The Commentariat -- July 31, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Alanna Richer of the AP: “A federal appeals court Friday threw out Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's death sentence in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, saying the judge who oversaw the case did not adequately screen jurors for potential biases. A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new penalty-phase trial on whether the 27-year-old Tsarnaev should be executed for the attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others. 'But make no mistake: Dzhokhar will spend his remaining days locked up in prison, with the only matter remaining being whether he will die by execution,' the judges said, more than six month after arguments were heard in the case." Donald Trump called the ruling ridiculous.

Casey Smith of the AP: "U.S. Rep. Greg Pence [R-Ind.] is coming under criticism for allowing the sale of objects with racist depictions of African Americans at a sprawling antiques mall he co-owns -- and the issue has taken on particular significance as the Republican defends his congressional seat in Indiana amid a national reckoning on race. The Exit 76 Antique Mall in Edinburgh, Indiana, has more than 4 million items for sale by the merchants who rent booths from Pence, the vice president's older brother, and his wife.... Jeannine Lee Lake, Pence's Democratic challenger, drew attention to the objects recently on social media, but customers say they have complained to management at the mall about the items as far back as 2008.... Lake, who is one of three Black candidates for federal office in Indiana this fall, said the issue was brought to her attention by a woman who used to live near the mall who sent photos of 'awful objects degrading and dehumanizing Black people' for sale."

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar & Matthew Perrone of the AP: "Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that he remains confident that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year, telling lawmakers that a quarter-million Americans already have volunteered to take part in clinical trials.... Don't look for a mass nationwide vaccination right away, Fauci told lawmakers. There will be a priority list based on recommendations from scientific advisers. Topping the list could be critical workers, such as as medical personnel, or vulnerable groups of people such as older adults with other underlying health problems.... Officials testifying with Fauci at a contentious House hearing acknowledged that the U.S. remains unable to deliver all COVID-19 test results within two or three days, and they jointly pleaded with Americans to comply with basic precautions such as wearing masks, avoiding crowds, and washing their hands frequently."

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's yearslong assault on the Postal Service and his increasingly dire warnings about the dangers of voting by mail are colliding as the presidential campaign enters its final months. The result has been to generate new concerns about how he could influence an election conducted during a pandemic in which greater-than-ever numbers of voters will submit their ballots by mail.... Members of Congress and state officials ... are warning that a huge wave of ballots could overwhelm mail carriers unless the Postal Service, in financial difficulty for years, receives emergency funding that Republicans are blocking during negotiations over another pandemic relief bill. At the same time, the mail system is being undercut in ways set in motion by Mr. Trump.... In recent weeks, at the direction of a Trump campaign megadonor who was recently named the postmaster general, the service has stopped paying mail carriers and clerks the overtime necessary to ensure that deliveries can be completed each day. That and other changes have led to reports of letters and packages being delayed by as many as several days."

David Siders of Politico: "... Democrats are already bracing for Republican challenges to absentee ballots and at vote counting on Election Day. They have good cause to be prepared: the president has repeatedly raised the prospect of a 'rigged election' and recently declined to say if he'll accept the results. Trump's rhetoric points increasingly to the possibility that he will dispute the outcome in a year marked by primary election administration meltdowns -- a prospect that is heightened by his absolute control of state and national party machinery and an attorney general who has amplified Trump's unsubstantiated claims about mail-in voting fraud.... [Joe] Biden and the Democratic National Committee, in coordination with state parties and advocacy groups, have lawyers and political operatives working across the battleground map and have hired voter protection directors in 20 states." ~~~

~~~ The Trump Plot to Toss Your Vote. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "According to the Brennan Center for Justice and the Democratic-run Democracy Docket, swing states that currently do not accept ballots that are postmarked before but arrive after Election Day include: Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia. Those states will decide the election.... Democrats will use vote-by-mail in far higher numbers than Republicans -- due to Trump's nonstop attacks on it -- yet absentee ballots get rejected at disproportionate rates, due to procedural complexities.... In very close races, the impact could be serious.... Top Democratic lawyer Marc Elias tells me Democrats are litigating against these laws in every swing state, with an eye toward getting ballots counted that are postmarked before but arrive after Election Day."

~~~ "Access Hollywood" Keeps on Giving. Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "Video of then-businessman Donald Trump struggling to vote in-person before declaring he would fill out an absentee ballot in 2004 has resurfaced this week amid a new round of unfounded attacks on mail-in voting from the President. The 'Access Hollywood' segment, filmed as Trump was attempting to vote in the 2004 election, shows Trump alongside TV host Billy Bush visiting multiple New York City polling locations. Trump, however, is blocked from voting at each location because he is not on any of the voter rolls at each stop. Trump can be seen becoming increasingly frustrated before declaring, 'I'm going to fill out the absentee ballot.' The segment ends with Trump filling out what Bush describes as a provisional ballot in his car." ~~~

Trump Brought Violence to Portland. Adam Taylor of the Washington Post: "After President Trump ordered federal law enforcement officers into Portland, Ore., earlier this month, the protests largely ended the same way for days: with tear gas, rubber bullets and arrests. On Thursday, the first protest held since the federal agencies agreed to pull back their officers was a markedly more peaceful affair. As the Black Lives Matter-inspired vigil wound down early Friday morning, there was virtually no sign of the Oregon State Police officers who had taken over protection of the federal buildings at the center of the protests. Instead of being forcibly removed from downtown's Lownsdale Square and the adjacent Chapman Square, which lie opposite the barricaded Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, the crowd thinned out on its own, with many protesters heading home of their own accord."

