversations we have.”

Wunderman says he is unaware of any local or national program that taxes texting.

An editorial on the subject in the Wall Street Journal signs off with:  "On the bright side, California's tax on texting should give millennials a lesson in rapacious progressive government."

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

WHITE HOUSE PRESS HOLIDAY PARTY SCRATCHED.   President Trump canceled the White House Christmas holiday party for the media, a decades-old tradition that attracted those covering the White House, as well as other Washington reporters, anchors and commentators plus New York media executives who would fly in for the occasion. The invitation-only event grew so large that there were two back-to-back events, one for broadcast outlets and one for print.

HEART TROUBLE CHANGES FLIGHT.  A Southwest Airlines flight traveling from Seattle to Dallas was forced to turn around mid-flight after officials realized a human heart had been left onboard.  The heart was intended for delivery to a Seattle hospital after a previous flight from Sacramento.  In covering the event, media fail to report the exact location of the heart on the aircraft --- in an overhead bin or in the cargo hold.

CBS SELLS TELEVISION CITY IN L.A.  Television City, a 25-acre site on the western side of Los Angeles where many famous TV shows originated, is being sold for $750 million to Hackman Capital Partners.  CBS will continue producing shows at the site for at least five years. CBS originally bought the property in 1950. But since 2008, the company’s primary studio facility has been the 40-acre CBS Studios Center in Studio City with 18 sound stages and more than 210,000 square feet of office space.

WWI WARSHIP SINKING SOLVED.  It took 100 years for the finding, but a mysterious explosion that resulted in the sinking of the USS San Diego just miles outside New York City finally is solved.  The Navy believes the only major U.S. warship to sink in World War I hit an underwater mine planted by a German submarine.  The 500-foot armored cruiser sank in less than 30 minutes on July 19, 1918.

 

VENEZUELA NEWSPAPER STOPS PRESSES.  With a 75-year run, El Nacional, Venezuela’s last nationally-circulated newspaper, published its last print edition on Friday.  It continues with an online version.

 

MONEY MAGAZINE REMAINS UP FOR SALE.  Meredith Corp. continues to seek a buyer for personal finance magazine Money, once part of Time Inc.  One source says the publication is expected to sell for $10 million to $15 million.

 

WEEKLY STANDARD ENDS RUN.  Final edition of Washington-based The Weekly Standard will be published today.  It ends a 23-year run for the conservative publication.

 

CBS ELEVATES MAJOR GARRETT.  CBS News names Major Garrett as its chief Washington correspondent.  He has served as CBS's top White House correspondent. The new title makes him a prominent player in the network's coverage of the 2020 presidential election.

Top generals reveal military ranks, budget below par

Not getting much media coverage during the week was Capitol Hill testimony on the state of the U.S. military with the Army’s top general declaring ground forces face a high level of risk if there is a major conflict with countries such as China or Russia, notes Grumpy Editor.

Years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, constrained budgets and troop cuts have had a cumulative effect on U.S. military forces, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley tells a House budget hearing.

Milley, 39^th Army chief of staff, describes as a "great power war" against one or two of four countries --- China, Russia, Iran, North Korea --- would pose greater challenges for the U.S.

The four-star general reveals the Army's readiness is not at a level appropriate for what Americans expect to defend them.

Gen. Robert Neller, Marine commandant, joined Milley in informing lawmakers that upticks in military mishaps are affected by funding shortfalls that have led to less training, citing the crash of two Marine helicopters in Hawaii in January that killed 12.

“We track this very closely and the simple fact is that we don’t have enough airplanes to meet the training requirements for the entire force,” reveals Neller.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Look for a major reduction of news out of Washington for the next two weeks. Lawmakers are on a two-week recess…Most media now identify the GOP presidential front-runner as “businessman Donald Trump,” rather than far out and flowery earlier descriptions. Interesting, too, is that when Trump addresses rallies now, TV news channels air about one or two minutes of his speech, then spotlight protesters (mostly away from the rallies), often with a split screen with no Trump audio.  Meanwhile, figuring it had a "scoop," CNN this morning featured a lengthy interview with a key protester who distrupted a Trump event in Arizona…It may not make front pages around the nation, but Wednesday is National Puppy Day to inspire canine-lovers to pick up a pooch…Just about every drug commercial on TV urges viewers to “ask your doctor.” Ever try to reach your doctor these days? It’s virtually impossible. Seems advertising agency copy writers --- apparently in fine health --- are unaware of the current situation with overworked medics. Equally difficult: obtaining doctors e-mail addresses…CBS Corp. is considering exiting the radio business, once a steady contributor to the broadcaster’s bottom line…Citing lessened competition, the Department of Justice files a lawsuit aimed at blocking Tribune Publishing, Chicago, which owns the Los Angeles Times, from acquiring newspapers in nearby Orange and Riverside Counties. Tribune has been eyeing Freedom Communications which publishes the Orange County Register and the Press-Enterprise in Riverside County…How big is the adult coloring book craze? Sales of such books for grownups, who are reading newspapers less, shot up to about 12 million last year from one million in 2014…The Washington Times reports: “Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said Thursday that the southwest border is secure enough that the government should now turn its attention to trying to legalize illegal immigrants.”  (Maybe she has missed TV footage and newspaper accounts of surging illegal border crossings.)

