The Commentariat -- July 21, 2020

Mrs. McCrabbie: It's Tuesday, but as far as I can tell, there are no primary or runoff elections today.

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Kaitlan Collins & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "No White House coronavirus task force members are currently expected to join ... Donald Trump at his Tuesday evening briefing on the administration's response to the virus, a person familiar with the plan told CNN but cautioned that could change."

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here: "The number of people infected with the coronavirus in different parts of the United States was anywhere from two to 13 times higher than the reported rates for those regions, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings suggest that large numbers of people who did not have symptoms or did not seek medical care may have kept the virus circulating in their communities. The study is the largest of its kind to date, although some early data was released last month." ~~~

~~~ Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "Six months after the first coronavirus case appeared in the United States, most states are failing to report critical information needed to track and control the resurgence of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a former top Obama administration health official[: former CDC Director Tom Frieden].... In the absence of a national strategy to fight the pandemic, states have had to develop their own metrics for tracking and controlling covid-19. But with few common standards, the data are inconsistent and incomplete...." ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here.

Brett Samuels & Rafeal Bernal of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday issued an executive order that blocks undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2020 census for the purpose of allocating congressional representation. The order, which will almost certainly face legal challenges, amounts to something of a workaround for Trump after the Supreme Court last year blocked the administration from adding a citizenship question to the decennial survey.... It's unclear how the Trump administration would discern each respondent's citizenship as there is no citizenship question included in the 2020 census. The order is sure to alarm lawmakers and advocacy groups who, amid the coronavirus pandemic, were ;already concerned about minority groups being undercounted in the census and consequently affecting the apportionment of representation and resources for years to come."

Rebecca Kheel of the Hill: "The Democratic-controlled House voted Monday to add limits to the Insurrection Act after President Trump threatened to invoke it to deploy active-duty troops against recent protests over racial injustice. In a 215-190 vote, the House approved the Insurrection Act changes as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. The vote fell largely along party-lines, though 14 Democrats voted with Republicans against the amendment. One Republican, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), voted for the amendment."

Trouble in Ohio. Sharon Coolidge, et al., of the Cincinnati Enquirer: "Federal officials arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder [R] and four others on Tuesday morning in connection with a $60 million bribery case.... Also arrested, according to the source: Neil Clark from Grant Street Consultants and once called by USA Today 'one of the best connected lobbyists in Columbus"; former Ohio Republican Party chair and consultant Matthew Borges; Juan Cespedes, co-founder of The Oxley Group in Columbus; and Jeffrey Longstreth, adviser to Householder. The scope of the federal investigation, the dollars involved and the arrests Tuesday make this one of the largest public corruption cases in Ohio in years.... A spokeswoman for [U.S. Attorney David] DeVillers said an Ohio official and associates were charged in the case, which she described as a 'public corruption racketeering conspiracy involving $60 million.' DeVillers has scheduled a 2:30 p.m. ET press conference to discuss the case.

Dan Sabbagh & Luke Harding of the Guardian: "The British government and intelligence agencies failed to prepare or conduct any proper assessment of Kremlin attempts to interfere with the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to the long-delayed Russia report. The damning conclusion is contained within the 50-page document from parliament's intelligence and security committee, which said ministers in effect turned a blind eye to allegations of Russian disruption. It said the government 'had not seen or sought evidence of successful interference in UK democratic processes' at the time, and it made clear that no serious effort was made to do so." The New York Times report, which makes successive U.K. governments look even worse than the Guardian's report, is here. Mrs. McC: The Brits could hire Donald Trump as a consultant. He would fit right in.

Mike Yoho Is Not as Funny as His Name. Mike Lillis of the Hill: "Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) was coming down the steps on the east side of the Capitol on Monday ... when he approached [Rep. Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who was ascending into the building to cast a vote of her own. In a brief but heated exchange, which was overheard by a reporter, Yoho told Ocasio-Cortez she was 'disgusting' for recently suggesting that poverty and unemployment are driving a spike in crime in New York City during the coronavirus pandemic. 'You are out of your freaking mind,' Yoho told her. Ocasio-Cortez shot back, telling Yoho he was being 'rude.'... [Moments later, after they had parted, Yoho said of Ocasio-Cortez,] 'Fucking bitch.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Monday are here: "Teachers unions sued Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Monday over his emergency order pushing schools to fully reopen next month even as coronavirus cases in the state are surging. The suit, which appears to be the first of its kind across the country, sets up a confrontation between unions and politicians that could change the trajectory of school reopening over the coming weeks. In other parts of the country, including California and parts of Texas, many large school districts have concluded in recent days that it is not safe to hold in-person classes. But Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, has been pushing for things to be different in Florida, which is home to five of the country's 10 largest districts." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's story on the Florida teachers' union suit is here.

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of coronavirus developments Monday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

I was doing them and we had a lot of people watching, record numbers watching in the history of cable television. There's never been anything like it. -- Donald Trump, word salad apparently attempting to justify resuming his Bleach-the-Virus infomercials ~~~

~~~ The Trumpidemic Revival Show. Peter Baker & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "By the time he canceled the show midseason, even President Trump had grown weary of his televised coronavirus briefings. Angry at the reviews, he declared the briefings 'not worth the time & effort,' a conclusion shared by his own advisers and allies who had come to see them as hurting more than helping. But while the freewheeling sessions with their cascades of misinformation and petty outbursts had become self-destructive, nothing else has taken their place as a way for Mr. Trump to get his message out given his lack of success reviving his favorite campaign rallies. And so, the president said on Monday that he was bringing back the virus briefings nearly two months after calling them off.... Mr. Trump ... attributed the move not to the increasing threat of the virus but to the fact that the briefings had garnered high television ratings.... He said he would probably start again on Tuesday at 5 p.m., the same hour as before because it would attract viewers. 'We had a good slot,' he said."

Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "We're now at the stage of the Covid-19 pandemic where Donald Trump and his allies are trying to suppress information about the coronavirus's spread -- because, of course, they are.... This was completely predictable given the Law of Obama Projection: Every right-wing conspiracy theory about President Barack Obama was an indication of what Republicans wanted to do themselves, and would do once they had the power. Remember, for example, wild claims about an imminent military takeover of Texas, lent credence by senior Republicans? Now we have unidentified Department of Homeland Security agents in unmarked vehicles seizing people off the streets of Portland, Ore."

[Trump is] so attentive to the scientific literature & the details & the data. I think his ability to analyze & integrate data that comes out of his long history in business has really been a real benefit. -- Dr. Debbie, March 27, 2020 ~~~

~~~ Digby Deciphers Donnie's Ditzy Dr. Debbie. Heather Parton in Salon: Dr. Deborah Birx "was part of a Christian right public health subculture (yes, that actually exists) that surrounds Mike Pence's office. I don't think I expected that she'd be willing to sacrifice her reputation as a serious infectious disease expert for the thrill of being on Trump's "team." Apparently she has.... Like so many others who came into Trump's orbit, she threw her respectable career on the fire to please a president who is so far over his head that he's pretty much buried himself and taken her down with him." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

~~~ From Digby's March 9, 2020 Salon story: CDC Director Robert "Redfield and Birx are both evangelical Christians who have been associated with HIV research for many years, going back to the 1980s. Birx runs PEPFAR, George W. Bush's global AIDS initiative, and both she and Redfield have been involved with Children's AIDS Fund International, which lobbies for abstinence-only sex education around the world. The Washington Post reported back in 2018 that they belong to a network run by an important power broker in the evangelical world[.]"