Rosalind Helderman & Marc Fisher of the Washington Post: "For at least 15 years ... [beginning in 1989 when they met], Ghislaine Maxwell and [Donald] Trump continued to mingle in the same gilded circles, attending the same parties in Florida and New York, sharing meals and flying together at least once on [Jeffrey] Epstein's private plane, according to documents, interviews and media accounts. They were captured together in photographs and videos several times in that period, and Maxwell got to know two of Trump's wives.... When asked last week if he thought Maxwell would give prosecutors information about powerful men who may have been involved in the exploitation of minors, the president simply said, 'I wish her well, frankly.'... Trump's kind words toward Maxwell are a reminder of his long-standing tendency to extend sympathy to friends or social peers who have been accused of serious wrongdoing -- a sharp contrast to the rhetoric he often deploys against political enemies he accuses of 'treason' and 'corruption.'"

Jacob Bogage & Eugene Scott of the Washington Post: "Avowed white supremacist David Duke was permanently banned from Twitter for repeated violations of the social media platform's rules on hate speech. The former Ku Klux Klan leader and one-time Louisiana legislator's most recent tweets included a link to an interview he conducted with Holocaust denier Germar Rudolf. Other posts promised to expose the 'systemic racism lie,' as well as the 'incitement of violence against white people' by Jewish-owned media. He also shared misinformation about the danger and spread of the."

~~~~~~~~~~

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

"Re-open the Country" -- the Gigantic Trump Fuck-up. Ben Casselman of the New York Times: "The coronavirus pandemic's toll on the nation's economy became emphatically clearer Thursday as the government detailed the most devastating three-month collapse on record, which wiped away nearly five years of growth. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced, fell 9.5 percent in the second quarter.... The drop -- the equivalent of a 32.9 percent annual rate of decline -- would have been even more severe without trillions of dollars in government aid to households and businesses. But there is mounting evidence that the attempt to freeze the economy and defeat the virus has not produced the rapid rebound that many envisioned. A surge in coronavirus cases and deaths across the country has led to a renewed pullback in economic activity.... Data from Europe shows what might have been. Germany on Thursday reported a drop in second-quarter G.D.P. that was even steeper than the U.S. decline. But in Germany, coronavirus cases fell sharply and remain low, which has allowed a much stronger economic rebound in recent weeks. In the United States, the rebound appears to have stalled." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: I've been sort of trying not to use the word "fuck" in the body of the Commentariat, but sometimes I cannot avoid it. Trump's insistence on "re-opening the country" -- and his followers' willingness to play along (here's looking at you, Ron DeSantis) -- is far more consequential than even some of his crazier suggestions and advice. You could argue that his refusal to wear a mask was worse, but he did not -- as apparently some Members of Congress did -- tell us not to wear masks. Or his refusal to lead a national response to the pandemic was worse, but if every state had followed sound practices we might have come out okay. But his demand that we get back to "business as usual," and his pressure on state governors to follow his lead, has tanked the economy, and it is improving far more slowly than necessary.

Young people are almost immune to this disease. The younger, the better, I guess. They're stronger. They're stronger. They have a stronger immune system. It's an incredible thing. Nobody has ever seen this before.... But young people are almost immune. If you look at the percentage, it's a tiny percent of 1 percent. It's a tiny percent of 1 percent. So we have to have our schools open. -- Donald Trump, telling another dangerous lie, Thursday ~~~

~~~ Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: Results from a new peer-reviewed study show that "infected children have at least as much of the coronavirus in their noses and throats as infected adults, according to the research. Indeed, children younger than age 5 may host up to 100 times as much of the virus in the upper respiratory tract as adults, the authors found. That measurement does not necessarily prove children are passing the virus to others. Still, the findings should influence the debate over reopening schools, several experts said."

Zachary Basu of Axios: "The Senate has adjourned until 3pm on Monday, as Congress failed to reach an agreement on extending extra unemployment benefits that are set to expire on Friday.... Tens of millions of Americans are out of work and have been receiving $600 per week on top of their regular unemployment payments. That money has been used both to pay expenses and to prop up the broader economy via consumer spending.... Congress and the Trump administration are still painfully deadlocked over the next stimulus bill, with at least 20 Senate Republicans pledging to vote 'no' on another massive relief package no matter what."

The Peasants Revolt. Sort of. Anna Palmer of Politico: "The revelation Wednesday that Texas Republican Louie Gohmert, a renegade lawmaker known for stalking the halls of Congress without a mask, tested positive for Covid-19 has unleashed a fusillade of anger on Capitol Hill -- a sudden release of built-up tension over how the institution has dealt with the coronavirus pandemic within the confines of its own workplace. For months, the leaders of Congress have allowed lawmakers to enter the Capitol without being screened for the deadly virus, rejecting an offer from the White House to provide rapid testing while trusting that the thousands who work across the massive complex of offices, meeting rooms and hallways will behave responsibly. Now, legislative aides, chiefs of staff, press assistants, members of Congress, career workers and maintenance men and women are venting their fury with an institution that does not have uniform rules or masking requirements, does not mandate testing, is run with minimal oversight and must contend with a gaggle of lawmakers who doubt scientists and hold themselves out as experts on everything from disease hygiene to pharmacology."