 

Unheard of in earlier years:

Quarter-page ads running in a western newspaper tout medical marijuana with a “one day sale.”

As U.S. fights, Afghan opium poppy harvest hits record

 

Despite 13 years of U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, opium poppy cultivation continues to thrive, reaching a record this year, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Not making headlines, a United Nations report last week indicates the opium harvest this year jumped 17 percent from last year to about 6,400 tons.

One U.N. official calculates the drug trade accounts for 20 percent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product while the industry indirectly employs more than 400,000 people.  That’s equal to the population of Minneapolis. 

So much for the U.S. influence there, after spending $7.6 billion in Americans' taxpayer money over the past dozen years in efforts to eradicate poppy fields. 

Few remember that before U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in 2001, Russians (known as Soviet forces at that time) were involved in an Afghanistan War between 1978 and 1992 with a military that peaked at 100,000.

U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq wars is costing American taxpayers between $4 trillion and $6 trillion, which includes wounded veterans’ medical care and other factors, based on a study last year by Linda J. Bilmes, a Harvard University public policy professor.

 

FYI, IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE…         

Not quite on the same page.  In reporting Macy’s quarterly figures, a Thursday front-page “refer” in The Wall Street Journal mentioned the department store “posted weak sales as consumers held back on spending.” The main story’s second paragraph noted, “Macy’s cut its profit and sales forecasts for the year.”  But eight paragraphs later, readers saw, “Despite the sales shortfall, Macy’s profit rose 23 percent to $217 million for the period.” Then a few pages later in the “Stocks in  the News” section, the WSJ placed Macy’s under “The Good News” category, illustrating the retailer’s stock, on the news, was up $2.98 (or 5.09 percent) to $61.57, pointing out the bottom line “exceeded analysts expectations” and the company was “optimistic about its current quarter”…Get those computers ready for incoming techies.  In the wake of the flood of illegal “unaccompanied children” who crossed into the U.S. in recent months from Central America, the New York Times on Friday feels President Barack Obama’s overhaul of U.S. immigration policy “will provide more opportunities for immigrants with high-tech skills”…MapLight, a nonpartisan research group that delights in “revealing money’s influence on politics,” compiles a top 10 list of stocks owned by members of Congress using disclosure forms from 2013.  General Electric grabbed top spot, followed by Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Wells Fargo, Apple, IBM, AT&T, Verizon, JPMorgan Chase and Exxon Mobil…Look for the Boston Globe to debut an eight-page stand-alone business section Tuesdays through Fridays starting early next month…American Express mails a glossy pitch to some existing AmEx card holders, feeling it can lure current no annual fee users to fork over $175 a year for a Premier Rewards Gold Card…Getting in turkey-day spirit.  A seller of digital hearing devices courts candidates with a free hearing test plus free turkey certificate.  Yes, “this week only”…A Sydney, Australia, male TV anchor reveals no viewer noticed he wore the same blue suit for a year to prove how much tougher it is for woman to dress on television. 

Headline over a story in Fortune magazine’s Nov. 17 issue:  If the U.S. Economy Is So Good, Why Do We Feel So Bad?

It points out a recent Pew poll finds only 21 percent of respondents say the economy is in “good or excellent” condition.

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Media miss storm-socked Dakotas, 12 years in Afghanistan

Grumpy Editor notes most print/broadcast media overlooked two noteworthy events last week:  an unusually early and wicked snowstorm packing hurricane force winds that smacked South Dakota and southwestern North Dakota, killing almost 80,000 cattle, and the 12^th year mark reached by the U.S. military fighting in Afghanistan --- making that conflict more than three times longer than the U.S. involvement in World War II.

With the early October storm, up to four feet of snow fell in southwestern South Dakota.

Cattle ranchers, along with farmers, faced a major problem with assistance because of the partial shutdown of the federal government, leaving them without an agency to report financial losses. 

The South Dakota Stock Growers Assn. estimated 15 to 20 percent of cattle died in some parts of the state.  Some ranchers said half or more of their herds were lost. 

A calf normally sells for about $1,000, while a mature cow brings $1,500 and up. 

Todd Campbell, executive director of the Grand River Grazing Cooperative, Lemmon, S.D., said many ranchers had difficulty getting out to their cattle.  Compounding the situation was phone service disruption.

Lucas Lentsch, South Dakota agriculture secretary, termed the early-season blizzard “devastating to our producers.”