Julia Conley of Common Dreams: "Pointing to the success of the SNAP food assistance program during the coronavirus pandemic, economists on Monday said Republicans' plan to end the expansion of the aid would be 'unconscionable.'... The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program [SNAP] saw an unprecedented growth in demand as the coronavirus outbreak began, with 17% more Americans, or six million people, relying on the program in the first three months of the pandemic. At least 41 states saw an increase in the use of SNAP, which was expanded to allow people to use the benefits with fewer restrictions.... The [New York] Times report comes a month after two studies& separately concluded that the $600 unemployment benefits combined with the $1,200 direct payment sent to some Americans significantly reduced poverty levels in the U.S. in the first months of the pandemic. Despite the success of both programs, Republicans want to end their expansion at the end of this month." --s

Megan Cassella of Politico: "Millions of Americans who managed to hold onto their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic have seen their incomes drop as employers slashed wages and hours to weather what they expected to be a short-term shutdown. Now, with the virus raging and the recession deepening, those cuts that were meant to be temporary could turn permanent -- or even pave the way for further layoffs. That could portend deep damage to the labor market and the economy because so many workers who have kept their jobs have less money to spend than a few months ago." --s

Jason Owens of Yahoo! Sports: "The Washington Nationals announced on Monday that Dr. Anthony Fauci will throw out the first pitch on Thursday when they open their season against the New York Yankees.... His scheduled appearance on Thursday appears to be a tacit endorsement of the resumption of the MLB season. Fauci's ceremonial pitch will continue the celebration of the franchise's first-ever World Series victory, clinched last fall against the Houston Astros.... That Fauci is invited to celebrate Washington's first World Series victory instead of Trump will not go unnoticed.... The Nationals did invite Trump to throw out the opening day pitch in 2017, but he declined, citing scheduling conflicts. Nationals fans roundly booed Trump when he made an appearance during Game 5 of the World Series, welcoming him with chants of 'Lock Him Up.' They booed him again when a Trump campaign ad ran during the broadcast of Game 7."

Trump's Stormtroopers, Etc.

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Monday signaled he may order federal agents to be deployed to Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and other major cities as he threatens to crack down further on unrest across the country.... 'I'm going to do something -- that, I can tell you,' Trump said. 'Because we're not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these -- Oakland is a mess. We're not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats.'" (Also linked yesterday.) Update. A Washington Post story is here. ~~~

~~~ Gregory Pratt & Jeremy Gorner of the Chicago Tribune: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is crafting plans to deploy about 150 federal agents to Chicago this week, the Chicago Tribune has learned, a move that would come amid growing controversy nationally about federal force being used in American cities." (Also linked yesterday.)

** From Torturing Foreigners to Disappearing Americans. Julian Borger of the Guardian: "The Trump administration has been consulting the former government lawyer who wrote the legal justification for waterboarding on how the president might try to rule by decree. John Yoo told the Guardian he has been talking to White House officials about his view that a recent supreme court ruling on immigration would allow Trump to issue executive orders on whether to apply existing federal laws. 'If the court really believes what it just did, then it just handed President Trump a great deal of power, too,' Yoo, a professor at Berkeley Law, said. 'The supreme court has said President Obama could [choose not to] enforce immigration laws for about 2 million cases. And why can't the Trump administration do something similar with immigration -- create its own ... program, but it could do it in areas beyond that, like healthcare, tax policy, criminal justice, inner city policy. I talked to them a fair amount about cities, because of the disorder.'" --s (See related story linked yesterday.)

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: When, in 2017, Yale historian Timothy Snyder published "On Tyranny," warning of a "pro-leader paramilitary" mixing with police, "the idea of unidentified agents in camouflage snatching leftists off the streets without warrants might have seemed like a febrile Resistance fantasy. Now it's happening.... 'I don't need invitations by the state,' Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said on Fox News Monday, adding, 'We're going to do that whether they like us there or not.'... There's something particularly terrifying in the use of Border Patrol agents against American dissidents.... U.S. Customs and Border Protection ... is under federal authority, has leadership that's fanatically devoted to Trump and is saturated with far-right politics."

Missouri. Axios: "St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced on Monday that she has charged Mark and Patricia McCloskey with felony unlawful use of a weapon after the couple pulled guns on anti-racism protesters outside of their mansion.... Photos of the McCloskeys, both personal injury attorneys in their 60s, went viral last month and have stirred a fiery partisan debate on social media. Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson has said he would likely pardon the couple if they were charged, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has called on the Justice Department to open a civil rights investigation into Gardner." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: As to why Hawley might be siccing DOJ on Gardner, this from the Guardian: "Gardner, the first African-American top prosecutor in St. Louis' history, was elected in 2016 as one of the country's new wave of progressive prosecutors, who aimed to reduce mass incarceration and address the stark racial disparities within America's criminal justice system. Since she announced her investigation into the McCloskeys, powerful white Republicans, including the president, Missouri's governor, and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, have rallied behind the wealthy white couple, and made clear that they would oppose any attempt to charge them." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Jim Salter of the AP: "St. Louis' top prosecutor on Monday charged a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. Mark and Patricia McCloskey are both personal injury attorneys in their 60s. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner told The Associated Press that their actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise nonviolent protest last month. 'It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner -- that is unlawful in the city of St. Louis,' Gardner said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Oregon. Marissa Lang of the Washington Post: "Christopher David..., [a] 53-year-old Portland resident..., a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former member of the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps..., came to the [Portland, Oregon,] protest ... [to ask] what the [federal] officers involved thought of the oath they had sworn to protect and defend the Constitution.... The federal officers ... rushed a line of protesters nearby, knocking them to the ground. David walked toward a gap in the line, calling out to the officers. 'Why are you not honoring your oath?' he bellowed.... An officer trained his weapon on David's chest as several agents pushed him, sending David stumbling backward. But he regained his center and tried again. Another agent raised his baton and began to beat David, who stood unwavering with his arms at his sides. Then another officer unloaded a canister of chemical irritant spray into David's face.... Unable to see from the chemicals burning his eyes and blurring his vision, David said, he stumbled into a cloud of gas that made him cough and retch. He found his way to a bench in the park, where a street medic aided him and eventually pulled him away from the advancing officers. At the hospital, he said, he learned his right hand had been broken in two places." The story also is available in the Seattle Times. (Also linked yesterday.)

We won two world wars, two world wars, beautiful world wars that were vicious and horrible, and we won them out of Fort Bragg. We won them out of all of these forts, and now they want to throw those names away. -- Donald Trump, to Chris Wallace, defending military installations named for Confederate traitors

Lawrence O'Donnell was wondering what kind of twisted idiot considers the mass killings & destruction of world wars "beautiful." My best answer: Cadet Bone Spurs. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie ~~~

~~~ Catie Edmondson & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "... this week..., the House and Senate each consider sweeping annual military bills that contain bipartisan measures mandating that the Pentagon remove Confederate names from military assets. Mr. Trump, who has sought to stoke cultural and political divisions over symbols of the Confederacy, has said he would veto any bill with such a requirement.... Mr. Trump, who has positioned himself against a growing movement for racial justice, renewed his veto threat in an interview aired Sunday.... The disconnect has raised the prospect of a rare, election-year clash between congressional Republicans and Mr. Trump on the military bill, the measure that authorizes pay raises for American troops and is regarded as must-pass legislation. Despite the president's unapologetic stance, most Republicans have been unwilling to defend symbols of the Confederacy, and some have warned the president not to force the first veto override of his presidency."