Adam Edelman of ABC News: "Herman Cain, a successful businessman who ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and later became a backer of ... Donald Trump, has died from complications from COVID-19, according to a statement posted Thursday on his personal website. He was 74.... Last month, Cain had tested positive for COVID-19, just a little over a week after he had attended a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 20." (Also linked yesterday.)

Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Michael D. Cohen now will be allowed to finish his tell-all book about President Trump after the government said on Thursday that it had given up a legal battle to prevent him from expressing himself on television, on social media or in books while he serves a prison sentence at home. The government, writing to a federal judge in Manhattan, said it would not challenge a ruling last week that cleared the way for Mr. Cohen, who once was Mr. Trump's lawyer and fixer, to publish a memoir about his former boss before the election. The government said it had agreed to omit a condition in Mr. Cohen's home-confinement agreement that would have banned him from any contact with the media, including making posts on social media, appearing on television or publishing a book."

Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court in Washington will take a second look at a judge's effort to scrutinize the Justice Department's decision to drop its case against President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed Thursday to revisit U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan's plan to examine the politically charged matter, reviving the unusual case testing the limits of the judiciary's power to check the executive branch. The court's brief order set oral arguments for Aug. 11. The decision to rehear the case before a full complement of judges wipes out the June ruling from a three-judge panel that ordered Sullivan to immediately dismiss the case and said Sullivan was wrong to appoint a retired federal judge to argue against the government's move to undo Flynn's guilty plea." A Reuters story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

CNN is republishing adapted portions of Jeff Toobin's new book, True Crimes & Misdemeanors, an examination of the Mueller investigation. One revelation: Andrew McCabe secreted copies of key documents, including memos by Jim Comey, in the FBI's secure case management system and "in remote locations around the Bureau. This was to make sure that in the event Trump directed an end to these inquiries, the documents could always be preserved, located, and shared."

Trump, Spies, Cops & Sundry Bigots

Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "The Department of Homeland Security has compiled 'intelligence reports' about the work of American journalists covering protests in Portland, Ore., in what current and former officials called an alarming use of a government system meant to share information about suspected terrorists and violent actors. Over the past week, the department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis has disseminated three Open Source Intelligence Reports to federal law enforcement agencies and others, summarizing tweets written by two journalists -- a reporter for the New York Times [Mike Baker] and the editor in chief of the blog Lawfare [Ben Wittes] -- and noting they had published leaked, unclassified documents about DHS operations in Portland." The Raw Story has a summary report here.

"I Can't Breathe." Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: For 6½ minutes, Lionel Morris "begged police to stop using a Taser on him on a supermarket's floor ... in Conway, Ark.... Morris had run from officers on Feb. 4 and then placed one officer in a chokehold and tried to [pull] out a knife, according to police, after the supermarket had reported him for removing a drone from its packaging. But as an officer had his knee on the 39-year-old's back inside Harps Food Store, Morris, handcuffed and lying face down, repeatedly offered a succinct and familiar plea: 'I can't breathe.' 'If you can talk, you can breathe. Chill out,' replied the officer, according to body-cam footage released by the Conway Police Department on Wednesday.... Minutes later, Morris was 'pulseless and unresponsive' when medical personnel arrived. He was pronounced dead while being transported to the hospital. On Wednesday, the officers involved in Morris's death were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Arkansas State Police and prosecutors. That decision came the same day that police released edited body-cam and security footage that illustrated a chaotic incident in which Morris seemingly made clear repeatedly that he was in medical distress." ~~~

~~~ The Disappeared? Spencer Ackerman of the Daily Beast: "An Immigration and Customs Enforcement guard at an immigration jail in Virginia knelt dangerously on the upper back of a man already bleeding from his head, two detained men who said they saw the disturbing incident told The Daily Beast. 'It was like seeing George Floyd all over again,' said one detainee.... Since the incident on Monday, July 13, the detained men said that they have not seen the beaten man, identified as 31-year old Carlos Rivas Monsano. 'Right now, we don't know where he is,' a second detainee ... said on Monday. A third detainee gave a similar account. In a statement to The Daily Beast, ICE said it was investigating what is said to have happened to Rivas."

     ~~~ Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "Over the three days Rob Bliss held the sign in the sweltering July heat in Harrison, a town known as a haven for white supremacists and home to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, similar interactions happened again and again.... Bliss is a director and producer based in Los Angeles and is known for making viral stunts aimed at socially conscious messages.... Bliss's video swiftly went viral after he uploaded it Monday...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Elections 2020