South Dakota Cattlemen’s Assn. said the storm’s effects would be felt for years.

 

U.S. troops entered Afghanistan Oct. 7, 2001

Meanwhile with Afghanistan, one of the few newspapers reporting the dozen years of U.S. boots on the ground there was Stars and Stripes. 

Staffer Heath Druzin reported the conflict has been “seemingly forgotten by most Americans who’ve grown weary of war.”  He pointed out the U.S. launched Operation Enduring Freedom on Oct. 7, 2001 and 54,000 American troops remain in Afghanistan.

“That is more, by far, than at any time during the first seven years of the war, yet these days, they garner scant news coverage,” he added.

The S&S writer mentioned Army Staff Sgt. Mike Toole, a member of III Corps based in Kabul, said he understands the dwindling interest back home:  “After 12 years, people are going to get tired of it,” Toole said. “I mean, we’re tired of it, so it makes sense to me.”

But next year will see the U.S.’s “formal mission” in Afghanistan end as troops pull out.

So far this year 104 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan, the latest being on Sunday.

 

In case you missed these…

Also not widely mentioned with the partial shutdown of the federal government:  Important information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  That includes auto recalls and safety complaints.  Without the usual warnings, lives and property are at greater risk…Also linked to the shutdown, use of “Gestapo tactics” with harsh treatment of senior citizens --- including foreign visitors --- at Yellowstone National Park, is detailed by the Newburyport (Mass.) Daily News, one of the publications of Eagle-Tribune Publishing Co., North Andover, Mass.  Read the account here.  (For those fuzzy on the Gestapo description, it reflects the German secret police during the Nazi regime, organized in 1933 with its brutal methods and operations through World War II.)

 

Media doings:  A. H. Belo Corp. sells the Press-Enterprise (including its production facility and related land) in Riverside, Calif. to Freedom Communications Holdings Inc. for $27.25 million.  Santa Ana, Calif.-based Freedom publishes California newspapers, Daily Press in Victorville, Desert Dispatch in Barstow, Long Beach Register in Long Beach and Orange County Register in Santa Ana plus more than 30 community newspapers…Pew Research Center reports a growing number of dailies are cutting down editorial and commentary sections due to financial concerns…Jessica Yellin is leaving CNN after six years at the cable network. The move comes less than two months after she moved to “chief domestic affairs correspondent” from the White House beat…With a background of 40 years as a reporter, Ed Rabel, former television news correspondent for NBC and CBS, reveals he is setting up an "exploratory committee" to consider a run for the House of Representatives from West Virginia…Neurosurgeon Ben Carson joins Fox News as a contributor. 

Some newspaper editors bury latest Benghazi details; Delivery problem? Call audience development division

With a House committee hearing producing fresh revelations on the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi that resulted in the murders of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, Grumpy Editor surveyed how key U.S. newspapers played the story. 

New York Times and Washington Post editors were among those who recognized the significance of fresh information eight months after the attack.  Both placed reports on column one of their front pages. 

Others going the front-page route included the Denver Post and Kansas City Star. 

But many dailies put the material on inside pages. 

Information from the House hearing didn’t make front page of the Los Angeles Times.  But its five opening-page stories included “Mexico’s cop test comes under fire” and costs of a freeway project. 

The Boston Globe managed to include the Benghazi update among 10 “refers” on its front page where the top story was: “Labs must test medical marijuana.”

The latest Benghazi revelations --- in which incompetence and misinformation were cited --- also bypassed front pages of the Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Detroit News.  With the latter, Benghazi was not among the eight “refers” on the front page where the main story was “Hazardous cargo may head to bridge.” 

Meanwhile, the Bakersfield California went all out with three-fourths of the front page showing a head shot of Gregory Hicks, former deputy chief of the mission in Libya and one of the three State Department “whistle blowers” at the House hearing. 

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Are further probes likely on Benghazi events?  Unanswered questions --- still hanging after eight months --- point to that.

Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News' Emmy Award-winning investigative correspondent appearing on C-Span yesterday, revealed she has a list of 25 questions regarding Benghazi still awaiting answers from the White House communications office and others.  “It’s hard to say where this (investigation) goes,” she said.  

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New name for circulation department

Say goodbye to a newspaper’s circulation department --- at least in Fresno, Calif.

The Fresno Bee, one of McClatchy Co.'s 30 daily newspapers in 15 states, renames the long-known circulation department as the (mouthful) audience development division. 

Sounds like something that would be promoted at a broadcast operation in efforts to boost listeners/viewers. 

But the Bee says the updated title --- sure to create havoc when subscribers phone in to report a missing morning delivery --- “more accurately reflects (the department’s) responsibilities.” 

The change, says Bee publisher and president Tom Cullinan, reflects the department's role to increase print readership and to expand the online audience through a variety of products and platforms. 