John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request by House Democrats to accelerate the timeline of remaining court battles over congressional subpoenas for President Trump's tax returns. The bid by lawmakers came in response to the court's landmark 7-2 ruling earlier this month to shield a trove of Trump's financial records from several Democratic-led House committees and return the dispute to lower courts for further litigation." (Also linked yesterday.)

Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "The book manuscript being drafted by President Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen alleges that Trump has made racist comments about ... Barack Obama and the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, according to court filings made public Monday night that contend Cohen was sent back to prison this month as retaliation.... [According to an affirmation Cohen submitted to the court,] The memoir 'describes the President's pointedly anti-Semitic remarks and virulently racist remarks against such Black leaders as President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela, neither of whom he viewed as real leaders or as worthy of respect by virtue of their race.'... Cohen's legal team, including lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and former federal prosecutor Danya Perry, argue that his home confinement was revoked because of his book plans." Mrs. McC: Still wonder why Trump is good with Confederate flags & is working to curb voting rights?

Marcy Wheeler of Emptywheel: "Billy Barr lies, a lot.... The Attorney General of the United States found a way to go easy on the President's life-long rat-fucker [Roger Stone] by downplaying the importance of threats against those participating in trials [as Stone threatened witness Randy Credico and Judge Amy Berman Jackson].... In the wake of the attack on [Judge] Salas, Barr has taken to the press, proclaiming how serious he thinks such attacks to be. Bullshit.... The actions Barr and Trump took earlier this year sent the message that it doesn't much matter if someone undermines the entire judicial system by intimidating judges and witnesses -- particularly if they're supporters of Trump." --s (More on the murderous attack on Salas's family linked under "Beyond the Beltway.")

"The Best People," Ctd. Em Steck, et al. of CNN: "The White House is pushing the Department of Defense to hire a former National Security Council staffer [Rich Higgins] ... to serve as chief of staff to retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, the White House's nominee for the under secretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon.... Higgins...was fired from the NSC in 2017 after authoring a memo claiming ... that a 'deep state' band of officials and movements were opposing ... Donald Trump.... Since Higgins left the NSC in 2017..., [he has] said that former Obama administration officials were communists, that the Black Lives Matter movement is 'Marxist' and 'an agent' of China, and that 'left wing' organizations invented the term Islamophobia only 15 years ago. The push to hire Higgins ... and Tata, a frequent and ardent defender of the President on Fox News, to senior positions at the Pentagon comes as the White House seeks to install loyalists, many of whom hold extremist views, throughout the administration." --s

MEANWHILE, at Fox "News":

Lloyd Grove & Maxwell Tani of the Daily Beast: "A former Fox News reporter and associate producer, along with a frequent guest on the network, have leveled brutal and disturbing sexual-assault allegations against former host Ed Henry as well as harassment allegations against current on-air talent like hosts Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Howard Kurtz. In the complaint, filed Monday in New York federal court, former Fox News producer Jennifer Eckhart alleged that Henry -- the long-time Fox reporter and host of America's Newsroom who was fired earlier this month for what the network called 'willful sexual misconduct' -- raped and assaulted her and 'performed sadistic acts on her without her consent that left her injured, bruised and battered with bloody wrists.'... Meanwhile, journalist Cathy Areu ... alleged in the lawsuit that in early 2020, Henry sent her 'a slew of wildly inappropriate sexual images and messages -- which are in her possession.'"

Allyson Chiu of the Washington Post: "On Monday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson made a surprising accusation: the New York Times, he said, was trying to endanger him and his family by revealing where they live in an upcoming story. As he lambasted the newspaper on-air, Carlson suggested that his prime-time show could expose the home addresses of the reporter and Times editors. Within hours, an army of conservative Twitter accounts started publicly posting the address and personal information of the reporter Carlson identified as the story's writer. Many encouraged people to harass the reporter. In a statement to The Washington Post, a spokesperson for the Times denied Carlson's claims." The Times, in a statement, said Carlson was aware before he made the assertion on his show that the paper had asserted it would not disclose the locations of any of his homes. A Daily Beast story is here.

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Wallace Trumps Trump. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Trump's interview with Fox's Chris Wallace was a painful affair from start to finish. Wallace is always a good and tough interviewer, unlike the Fox opinion hosts Trump frequents, and he is always prepared, but this was on another level. The interview wasn't overly adversarial; Wallace was perfectly willing to talk about the things Trump was interested in and to play ball when Trump responded in relatively good faith. It wasn't slanted; instead it merely raised the very factual counterpoints dealt with frequently in coverage of Trump. And it wasn't rushed, which meant that Wallace could dig into the points Trump was making without fear of neglecting other topics he wanted to touch on.... These were the kinds of things that have been pointed out ad nauseam outside the audience of the president; Wallace just had the venue and the wherewithal to actually press him on them. And the result was something unlike we've seen thus far in Trump's presidency." (Also linked yesterday.)