~~~ For those who don't subscribe to the New York Times, digby has republished John Lewis' NYT op-ed. I don't know whether or not she violated copyright law, and here is an instance where I don't care. (The Times should have made the essay free for nonsubscribers, IMO.) Many thanks to Keith H. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ digby appends this to the end of the essay: "Meanwhile, Trump, who couldn't be bothered to pay tribute or even have the decency to STFU, has spent this week pushing racist housing policies and trying to manipulate, suppress and now, delay the vote. If there's a more graceless barbarian on earth I don't know who it might be." Amen, Sister. ~~~

~~~ Ari Berman of Mother Jones: "... Lewis was right to be concerned about the threat to voting rights. Since the 2010 election, half the states in the country have passed new restrictions on voting, such as voter ID laws, cutbacks to early voting, and closing polling places. In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, unleashing a wave of new voter suppression in states with a long history of discrimination like Georgia and Texas. (Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been blocking a vote on bipartisan legislation to restore the VRA for most of a year.) More recently, the Trump administration has waged an unrelenting campaign against vote-by-mail, lying about mail ballot fraud and filing a series of lawsuits opposing efforts to make it easier to vote by mail. He has also politicized the United States Postal Service by appointing the former top fundraiser for the Republican National Committee as postmaster general, cutting overtime for postal workers, and slowing down mail delivery at a time when the agency faces a major budget crisis, which could lead to mail ballots not arriving in time to be counted."

~~~ Richard Fausset & Rick Rojas of the New York Times: "Three former presidents and dozens of other dignitaries were drawn to Ebenezer Baptist Church on Thursday to bid farewell to John Lewis, a giant of Congress and the civil rights era whose courageous protests guaranteed him a place in American history. But even as the funeral looked back over Mr. Lewis's long life, it also focused very much on the tumultuous state of affairs in the country today. The most pointed eulogy came from former President Barack Obama, who issued a blistering critique of the Trump administration, the brutality of police officers toward Black people and efforts to limit the right to vote that Mr. Lewis had shed his blood to secure." ~~~

Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "President Barack Obama hailed the late Rep. John Lewis as a modern-day founding father of a more perfect union that has not yet come to fruition -- and challenged Americans to carry on Lewis' legacy. In a 40-minute eulogy that was part a celebration of Lewis and part a call to action, Obama chronicled Lewis' journey as a young civil rights activist to an elderly congressman who led a sit-in inside the U.S. Capitol, evidence that Lewis never stopped fighting for what was right. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid tribute to the late Democratic congressman before Obama spoke. Former President Jimmy Carter sent his condolences in a letter that was read aloud during the service." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Bull Connor may be gone. But today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans. George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. -- President Barack Obama, eulogy for John Lewis

     ~~~ At about 22 min. in, President Obama begins speaking about how civil rights are being curbed today. At 27:55, he speaks about expanding the Voting Rights Act. The full transcript of his eulogy, via the New York Times, is here. ~~~

~~~ Paul Kane & John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Former president Barack Obama delivered a call to action in his eulogy Thursday of late congressman John Lewis, urging Congress to pass new voting rights laws and likening tactics by President Trump and his administration to those used by racist Southern leaders who fought the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Obama, speaking for 40 minutes at the pulpit where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, tied Lewis's early life as a Freedom Rider to the nationwide protests that followed the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. He compared today's federal agents using tear gas against peaceful protesters, an action that Trump has cheered on, to the same attacks Lewis faced on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in 1965."

Marc Fisher of the Washington Post: "Three presidents spoke in poetry, paying tribute to a fallen hero who believed -- often against evidence to the contrary, including the cracking of his skull by state troopers -- that America was good, its people driven by love to do right by one another. One president, the current commander in chief, did not attend the funeral of Rep. John Lewis but instead spoke of dark forces in the country and suggested that the United States not hold its next presidential election on time."

** Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "Facing disastrous economic news and rising coronavirus deaths, President Trump on Thursday floated delaying the Nov. 3 election, a suggestion that lacks legal authority and could undermine confidence in an election that polls show him on course to lose. Republican leaders in Congress, who often claim not to have seen Mr. Trump's outlandish statements and tweets and who infrequently challenge him in public, promptly and vocally condemned any notion that the election would be moved. It was a moment of striking political isolation for the president, as Republicans felt no need to defend him, Democrats condemned him, and three former presidents gathered in a rare moment together, paying tribute at the funeral of Representative John Lewis of Georgia.... 'With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Mr. Trump wrote. 'It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???'... Mr. Trump said in a separate tweet, 'Must know Election results on the night of the Election, not days, months or even years later!' That second statement reflects a concern that Democrats have given voice to -- that Mr. Trump will try to focus on the same-day voting tallies to claim victory, even when the full results may be unknown for days."~~~

     ~~~ Politico's story is here. ~~~

Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions, and the Civil War have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time, and we'll find a way to do that again this Nov. 3. -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, shortly after Donald Trump suggested the election be delayed

So many dead and the economy in free fall -- and what's his reaction? Delay the election. It's a sign of a mind that's having a great deal of difficulty coming to terms with reality. -- Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R) ~~~

~~~ Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "... with Mr. Trump suggesting for the first time that the election could be delayed, his proposal appeared as impotent as it was predictable.... Far from a strongman, Mr. Trump has lately become a heckler in his own government, promoting medical conspiracy theories on social media, playing no constructive role in either the management of the coronavirus pandemic or the negotiation of an economic rescue plan in Congress -- and complaining endlessly about the unfairness of it all." ~~~

~~~ Cory Bennett, et al., of Politico: "For months, faced with the dual crises of a life-altering pandemic and a nationwide protest movement against racism, Trump has been laying the groundwork to contest the election results -- refusing to commit to accepting the results, leveling baseless allegations that mail-in balloting will create the 'the greatest Rigged Election in history.' Jared Kushner ... told Time magazine that he could not 'commit one way or the other' to holding the election on Nov. 3, the date that is set by law. 'Right now that's the plan,' he said...." ~~~