 

In case you missed these… 

Disciplinary actions:  A U.S. soldier riding in a vehicle in Afghanistan could face disciplinary action for throwing stones at a portrait of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.  Meanwhile, two seven-year-old Suffolk, Va., second graders were suspended for two days for making shooting noises while pointing pencils at each another…Hocus-pocus.  Standing about 30 feet apart --- and appearing to chat via satellite on a split-screen --- were CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield and HLN anchor Nancy Grace.  Producers didn’t count on the same vehicles passing through the background.

 

New York print ranks get slimmer.  Two editors quit the Village Voice Thursday after being instructed to reduce staff by five.  On the same day, the New York Post sought to lower its headcount by 10 percent through buyout packages.  Later, the New York Daily News announced layoffs.  As Daily News editor-in-chief Colin Myler and president Bill Holiber explained it:

“The newspaper industry is going through an unprecedented revolution. Print advertising and circulation revenue streams continue to fall but our business transformation as a whole is strong and growing.”

Look for drop in recruits as 2 Marines slated for trial

Marine Corps brass soon will be wondering why enlistments have dropped off, following word that courts-martial are ahead for two Marines charged with urinating on corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan after posing for photos in the incident, predicts Grumpy Editor. 

Charges were made against Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Chamblin and Staff Sgt. Edward W. Deptola.  Administrative punishments for three other Marines for their role in the urination episode were announced earlier.

What the brass --- and non-question-asking media --- failed to consider is that the deceased bad guys in Afghanistan belonged to no official military force, represented no country, wore no uniforms or dog tags, held no rank and possessed no serial numbers.

What triggered the military inquiry was a video that surfaced in January showing Marines allegedly urinating on three dead Taliban fighters.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) jumped in with a criminal investigation. 

It said there were "other pending cases related to this incident" but mentioned no specifics. 

The leathernecks were members of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines that fought in the southern Afghan province of Helmand for seven months.

Editors avoid prompt ID of U.S. soldiers killed by Afghans

Many editors seem to be going along in “censoring” deaths of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan by relaying identification terms disseminated in that country such as “international allies,” “international troops” or “coalition service members,” notes Grumpy Editor. 

This leads to a headline, over a short story, such as this (from a U.S. newspaper yesterday) that lessens the impact: 

Afghan soldier turns weapon on international troops, kills 2 

Rather than: 

Uniformed Afghan turns weapon on, kills 2 U.S. soldiers 

However, broadcast networks such as NBC, CNN and Fox News quickly identified the shooting casualties in Afghanistan as U.S. soldiers. 

Holding back prompt identification, an Associated Press dispatch on Monday’s incident reported “An Afghan soldier turned his weapon on international allies...killing two soldiers." 

NBC News, for example, promptly pinpointed identification of the uniformed targets, citing, “The shooting deaths of two American soldiers in Kabul by an Afghan colleague are under investigation…” 

So far this month, at least 10 American soldiers have been killed by so-called insider attacks by Afghans. 

U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, chief of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, last week said about one fourth of such attacks are carried out by Taliban infiltrators. 

The latest deaths came after last week’s visit to Kabul by U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Martin Dempsey who talked about rogue shootings and urged Afghan officials to take tougher preventative action.

U.S. buys Russian helicopters for Afghanistan’s air force

Despite cries for more U.S. jobs, one of the strangest deals has American taxpayers footing the bill for almost two dozen Russian-built helicopters for use by the Afghanistan air force, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Other than Bloomberg News three months ago and this week’s issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, little has been reported by U.S. media about the unusual transaction.

Newspaper editorial page writers should get somewhat excited over this, especially during the summer doldrums.  

Bloomberg Businessweek writers Danielle Ivory and Kathleen Miller point out, “Since May 2011, the Pentagon has paid Rosoboronexport $411 million for 21 Mi-17 helicopters.” 

Rosoboronexport is the state-run arms trader that Congress says is arming Syria. 

Kazan Helicopter manufactures the medium twin-turbine transport at two Russian plants. 

The Bloomberg Businessweek writers also reveal the “Pentagon didn’t solicit bids from any other company for the helicopters.” They add that Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) --- leading 17 U.S. senators seeking to cancel the deal --- says the no-bid order “seems just plain stupid.” 

Back on May 8, Bloomberg News writers Tony Capaccio and David Lerman reported, "The Pentagon says it’s in a bind, with nowhere to turn for helicopters needed by Afghanistan’s air force except Russia."

The Mi-17 choppers, they added, "include full Western avionics, navigation, communications and situation-awareness capability.” 

Cost of the 21 helicopters three months ago was pegged at $375 million.  That’s $36 million below the price tag noted this month. 

What’s noteworthy about this close to half a billion dollar Pentagon-spurred deal that benefits Russia is that talk in Washington includes deep cuts in the defense budget --- for the U.S.