Elections 2020

John Vernovek of ABC News: "Former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday issued a stern warning against foreign interference in U.S. elections, singling out Russia and promising swift retaliation against any nation that attempts to meddle in the American democratic process. In a lengthy statement, the presumptive Democratic nominee lambasted the Trump administration for failing to take action to prevent foreign election interference, and said that he is putting the Kremlin and other foreign governments 'on notice.'... 'If elected president, I will treat foreign interference in our election as an adversarial act that significantly affects the relationship between the United States and the interfering nation's government,' Biden wrote.... The statement aimed at Russia and other foreign governments comes just days after Biden revealed that he has been briefed by a team of experts on the topic of foreign election interference." Biden's full statement, on Medium, is here. ~~~

~~~ Natasha Bertrand, et al., of Politico: "Democratic leaders are asking the FBI for an urgent briefing arising out of concern that members of Congress are being targeted by a foreign operation intended to influence the 2020 presidential election, according to a letter they released publicly on Monday. Among the Democrats' concerns is that a Senate investigation being led by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has become a vehicle for 'laundering' a foreign influence campaign to damage Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to two people familiar with the demand.... Though the letter [to FBI Directory Christopher Wray] did not mention the Johnson investigation, it included a classified addendum that the two sources say identified the probe as one of the sources of their concern. 'We are gravely concerned, in particular, that Congress appears to be the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November,' [Nancy] Pelosi (D-Calif.) and [Chuck] Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote in their letter, which was also signed by the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)." The letter to Wray is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Mighty fitting that the Stupidest Senator is an enthusiastic dupe of the Russians. Even if Wray leans on Johnson, I suspect he will go ahead with his Russia's creative smear campaign.

Marc Caputo of Politico: "The sheriff of Jacksonville, Fla., said he can't provide security for the Republican National Convention because of a lack of clear plans, adequate funding and enough law enforcement officers. 'As we're talking today, we are still not close to having some kind of plan that we can work with that makes me comfortable that we're going to keep that event and the community safe,' Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams told Politico.... Williams, a Republican, wouldn't definitively say that there is no way the event could be held. But he said he had grave doubts about it, especially in an era of heightened protests concerning police use of force. Williams said the event, scheduled for Aug. 24-27, was announced in June, giving his agency little time to plan and prepare. The Republican National Committee has not yet nailed down which convention events will be at which venues, making it more challenging. And a pledged $50 million grant has been paired back to $33 million and, Williams said, there are strings attached that make letting contracts too difficult." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McC: The incompetence of Trump & his entire party boggles the mind. Here's the evidence that they are not just purposely bad at governance because they don't "believe in" government. They can't even plan for something they want to do: a big show for the Big Showman.

AP: "Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, has been approached and is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on [Joe] Biden's behalf next month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss strategy. Kasich is among a handful of high-profile Republicans likely to become more active in supporting Biden in the fall. Trump, meanwhile, is doing virtually nothing to expand his appeal beyond his most loyal supporters. Some GOP operatives believe the suburbs are lost while a contingent of high-profile Republicans are openly questioning the president's reelection message." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Charles Pierce Is Not Amused: "Oh, Lord. Just on the merits, Kasich doesn't have a lot of clout within the Republican party. The base hates him, and any Republican who is going to vote against Trump is already going to do so. The guy's run for president twice and cratered both times, so his appeal to the vaporous 'swing' voter seems, well, so limited that the risk of annoying almost every element of the Democratic base, and reigniting feuds within the party, hardly seems worth it. Just on the merits, his politics don't belong within an area code of any Democratic convention. He's radically anti-choice, radically anti-union, and a career-long adherent to the worst idea in American politics, the Balanced Budget Amendment. He opposed marriage equality; the Hodges in Obergefell v. Hodges was a Kasich appointee in Ohio. He's a fan of private prisons, despite the customary problems. I mean, seriously, this guy? Please give me a break."

Georgia Congressional Race. John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Georgia Democrats on Monday chose Nikema Williams, a state senator and chairwoman of the state party, to replace the late representative John Lewis (D) on the November ballot. Lewis, who died Friday at the age of 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, had won the June primary for the 5th Congressional District seat. Under state law, the Georgia Democratic Party was required to choose a replacement nominee on Monday, the first business day since Lewis's death.... The Democrat will face Republican Angela Stanton-King, an author and television personality. In February, President Trump pardoned Stanton-King for her role in a stolen vehicle ring in 2007, for which she served six months in home confinement. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the district with 85 percent of the vote over Trump." The Hill's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

New Jersey. Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "The man suspected of shooting the husband and son of US District Judge Esther Salas on Sunday at her North Brunswick, New Jersey, home has been identified as Roy Den Hollander, the US Attorney's Office in New Jersey announced Monday afternoon. Den Hollander was a lawyer who once argued a case before Salas, according to court records. The FBI has called Den Hollander the 'primary subject,' and he is dead, the statement reads. Earlier, two law enforcement sources told CNN that the suspect died of what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.... A FedEx package addressed to Salas was found by officials investigating a vehicle associated with the suspect, according to a law enforcement source." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "The man suspected of ambushing the family of the first Latina federal judge in New Jersey posted thousands of pages of writing to the internet in recent years decrying feminism and ranting against her, according to websites registered in his name and address. The man, Roy Den Hollander, an anti-feminist activist and lawyer, was pronounced dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said Monday. Den Hollander, who law enforcement officials said shot and killed the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in an ambush Sunday at her home in North Brunswick, wrote about his hatred of Salas in a self-published book this year." ~~~

~~~ Nicole Hong, et al., of the New York Times: "Roy Den Hollander was a self-described 'anti-feminist' lawyer who flooded the courts with seemingly frivolous lawsuits that sought to eliminate women's studies programs and prohibit nightclubs from holding 'ladies' nights.'... Mr. Den Hollander, 69, identified with a broader movement of men who in often abusive, misogynist and hateful language rail against 'feminazis.' He wrote numerous online screeds, some of which exceeded a thousand pages.... The [shootings were] ... a reminder of the dangers encountered by judges, who typically do not receive special security outside the courthouse unless they face specific threats. Judge Salas worked in one of the busiest courthouses in the country, overseeing dozens of cases at a time involving a wide range of defendants and litigants."

Way Beyond

European Union. Daniel Boffey & Jennier Rankin of the Guardian: "EU leaders have reached a historic agreement on a €750bn coronavirus pandemic recovery fund and their long-term spending plans following days of acrimonious debate at the bloc's longest summit in nearly two decades. As the meeting reached its fifth day, the 27 exhausted heads of state and government finally gave their seal of approval to a plan for the EU to jointly borrow debt to be disbursed through grants on an unprecedented scale, in the face of an economic downturn not seen since the Great Depression." --s The New York Times' story is here. Mrs. McC: And they did it wearing masks, apparently without fear of how they would look to "presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens."

U.K. Dan Sabbagh of the Guardian: "The long-awaited Russia report from the UK parliament's intelligence and security committee is due to be released on Tuesday morning, nine months after its publication was blocked by Boris Johnson before the general election. An examination of the reach of the Kremlin into UK politics and public life, the document is the product of 18 months' work by a cross-party committee taking evidence in secret from British intelligence and independent experts." --s

The Commentariat -- July 20, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Axios: "St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced on Monday that she has charged Mark and Patricia McCloskey with felony unlawful use of a weapon after the couple pulled guns on anti-racism protesters outside of their mansion.... Photos of the McCloskeys, both personal injury attorneys in their 60s, went viral last month and have stirred a fiery partisan debate on social media. Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson has said he would likely pardon the couple if they were charged, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has called on the Justice Department to open a civil rights investigation into Gardner." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: As to why Hawley might be siccing DOJ on Gardner, this from the Guardian: "Gardner, the first African-American top prosecutor in St. Louis' history, was elected in 2016 as one of the country's new wave of progressive prosecutors, who aimed to reduce mass incarceration and address the stark racial disparities within America's criminal justice system. Since she announced her investigation into the McCloskeys, powerful white Republicans, including the president, Missouri's governor, and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, have rallied behind the wealthy white couple, and made clear that they would oppose any attempt to charge them." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Jim Salter of the AP: "St. Louis' top prosecutor on Monday charged a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. Mark and Patricia McCloskey are both personal injury attorneys in their 60s. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner told The Associated Press that their actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise nonviolent protest last month. 'It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner -- that is unlawful in the city of St. Louis,' Gardner said."

Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "The man suspected of shooting the husband and son of US District Judge Esther Salas on Sunday at her North Brunswick, New Jersey, home has been identified as Roy Den Hollander, the US Attorney's Office in New Jersey announced Monday afternoon. Den Hollander was a lawyer who once argued a case before Salas, according to court records. The FBI has called Den Hollander the 'primary subject,' and he is dead, the statement reads. Earlier, two law enforcement sources told CNN that the suspect died of what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.... A FedEx package addressed to Salas was found by officials investigating a vehicle associated with the suspect..." Mrs. McC: TV reports identify Den Hollander as a "men's rights advocate."

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Monday signaled he may order federal agents to be deployed to Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and other major cities as he threatens to crack down further on unrest across the country.... 'I'm going to do something -- that, I can tell you,' Trump said. 'Because we're not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these -- Oakland is a mess. We're not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats.'" ~~~

~~~ Gregory Pratt & Jeremy Gorner of the Chicago Tribune: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is crafting plans to deploy about 150 federal agents to Chicago this week, the Chicago Tribune has learned, a move that would come amid growing controversy nationally about federal force being used in American cities."

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Georgia Democrats on Monday chose Nikema Williams, a state senator and chairwoman of the state party, to replace the late representative John Lewis (D) on the November ballot. Lewis, who died Friday at the age of 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, had won the June primary for the 5th Congressional District seat. Under state law, the Georgia Democratic Party was required to choose a replacement nominee on Monday, the first business day since Lewis's death.... The Democrat will face Republican Angela Stanton-King, an author and television personality. In February, President Trump pardoned Stanton-King for her role in a stolen vehicle ring in 2007, for which she served six months in home confinement.In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the district with 85 percent of the vote over Trump." The Hill's story is here.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Monday are here: "Teachers unions sued Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Monday over his emergency order pushing schools to fully reopen next month even as coronavirus cases in the state are surging. The suit, which appears to be the first of its kind across the country, sets up a confrontation between unions and politicians that could change the trajectory of school reopening over the coming weeks. In other parts of the country, including California and parts of Texas, many large school districts have concluded in recent days that it is not safe to hold in-person classes. But Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, has been pushing for things to be different in Florida, which is home to five of the country's 10 largest districts." ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here.

John Kruzel of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request by House Democrats to accelerate the timeline of remaining court battles over congressional subpoenas for President Trump's tax returns. The bid by lawmakers came in response to the court's landmark 7-2 ruling earlier this month to shield a trove of Trump's financial records from several Democratic-led House committees and return the dispute to lower courts for further litigation."

AP: "Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, has been approached and is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on [Joe] Biden's behalf next month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss strategy. Kasich is among a handful of high-profile Republicans likely to become more active in supporting Biden in the fall. Trump, meanwhile, is doing virtually nothing to expand his appeal beyond his most loyal supporters. Some GOP operatives believe the suburbs are lost while a contingent of high-profile Republicans are openly questioning the president's reelection message."

Marissa Lang of the Washington Post: "Christopher David..., [a] 53-year-old Portland resident..., a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former member of the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps..., came to the [Portland, Oregon,] protest ... [to ask] what the [federal] officers involved thought of the oath they had sworn to protect and defend the Constitution.... The federal officers ... rushed a line of protesters nearby, knocking them to the ground. David walked toward a gap in the line, calling out to the officers. 'Why are you not honoring your oath?' he bellowed.... An officer trained his weapon on David's chest as several agents pushed him, sending David stumbling backward. But he regained his center and tried again. Another agent raised his baton and began to beat David, who stood unwavering with his arms at his sides. Then another officer unloaded a canister of chemical irritant spray into David's face.... Unable to see from the chemicals burning his eyes and blurring his vision, David said, he stumbled into a cloud of gas that made him cough and retch. He found his way to a bench in the park, where a street medic aided him and eventually pulled him away from the advancing officers. At the hospital, he said, he learned his right hand had been broken in two places." The story also is available in the Seattle Times. ~~~

Wallace Trumps Trump. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Trump's interview with Fox's Chris Wallace was a painful affair from start to finish. Wallace is always a good and tough interviewer, unlike the Fox opinion hosts Trump frequents, and he is always prepared, but this was on another level. The interview wasn't overly adversarial; Wallace was perfectly willing to talk about the things Trump was interested in and to play ball when Trump responded in relatively good faith. It wasn't slanted; instead it merely raised the very factual counterpoints dealt with frequently in coverage of Trump. And it wasn't rushed, which meant that Wallace could dig into the points Trump was making without fear of neglecting other topics he wanted to touch on.... These were the kinds of things that have been pointed out ad nauseam outside the audience of the president; Wallace just had the venue and the wherewithal to actually press him on them. And the result was something unlike we’ve seen thus far in Trump's presidency."

~~~~~~~~~~

What happens when an interviewer challenges Trump's hoo-hah:

Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "An agitated President Trump offered a string of combative and often dubious assertions in an interview aired Sunday, defending his handling of the coronavirus with misleading evidence, attacking his own health experts, disputing polls showing him trailing in his re-election race and defending people who display the Confederate flag as victims of 'cancel culture.' The president's remarks, delivered in an interview on 'Fox News Sunday,' amounted to a contentious potpourri more commonly found on his Twitter feed and at his political rallies. The difference this time was a vigorous attempt by the host, Chris Wallace, to fact-check him, leading to several clashes between the two on matters ranging from the coronavirus response to whether Mr. Trump would accept the results of the election should he lose.... ~~~

~~~ "When told that Mr. Biden was chosen in the Fox poll as the more mentally sound candidate, Mr. Trump disputed that finding and defended his cognitive test results to Mr. Wallace, who said he had taken the same test that the president had bragged about acing this month. Mr. Wallace pointed out that one of the questions asked to identify an elephant. 'It's all misrepresentation,' Mr. Trump said. 'Because, yes, the first few questions are easy, but I'll bet you couldn't even answer the last five questions. I'll bet you couldn't. They get very hard, the last five questions.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: In case you're convinced the last five questions are so hard that Chris Wallace could not answer a one of them, the Las Vegas Sun has printed one version of the test (they're all similar). Here's one: "Repeat: 'The cat always hid under the couch when dogs were in the room.'" Earlier this month, Trump told Sean Hannity that Joe Biden could not pass the test, either. He also told Hannity, "I took it at Walter Reed Medical Center in front of doctors. And they were very surprised. They said, that's an unbelievable thing. Rarely does anybody do what you just did." IOW, Trump's cognitive abilities are so limited that he thinks that repeating a simple sentence is a task so difficult that only rarely can adults do it. ~~~