~~~ ** Steve M.: "We're being assured that Trump can't postpone the election." But the 1845 law that sets the date of the election of the president & veep also provides that "When any State shall have held an election for the purpose of choosing electors, and shall fail to make a choice on the day aforesaid, then the electors may be appointed on a subsequent day in such manner as the State shall by law provide." That suggests to Steve "that states can alter their procedures for choosing presidential electors. And this, from the National Constitution Center, is ominous: 'Three opinions from the Congressional Research Service explain scenarios about the possible delays in the presidential election process. One report, released [in March], indicates a state under its own laws could postpone the general election date that results in the selection of electors; in the election this year that date is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. At least 45 states have statutes that deal with election day emergencies, the CRS says.' There are several states in which Republicans fully control the government but voters might prefer Joe Biden to Donald Trump -- Florida, Arizona, and possibly Georgia and Texas." Read the whole post. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So it appears reporters have asked the wrong people how they feel about changing the election date: Congressional leaders like McConnell & McCarthy, Cruz & Rubio naturally want to preserve their own prerogative to set the date. Rather, reporters should be asking those reprobates like Ron DeSantis, Doug Ducey, Brian Kemp, etc. Oh, and the biggest reprobate of all, Bill Barr. My bet is if the election once again came down to "Florida, Florida Florida," Mitch would suddenly find he just had to defer to DeSantis.

~~~ Impeach & Remove Trump! Steven Calabresi, co-founder of the far-right Federalist Society, in a New York Times op-ed: "I have voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980, including voting for Donald Trump in 2016. I wrote op-eds and a law review article protesting what I believe was an unconstitutional investigation by Robert Mueller. I also wrote an op-ed opposing President Trump's impeachment. But I am frankly appalled by the president's recent tweet seeking to postpone the November election. Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats' assertion that President Trump is a fascist. But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president's immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate." ~~~

     ~~~ Calabresi Spies a Loser. Paul Campos in LG&$: "Guys like Calabresi are political hacks who are also deeply invested in the belief that they are devoted to The Rule of Law. The way this works is that when a politician starts looking like a bad bet, they suddenly become all principled and stuff, without noticing the practical convenience of their conversion." ~~~

~~~ Ken Meyer of Mediaite remembers way back in late April when Joe Biden said, "Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can't be held. Imagine threatening not to fund the post office. Now, what in God's name is that about?" Trumpophiles came out en masse to accuse Biden of pushing a nutty conspiracy theory. As Bennett, et al., note in the Politico story linked above, "Trump himself explicitly shot down the prospect: 'I never even thought of changing the date of the election. Why would I do that?'" Mrs. McC: Sometimes a conspiracy theory is just a conspiracy. Unfortunately for Trump, in this case, most of his designated co-conspirators are having none of it -- although the postmaster is definitely doing his part. ~~~

~~~ Trump Flunky Engineers USPS Havoc. Michelle Lee & Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Postal Service is experiencing days-long backlogs of mail across the country after a top Trump donor running the agency put in place new procedures described as cost-cutting efforts, alarming postal workers who warn that the policies could undermine their ability to deliver ballots on time for the November election. As President Trump ramps up his unfounded attacks on mail balloting as being susceptible to widespread fraud, postal employees and union officials say the changes implemented by Trump fundraiser-turned-postmaster general Louis DeJoy are contributing to a growing perception that mail delays are the result of a political effort to undermine absentee voting. The backlog comes as the president, who is trailing presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the polls, has escalated his efforts to cast doubt about the integrity of the November vote, which is expected to yield record numbers of mail ballots because of the coronavirus pandemic." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Here's how it works: Trump predicts mail-in ballots will be slow to arrives. Trump appoints postmaster general who makes sure mail-in ballots will be slow to arrive. This is not a magic trick. It's a Trump trick, so no sleight-of-hand is involved. How it's done is damned obvious.

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, this week declined to answer a colleague's question about whether he had received derogatory information about Vice President Joe Biden from Andrii Derkach, a Kremlin-linked Ukrainian lawmaker who has worked to foment allegations of corruption by Biden and his son Hunter. During a closed-door business meeting of the panel on Wednesday -- a transcript of which was made publicly available Thursday -- Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) pressed Nunes about news reports indicating that he was one of several GOP lawmakers to whom packets of information were delivered from Derkach in December 2019 that contained allegations about Joe Biden. Derkach has confirmed he sent the packages to Nunes, as well as GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina." Mrs. McC: So Nunes, et al., are likely sitting on (fake) oppo research against Biden, which they intend to spring as an October surprise. AG Bill Barr is probably doing the same with his so-called "investigations" of the Russia & Ukraine matters.

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Thursday shut down a lower court's decision that cited the coronavirus pandemic as reason to ease the rules on gathering signatures for a citizens ballot initiative. The case from Idaho was the latest example of the high court deferring to state officials, rather than lower-court judges, in how to deal with election-related issues caused by the outbreak of covid-19.... It is unclear exactly how the court's vote broke down, although at least five of the nine justices had to agree with the action. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented. Three justices joined Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. in explaining the action. But the order did not state how the other three justices -- Clarence Thomas, Stephen G. Breyer and Elena Kagan -- voted, which sometimes happens when the court settles an emergency request."

The Commentariat -- July 30, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

For those who don't subscribe to the New York Times, digby has republished John Lewis' NYT op-ed. I don't know whether or not she violated copyright law, and here is an instance where I don't care. Thanks to Keith H. for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ digby appends this to the end of the essay: "Meanwhile, Trump, who couldn't be bothered to pay tribute or even hav the decency to STFU, has spent this week pushing racist housing policies and trying to manipulate, suppress and now, delay the vote. If there's a more graceless barbarian on earth I don't know who it might be." Amen, Sister.

Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "President Barack Obama hailed the late Rep. John Lewis as a modern-day founding father of a more perfect union that has not yet come to fruition -- and challenged Americans to carry on Lewis' legacy. In a 40-minute eulogy that was part a celebration of Lewis and part a call to action, Obama chronicled Lewis' journey as a young civil rights activist to an elderly congressman who led a sit-in inside the U.S. Capitol, evidence that Lewis never stopped fighting for what was right. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid tribute to the late Democratic congressman before Obama spoke. Former President Jimmy Carter sent his condolences in a letter that was read aloud during the service." ~~~

     ~~~ At about 22 min. in, President Obama begins speaking about how civil rights are being curbed today. At 27:55, he speaks about expanding the Voting Rights Act. ~~~

The Washington Post has live video of John Lewis' funeral. You can watch it on this YouTube page, which is subscriber-free. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, in Harrison, Arkansas:

     ~~~ Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "Over the three days Rob Bliss held the sign in the sweltering July heat in Harrison, a town known as a haven for white supremacists and home to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, similar interactions happened again and again.... Bliss is a director and producer based in Los Angeles and is known for making viral stunts aimed at socially conscious messages.... Bliss's video swiftly went viral after he uploaded it Monday...."

New York Times: "President Trump suggested on Thursday that the Nov. 3 general election be delayed, something he has no authority to order and that top Republicans quickly rejected. 'Never in the history of the federal elections have we not held an election, and we should go forward,' said Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader. Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, dismissed Mr. Trump's suggestion in an interview with WNKY television in Bowling Green, Ky. 'Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time, and we'll find a way to do that again this Nov. 3,' Mr. McConnell said.... Even for Mr. Trump, suggesting a delay in the election is an extraordinary breach of presidential decorum that will increase the chances that he and his core supporters don't accept the legitimacy of the election should he lose to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.' The Hill's story is here. Politico's story is here.

Ann Marimow of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court in Washington will take a second look at a judge's effort to scrutinize the Justice Department's decision to drop its case against President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed Thursday to revisit U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan's plan to examine the politically charged matter, reviving the unusual case testing the limits of the judiciary's power to check the executive branch. The court's brief order set oral arguments for Aug. 11. The decision to rehear the case before a full complement of judges wipes out the June ruling from a three-judge panel that ordered Sullivan to immediately dismiss the case and said Sullivan was wrong to appoint a retired federal judge to argue against the government's move to undo Flynn's guilty plea." A Reuters story is here.

Adam Edelman of ABC News: "Herman Cain, a successful businessman who ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and later became a backer of ... Donald Trump, has died from complications from COVID-19, according to a statement posted Thursday on his personal website. He was 74."

~~~~~~~~~~

** "Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation." John Lewis, "the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published [in the New York Times] upon the day of his funeral. Editorial Page Editor Kathleen Kingsbury wrote about this piece and Mr. Lewis's legacy in Thursday’s edition of our Opinion Today newsletter." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: I looked around the Internets to see if I could find Lewis' essay elsewhere, on a firewall-free site, and I could not. The Guardian has a summary report here.

~~~ Jeff Martin of the AP: "When John Lewis is mourned, revered and celebrated at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday, he returns to a sacred place for many of those who helped to shape civil rights history. The arc of Lewis' legacy of activism will once again be tied to Ebenezer's former pastor Martin Luther King Jr., whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama.... Former President Barack Obama will be attending Thursday's funeral and is expected to address mourners, according to a person familiar with the arrangements who was not authorized to speak publicly. President George W. Bush's office said the former president and first lady Laura Bush also will attend." Former President Bill Clinton also is expected to attend Lewis' funeral.

** Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: "Since the disclosure ... [that] Russia had covertly offered bounties to kill American troops..., no new National Security Council interagency meetings on the topic have been scheduled, one official said, adding that officials who were alarmed about the bounties intelligence -- and the lack of response -- have essentially given up because the White House's narrative has made it politically impossible to reverse course and treat the intelligence as a serious matter." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: During the Axios interview & later on the White House lawn, Trump offered a number of sometimes contradictory excuses on why he has not acted against Russia: (1) "... many people said [this] was fake news." (2) "If it reached my desk, I would have done something about it." (3) "Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have. I don't know why they'd be doing this." (4) "We supplied weapons when they were fighting Russia, too." So there's the anonymous "many people" claim combined with the "fake news" claim, two of Trump's favorite fallbacks. Then the claim Trump never saw the intel, which has been disproved, but a way to blame others. This claim he combined with the bravado that he would have done something tough to retaliate against Russia, had he but known. Then he asserts that Russia would have had no reason to put bounties on U.S. soldiers, which he follows with the argument that Russia had plenty of reason to kill U.S. soldiers because the U.S. had done something similar to Russia decades ago. Pathetic. And U.S. soldiers are dead. ~~~

~~~ Erin Banco & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "The U.S. State Department has issued warnings to Russia that there will be repercussions if Moscow pays Trump has said about the intelligence in question."