~~~ In fairness to Trump, it is possible he took some different test: "And I answered all 35 questions correctly." The MoCA test, by a layperson's generous count, has only 20 or so tasks. However, Wallace said, "...it's not the hardest test. They have a picture and it says 'what's that' and it's an elephant." Maybe after he did poorly on the first set of tasks, doctors gave him additional tasks, and that tuckered him out to the point that later questions seemed hard. We'll never know.

~~~ From the New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Sunday, which are here and linked below. "Mr. Trump said during [an] interview with Chris Wallace ... that Dr. Fauci had been against his decision to close the borders to travelers from China in January. That is not true.... Mr. Trump also said that Dr. Fauci had been against Americans wearing masks. Dr. Fauci has said that he does not regret urging Americans not to wear masks in the early days of the pandemic, referencing a severe shortage of protective gear for medical professionals.... Mr. Trump falsely claimed that the coronavirus rate in other countries was lower than in the United States because those nations did not engage in testing.... Mr. Trump said that he doubted whether Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the C.D.C., was correct in predicting that the pandemic would be worse this fall.... He ... reiterated his earlier claim, unsupported by science, that the virus would suddenly cease one day. 'It's going to disappear and I'll be right,' Mr. Trump said. 'Because I've been right probably more than anybody else.'"

Derek Hawkins & Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "With coronavirus cases rising across the country and the U.S. death toll topping 137,000, President Trump on Sunday dismissed concerns about the spike in infections, telling Fox News that 'many of those cases shouldn't even be cases.... Many of those cases are young people that would heal in a day,' the president told Fox News host Chris Wallace in an interview. 'They have the sniffles and we put it down as a test.'... Trump's remarks came after another week of grim data highlighting the uncontrolled spread of the virus. Infections rose in states from every region of the country, with more than a dozen states on Saturday reaching record highs in their seven-day averages for new daily cases."(Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump in a testy interview with Fox News's Chris Wallace downplayed recent surges in coronavirus cases, defended his stance on Confederate-named bases and sought to attack ... Joe Biden. Trump disputed polls showing him trailing Biden, eviscerating his Democratic opponent as 'not competent to be president' and controlled by the 'radical' progressive wing of the party. He also complained about his inability to hold rallies in some areas of the country due to the coronavirus, accusing 'Democrat-run states' of not allowing him to do so.... Trump also described Dr. Anthony Fauci ... as 'a little bit of an alarmist' while denying that the White House is involved in an effort to discredit him." The Guardian's report, by Martin Pengelly, is here. Mrs. McC: It's impossible for fact-checkers to keep up with this Big Fat Liar. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

A transcript of the interview is here.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Sunday are here. The Washington Post's report, by Felicia Sonmez, is here.

Joel Achenbach, et al., of the Washington Post: "Six months after the coronavirus appeared in America, the nation has failed spectacularly to contain it. The country's ineffective response has shocked observers around the planet. Many countries have rigorously driven infection rates nearly to zero. In the United States, coronavirus transmission is out of control. The national response is fragmented, shot through with political rancor and culture-war divisiveness. Testing shortcomings that revealed themselves in March have become acute in July, with week-long waits for results leaving the country blind to real-time virus spread and rendering contact tracing nearly irrelevant.... The American coronavirus fiasco has exposed the country's incoherent leadership, self-defeating political polarization, a lack of investment in public health, and persistent socioeconomic and racial inequities that have left millions of people vulnerable to disease and death." ~~~

~~~ In case you missed it yesterday, New York Times reporters took a deep dive into how Trump administration officials made decisions that screwed up the nation's coronavirus response.

Alexander Burns, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's failure to contain the coronavirus outbreak and his refusal to promote clear public-health guidelines have left many senior Republicans despairing that he will ever play a constructive role in addressing the crisis, with some concluding they must work around Mr. Trump and ignore or even contradict his pronouncements. In recent days, some of the most prominent figures in the G.O.P. outside the White House have broken with Mr. Trump over issues like the value of wearing a mask in public and heeding the advice of health experts.... They appear to be spurred by several overlapping forces, including deteriorating conditions in their own states, Mr. Trump's seeming indifference to the problem and the approach of a presidential election in which Mr. Trump is badly lagging his Democratic challenger, Joseph R. Biden Jr., in the polls."

Florida. Ye Shall Know Them by Their Masks. Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura of the New York Times: "... as cases [of the coronavirus] spike across Florida, the virus appears to have caught up with the residents of the Villages..., one of America's biggest retirement communities.... The Villages is a sprawling palm-tree-lined complex so big it has three ZIP codes, 12 golf courses and multiple libraries and movie theaters, drawing affluent retirees from all over the country.... Some steps have been taken to help slow infections. Crowds around the faux Spanish colonial buildings and fountains are smaller, theaters are closed and the bands have stopped playing. Yet, residents still congregate every day without wearing masks. They turn up the volume on a radio and dance in the squares. They crowd bars where songs by Elvis Presley and Bobby Sherman play. There are picnics and water aerobics classes.... About two-thirds of the residents are Republicans, according to local party chairs.... 'You can tell who is a Democrat, who is a Republican by their masks,' said Chris Stanley, the leader of the Villages Democratic Club."

Georgia. Governor Asks Court to Shut Up Atlanta Mayor. Michael King of WXIA Atlanta News: "Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms reacted strongly on social media late Sunday morning to Gov. Brian Kemp's request for an emergency injunction against the mayor. The injunction is part of a lawsuit filed last Thursday which seeks to block the mayor from enacting or enforcing any orders that are 'more or less restrictive' than his executive orders. 'In addition to being sued over a mask mandate and voluntary advisory guidelines on COVID-19, Gov. Kemp has asked for an emergency injunction to "restrain" me from issuing press statements and speaking to the press,' Bottoms said Sunday morning. 'Far more have sacrificed too much for me to be silent.'"

Bill Barr's Diabolical Long Game. Ryan Goodman & Danielle Schulkin of Just Security: "Attorney General Barr has been building his playbook for using federal forces against an unwilling state for decades. In an interview with the Miller Center in 2001, Barr explained his strategy for deploying federal troops to address unrest in the Virgin Islands after a major hurricane in 1989. At the time of the incident, Barr was an assistant attorney general and head of the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel. He boasted that during this time he found a way to deploy federal forces based on a legal justification that appears to now being played out in Portland: '... we finally decided that without Presidential authority we could send down law enforcement people to defend the federal function. That is, we said, "People are interfering with the operation of our courts" and so on. I said, "We can send people down to ... keep our courts open, and if they see any crime being committed in front of them, then..., they can make the arrest."...'... The White House's true concern in 1989 was not to defend the federal function of courts -- but to quell widespread looting and disorder across the Virgin Islands. Barr bragged in his 2001 interview that he had found a way to get the federal forces down there and then play it by ear' without having to declare martial law."

Alayna Treene & Stef Kight of Axios: "President Trump and top White House officials are privately considering a controversial strategy to act without legal authority to enact new federal policies -- starting with immigration, administration officials tell Axios.... The White House thinking is being heavily influenced by John Yoo, the lawyer who wrote the Bush administration's justification for waterboarding after 9/11. Yoo detailed the theory in a National Review article, spotted atop Trump's desk in the Oval Office, which argues that the Supreme Court's 5-4 DACA ruling last month 'makes it easy for presidents to violate the law.'"

Elections 2020

Florida. A Poll Tax for the Penniless. Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: "On the day before John Lewis died, the Supreme Court made clear that the life's work [link fixed] of the Democratic congressman from Georgia remained unfinished.... That cruel fact was brought home Thursday, when the justices rebuffed an effort to restore voting rights to nearly a million felons in Florida who have served their sentences and, under an amendment to the state constitution adopted in 2018, should have had their franchise restored.... Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan, stated the consequences clearly in the first sentence of their dissent: 'This Court's order prevents thousands of otherwise eligible voters from participating in Florida's primary election simply because they are poor.' This is even worse than it sounds. First, not only can most of those affected not afford to pay the required amount, the Florida system is so messed up that the state can't even tell people what they owe and won't even be able to begin to do so until 2026.?