Trump, Stormtroopers & Scare Tactics

Trump Tosses the Whistle, Buys a Bullhorn. Annie Karni, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump vowed on Wednesday to protect suburbanites from low-income housing being built in their neighborhoods, making an appeal to white suburban voters by trying to stir up racist fears about affordable housing and the people who live there. In a tweet and later in remarks during a visit to Texas, Mr. Trump painted a false picture of the suburbs as under siege and ravaged by crime, using fear-mongering language.... Mr. Trump said on Twitter that 'people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream' would 'no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood.' The president was referring to the administration's decision last week to roll back an Obama-era program intended to combat racial segregation in suburban housing. The program expanded provisions in the Fair Housing Act to encourage diversification and 'foster inclusive communities.'" CNBC has a story here.

One of These Creeps Sounds Just Like the Other One:

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "... the politics of division and race ring through the generations as President Trump tries to do what [Alabama Gov. George] Wallace could not. Comparisons between the two men stretch back to 2015 when Mr. Trump ran for the White House denouncing Mexicans illegally crossing the border as rapists and pledging to bar all Muslims from entering the country. But the parallels have become even more pronounced in recent weeks after the killing of George Floyd as Mr. Trump has responded to demonstrations by sending federal forces into the streets. The Wallace-style tactics were on display again on Wednesday as Mr. Trump stirred racist fears about low-income housing moving into the suburbs."

Jessica Wolfrom of the Washington Post: "President Trump said Wednesday that he would send the National Guard into Portland if the violence doesn't subside. The president's remarks come as federal officials are preparing to pull out of the city and de-escalate the fevered tensions between police and protesters. Just hours earlier, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced that the federal government had agreed to pull federal officers out of the city.... [Speaking in Midland Texas, Trump said,] 'And I told my people a little while ago, if they don't solve that problem locally very soon, we're going to send in the National Guard and get it solved very quickly, just like we did in Minneapolis and just like we will do in other places.'...." This is part of a liveblog & is way down the page. ~~~

~~~ ** Mike Baker of the New York Times: "Federal tactical teams that have clashed with protesters in Portland in recent weeks will soon begin leaving the city, Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon said Wednesday. The federal agents will begin leaving downtown on Thursday, Ms. Brown said in a statement. An agreement between federal and state officials calls for the Oregon State Police to provide security for the exterior of the courthouse, while the usual team of federal officers that protects the courthouse year-round will continue to provide security for the interior of the courthouse. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that while the department has agreed with the Oregon governor on a withdrawal plan, the department will proceed with the withdrawal of security personnel in Portland only if federal officials are confident that federal properties will no longer be under attack." Related AP story linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Maybe Chad just realized that teargassing (white) moms is not a good look: ~~~

Dani Blum of the New York Times: "In the flurry of videos and social media posts that have emerged from the protests in Portland, Ore., activist moms are everywhere. They sing lullabies. They link arm-in-arm, forming a human barricade between protesters and federal agents. Some wear respirators, gas masks and helmets. Some hand out sunflowers.... Since then, the Wall of Moms has continued to protest nightly in Portland, with hundreds of women dressed in yellow to identify themselves as participants turning out. A Wall of Dads has also joined the front lines of the protests, many carrying leaf blowers to redirect the tear gas that federal agents have deployed.... More recently, new chapters of Wall of Moms collectives have mobilized across the country, with several turning out at demonstrations on Saturday.... The Wall of Moms groups consist of predominantly white women who have garnered a swell of attention that Black mothers protesting in Portland for months did not receive, participants and organizers said in interviews."

Nevada. Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "The Douglas County, Nev., public library wanted to take a stand this week: 'Everyone is welcome,' read a proposed diversity statement, which added the library 'denounces all acts of racism, violence and disregard for human rights. We support #BlackLivesMatter.' But Douglas County Sheriff Daniel Coverley quickly took a stand of his own. 'Due to your support of Black Lives Matter and the obvious lack of support or trust with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, please do not feel the need to call 911 for help,' Coverley wrote in a letter to the library published Monday. 'I wish you good luck with disturbances and lewd behavior.' A county spokesperson later told the Reno Gazette Journal that despite the sheriff's statement, deputies would continue responding to calls from the library. After a follow-up meeting with the library's director on Tuesday, Coverley blamed the stress protests have put on police for his response." Mrs. McC: Way back yesterday, the U.S. attorney general testified under oath before Congress, "I don't agree there is systemic racism in police departments generally in this country." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The U.S. economy saw the biggest plunge in activity it has ever known in the second quarter, though it wasn't quite as bad as feared. Gross domestic product from April to June plunged 32.9%, according to the Commerce Department's first reading on the data released Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a drop of 34.7%. Sharp contractions in personal consumption, exports, inventories, investment and spending by state and local governments all converged to bring down GDP, which is the combined tally of all goods and services produced during the period." ~~~

~~~ Fred Imbert of CNBC: "The number of Americans who filed for unemployment benefits ... for the week ending July 25 came in at 1.434 million.... This also marks the second consecutive week in which initial claims rise after declining for 15 straight weeks. It is also the 19th straight week in which initial claims total at least 1 million. Continuing claims -- which are composed of those receiving unemployment benefits for at least two straight weeks -- rose by 867,000 to 17.018 million. Data on continuing claims is delayed by one week." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times' live updates of economic & financial developments are here.