Scott Neuman of NPR: "The son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas was fatally shot and her husband critically wounded when a gunman dressed as a FedEx driver entered her home near North Brunswick, N.J., Sunday afternoon, according to local media. Salas herself was reportedly unharmed in the attack, the New Jersey Globe reports. Daniel Anderl, Salas' 20-year-old son, was killed. Her husband, Mark Anderl, a criminal defense attorney and former assistant Essex County prosecutor, reportedly underwent surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, and is listed in critical but stable condition."

The Commentariat -- July 19, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "An agitated President Trump offered a string of combative and often dubious assertions in an interview aired Sunday, defending his handling of the coronavirus with misleading evidence, attacking his own health experts, disputing polls showing him trailing in his re-election race and defending people who display the Confederate flag as victims of 'cancel culture.' Th president's remarks, delivered in an interview on 'Fox News Sunday,' amounted to a contentious potpourri more commonly found on his Twitter feed and at his political rallies. The difference this time was a vigorous attempt by the host, Chris Wallace, to fact-check him, leading to several clashes between the two on matters ranging from the coronavirus response to whether Mr. Trump would accept the results of the election should he lose." ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's report, by Felicia Sonmez, is here. The Guardian's report, by Martin Pengelly, is here. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Hmm. Looks as if Fox "News" is enjoying this. Looks as if they're rebroadcasting the whole Wallace/Trump interview at 7 pm ET today (Sunday). I might just listen, if I can find Fox on the "dial."

~~~ The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Sunday are here. "Mr. Trump said during [an] interview with Chris Wallace ... that Dr. Fauci had been against his decision to close the borders to travelers from China in January. That is not true.... Mr. Trump also said that Dr. Fauci had been against Americans wearing masks. Dr. Fauci has said that he does not regret urging Americans not to wear masks in the early days of the pandemic, referencing a severe shortage of protective gear for medical professionals.... Mr. Trump falsely claimed that the coronavirus rate in other countries was lower than in the United States because those nations did not engage in testing.... Mr. Trump said that he doubted whether Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the C.D.C., was correct in predicting that the pandemic would be worse this fall.... He ... reiterated his earlier claim, unsupported by science, that the virus would suddenly cease one day. 'It's going to disappear and I'll be right.... Because I've been right probably more than anybody else.'" ~~~

~~~ Derek Hawkins & Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "With coronavirus cases rising across the country and the U.S. death toll topping 137,000, President Trump on Sunday dismissed concerns about the spike in infections, telling Fox News that 'many of those cases shouldn't even be cases.... Many of those cases are young people that would heal in a day,' the president told Fox News host Chris Wallace in an interview. 'They have the sniffles and we put it down as a test.'... Trump's remarks came after another week of grim data highlighting the uncontrolled spread of the virus. Infections rose in states from every region of the country, with more than a dozen states on Saturday reaching record highs in their seven-day averages for new daily cases." ~~~

~~~ Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump in a testy interview with Fox News's Chris Wallace downplayed recent surges in coronavirus cases, defended his stance on Confederate-named bases and sought to attack ... Joe Biden. Trump disputed polls showing him trailing Biden, eviscerating his Democratic opponent as 'not competent to be president' and controlled by the 'radical' progressive wing of the party. He also complained about his inability to hold rallies in some areas of the country due to the coronavirus, accusing 'Democrat-run states' of not allowing him to do so.... Trump also described Dr. Anthony Fauci ... as 'a little bit of an alarmist' while denying that the White House is involved in an effort to discredit him." Mrs. McC: Fact-checkers can't keep up with this Big Fat Liar.

~~~~~~~~~~

Morgan Gstalter of the Hill: "Former Vice President Joe Biden [Mrs. McC: and his wife Jill] on Saturday mourned the death of Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), saying the civil rights leader was 'truly a one-of-a-kind, a moral compass who always knew where to point us and which direction to march.... We are made in the image of God, and then there is John Lewis,' Biden wrote in a statement. 'How could someone in flesh and blood be so courageous, so full of hope and love in the face of so much hate, violence, and vengeance?'" ~~~

~~~ This ABC News story has the Bidens' statement as well as President Obama's statement and others. Vice President mike pence's statement was quite sweet. Here's the Bidens' full statement, posted in Medium. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's full statement is here.

Just in: Trump has ordered the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff at the White House and all federal buildings in honor of John Lewis.... for one day. Really, for half a day, since the order came out just past 11 a.m. The president's proclamation expires tonight. -- Philip Rucker of the Washington Post, in a tweet ~~~

~~~ Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "As the bipartisan tributes to Mr. Lewis's legacy began flowing late Friday evening and Saturday morning, President Trump opted to retweet a flurry of his older posts on Twitter largely focused on disparaging his enemies.... On Saturday afternoon, after issuing a boilerplate proclamation for flags to be flown Saturday at half-staff at the White House and public buildings, Mr. Trump published a perfunctory [Mrs. McC: and ungrammatical] message on the passing of one of his most prominent critics. 'Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing,' Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter after finishing a game of golf. 'Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family.'" A TPM story is here.

Remembering John Lewis Elijah Cummings. Christina Morales of the New York Times: "Like thousands of other Americans, Senators Marco Rubio and Dan Sullivan took to social media on Saturday to mourn the death of Representative John Lewis, a venerated figure of the civil rights movement.... Except the photo Mr. Rubio posted was not of Mr. Lewis, but of another congressman: Representative Elijah E. Cummings, who died in October. Mr. Rubio also used the photo of himself with Mr. Cummings as his Twitter profile picture for a brief time. Mr. Sullivan, Republican of Alaska, also memorialized Mr. Lewis with a photo of Mr. Cummings. In the picture he posted to his Facebook account, Mr. Sullivan is standing beside Mr. Cummings in front of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington." See commentary on Rubio's embarrassing mix-up in yesterday's thread.

Practical Matters. Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Facing a tight legal deadline, Georgia Democrats are seeking online applications to succeed the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. The state party said Saturday that potential contenders must complete an application by Sunday evening to be considered for the Atlanta-based seat held since 1987 by the civil rights hero. That's because state law gives the Democratic Party of Georgia until 4:30 p.m. on Monday to decide whether to replace Lewis' name on the November ballot for a full two-year term.... There also will be a separate special election to fill the remainder of the civil rights hero's term after his death Friday due to complications of pancreatic cancer. Gov. Brian Kemp has 10 days to schedule that vote to serve the rest of the Democrat's term, which expires in January."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here.

Trump Wants to Help Spread Coronavirus. Erica Werner & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration is trying to block billions of dollars for states to conduct testing and contact tracing in the upcoming coronavirus relief bill, people involved in the talks said Saturday. The administration is also trying to block billions of dollars that GOP senators want to allocate for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and billions more for the Pentagon and State Department to address the pandemic at home and abroad, the people said.... Trump and other White House officials have been pushing for states to own more of the responsibility for testing and have objected to creating national standards, at times seeking to minimize the federal government's role.... The administration's posture has angered some GOP senators, the officials said, and some lawmakers are trying to push back and ensure that the money stays in the bill.... The negotiations center around a bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is preparing to unveil this coming week as part of negotiations with Democrats on what will likely be the last major coronavirus relief bill before the November election."

** Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "Each morning at 8 as the coronavirus crisis was raging in April, Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, convened a small group of aides to steer the administration through what had become a public health, economic and political disaster.... They saw their immediate role as practical problem solvers.... But their ultimate goal was to shift responsibility for leading the fight against the pandemic from the White House to the states. They referred to this as 'state authority handoff,' and it was at the heart of what would become at once a catastrophic policy blunder and an attempt to escape blame for a crisis that had engulfed the country -- perhaps one of the greatest failures of presidential leadership in generations. Over a critical period beginning in mid-April, President Trump and his team convinced themselves that the outbreak was fading, that they had given state governments all the resources they needed to contain its remaining 'embers' and that it was time to ease up on the lockdown.... For scientific affirmation, they turned to Dr. Deborah L. Birx.... She was a constant source of upbeat news for the president and his aides, walking the halls with charts emphasizing that outbreaks were gradually easing." Emphasis added. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Almost everyone -- Trump, Meadows, Kushner, etc. -- comes off as a know-nothing nitwit in this story of how the administration failed the American people, but no one comes off worse than Debbie Birx, "the chief evangelist for the idea that the threat from the virus was fading." It's hard for me not to think of her jumping for joy, cheerleader-style, wearing one of those ridiculous flouncy skirts & flowing scarves she favors, her 1960s ponytail flying. ~~~

~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Huge numbers of Americans will be dead, have permanent health issues, and/or be economically immiserated because the Trump administration's only significant COVID-19 focus was passing the buck and hoping things would go away[.]... [It's] it pretty clear [Trump is] not going to EMAILS! his way out of this one. Mass death and economic depression do tend to concentrate the mind."

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "In the heated debate over reopening schools, one burning question has been whether and how efficiently children can spread the virus to others. A large new study from South Korea offers an answer: Children younger than 10 transmit to others much less often than adults do, but the risk is not zero. And those between the ages of 10 and 19 can spread the virus at least as well as adults do. The findings suggest that as schools reopen, communities will see clusters of infection take root that include children of all ages, several experts cautioned." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This South Korean study offers one of those insights that should help us Americans curb the virus. But it won't. Because the POTUS* favors almost everything that spreads the virus: getting businesses back to normal, letting all the Christian congregations get together and sing, holding massive public events indoors and out, reopening schools. And although he is for handwashing, apparently something he does a lot himself, he is against requiring people to wear masks and social-distance. There is something very, very strange about this.

Maine. Shocking Stats. Maria Sachetti of the Washington Post: "Immigrants and refugees help power Maine, America's oldest and whitest state, by picking blueberries, packing meat and tending to the elderly far from the fancy resorts on Vacationland's rocky coast. But in a state that has one of the lowest rates of coronavirus infections, a pattern has emerged: Black Mainers -- many of them immigrants -- have been infected at disproportionate rates, accounting for approximately 23 percent of the cases in a state where they are less than 2 percent of the population.... The most recent state data show that at least 836 of more than 3,600 Mainers who have had the coronavirus are black."

Emily Gillespie & Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: "The Oregon attorney general filed a lawsuit late Friday night alleging that the federal government had violated Oregonians' civil rights by seizing and detaining them without probable cause during protests against police brutality in the past week. The legal action comes after days of intensifying clashes between the Trump administration and Portland officials, who have accused federal agencies of heavy-handed tactics that inflame unrest and threaten citizens. Department of Homeland Security agents have swarmed the city in recent days, arguing that they are needed to restore order after nearly two months of demonstrations. But local officials, including Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D), have implored the agency to step down, with the mayor calling the police force President Trump's 'personal army' and suggesting its tactics are only making things worse." ~~~

     ~~~ Conrad Wilson, et al., of Oregon Public Broadcasting: "The Oregon Department of Justice is suing several federal agencies for civil rights abuses, and state prosecutors will potentially pursue criminal charges against a federal officer who seriously injured a protester. The federal lawsuit names the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protective Service, agencies that have had a role in stepped-up force used against protesters since early July."

~~~ Sergio Olmos, et al., of the New York Times: "The federal agents facing a growing backlash for their militarized approach to weeks of unrest in Portland were not specifically trained in riot control or mass demonstrations, an internal Department of Homeland Security memo warned this week. The message, dated Thursday, was prepared by the agency for Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security.... The tactical agents deployed by Homeland Security include officials from a group known as BORTAC, the Border Patrol's equivalent of a S.W.A.T. team, a highly trained group that normally is tasked with investigating drug smuggling organizations, as opposed to protesters in cities.... The pushback against the militarized federal deployment involving officers in fatigues and tactical gear has also extended to the streets, where the presence of those federal agents has rejuvenated a movement that had shown signs of finally slowing down after weeks of protest against police violence and militarization." The Hill has a summary report here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Knowing what he knew did not stop Chad Wolf from going on "Hannity" Thursday night and boasting that "brave law enforcement officers" were going to stop the "siege" of Portland by "lawless anarchists." ~~~

~~~ Dan Nexon of LG&$: "... it's ... clear that Trump's little green men aren't being deployed in a good faith way. People are being grabbed and detained as they walk home from protests. Even if legal, the totality of behavior is authoritarian by disposition. If normalized, it invites worse to come.... I don't think we can put the genie back in the bottle. The best hope remains a decisive electoral thrashing of Trump and the GOP, one that leaves the Mitt Romneys and Larry Hogans of the party vindicated. Still, recent developments underscore the need for major measures to prevent current abuses, as well as to make it harder to maintain and expand pockets of authoritarianism. One such measure is the abolition, or at least the partial dismemberment, of the Department of Homeland Security. DHS is a Frankenstein's monster, drawn on the back of a napkin and pursued for short-term political gain. It somehow manages to combine gross inefficiencies with dangerous concentrations of power. In other words, it's kind of Soviet."

Priscilla Alvarez of CNN: "The Trump administration must begin accepting new applications for the Obama-era program that shields undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation, a federal judge ruled Friday. The order comes nearly a month since the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration's attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. That ruling emphasized that the administration failed to provide an adequate reason to justify scrapping DACA. Judge Paul Grimm of the US District Court for the District of Maryland said Friday that the program is to be restored to its 'pre-September 5, 2017 status,' meaning the status quo before ... Donald Trump tried to terminate it, thereby giving hundreds of thousands of DACA-eligible immigrants the opportunity to apply."

Presidential Election

Mrs. McCrabbie: Headlines like this one get me: "Pandemic surge damages Trump, boosting Biden's White House bid: POLL." First, I hate the idea that death and severe illness are reduced to horse-race terms. Second, I'm horrified at what the poll numbers mean: that before tens of thousands of Americans died of Covid-19, millions of people thought, the racist, misogynistic, lying, narcissistic, corrupt, incompetent, cruel guy "is a pretty good president*. I'll vote for him again."