The Washington Post's live updates of coronavirus developments Thursday are here. The New York Times' live updates for Thursday are here.

"We Really Don't Care." -- Trump. Emily Cochrane & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "The prospects for a quick agreement between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats on a new round of aid for the ailing economy faded on Wednesday, as President Trump undercut his own party's efforts to negotiate a deal and a top White House official declared that a lifeline to unemployed workers would run out as scheduled at week's end. With negotiations barely started to find a middle ground between Republicans' $1 trillion plan and Democrats' $3 trillion package, Mr. Trump poured cold water on the entire enterprise, saying that he would prefer a bare-bones package that would send 'payments to the people' and protect them from being evicted. 'The rest of it, we're so far apart, we don't care,' Mr. Trump said before leaving the White House for an event in Texas. 'We really don't care.' The comments stoked questions about whether the president -- whose re-election prospects, and his party's hold on the Senate, could turn on the health of the economy -- was willing or able to find a compromise to inject one last dose of stimulus before he faced voters in November." ~~~

~~~ Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump called for a quick fix Wednesday to address expiring unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions, saying the other parts of the GOP's $1 trillion relief bill can wait.... Democrats have repeatedly rejected the idea of a piecemeal approach that would involve a stand-alone unemployment insurance bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has not embraced the idea either, insisting any bill must include a five-year liability shield for businesses, health-care providers and others -- a non-starter for Democrats." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Orion Rummler of Axios: Donald Trump went on a little rant Wednesday about how Republicans who don't want funding in the coronavirus package for a new FBI building across from his D.C. hotel should "go back to school." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Zeke Miller of the AP: "The Trump administration wants $377 million in the next coronavirus relief bill for a long-delayed modernization of the West Wing, but the timetable for construction is yet to be determined. The sum, included in the draft aid legislation from Senate Republicans, would also cover a new security screening facility for the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House complex. While lawmakers, including Republicans, have balked at the administration's request for more than $1 billion in the bill for a new FBI headquarters in Washington, the West Wing plan has drawn relatively little scrutiny. The administration says the White House work would 'increase the White House campus's ability to detect, mitigate and alleviate external security and pandemic threats."

If It Talks Like a Chicken & Clucks Like a Chicken.... Tax Axelrod of the Hill: "Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on Thursday declined to take a definitive stance on whether people should take hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus, instead saying that decision should be made between a doctor and a patient. 'We had data that when this drug was combined with others, there was some risk associated with that. But the question you're asking me is a decision between a doctor and a patient,' Hahn said on NBC's 'Today' show.... Hydroxychloroquine was thrust back into the news this week after President Trump doubled down on his support for the drug in spite of medical evidence questioning its efficacy as a treatment for COVID-19 and raising concerns over possible side effects."

Jake Sherman of Politico: "Rep. Louie Gohmert -- a Texas Republican who has been walking around the Capitol without a mask -- has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to multiple sources. Gohmert was scheduled to fly to Texas on Wednesday morning with ... Donald Trump and tested positive in a pre-screen at the White House.... Gohmert attended Tuesday's blockbuster House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General William Barr in person, where lawmakers were seated at some distance from one another. But footage from before the hearing shows Gohmert and Barr walking together in close contact, with neither wearing a mask." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Matt Shuham of TPM: "Gohmert, who's become known on Capitol Hill for often refusing to follow public health experts' guidance to wear a mask, said in June that he'd mask up in the event that he got sick. Given that masks are meant to protect against asymptomatic people spreading the virus, the comment was just one in a long line of bizarre or wrong statements about the virus from the Texas lawmaker. Here's a look back through his greatest hits." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Oh, Update. The Mask Made Me Sick. -- Gohmert. Madeline Charbonneau of the Daily Beast: "Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on Wednesday suggested that he contracted coronavirus because he wore a mask more frequently in recent days. 'I can't help but think that if I hadn't been wearing a mask so much in the last 10 days or so, I really wonder if I would have gotten it,' he said in an interview with The American Independent. In a later statement on Twitter, he explained that he often touches his face while wearing his mask to make it comfortable. 'I can't help but wonder if that put some germs in the mask,' he said." ~~~

Kevin McCarthy accidentally calls Louie Gohmert "Congressman COVID" pic.twitter.com/UcQcvHtEU9

— The Recount (@therecount) July 29, 2020

~~~ Jerry Lambe of Law & Crime: "Following reports that Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) tested positive for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, one of the lawmaker's aides contacted Politico journalist Jake Sherman via email saying that the Texas Congressman repeatedly 'berated' staffers for wearing masks in the office. Less than an hour after Sherman posted a tweet with the text of the aide's email, he said he had received a 'flood' of additional emails from other GOP staffers making similar claims." ~~~

~~~ Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "Fresh off his coronavirus diagnosis, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) boasted to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday night that he is 'all in' on taking controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine and thanked the pro-Trump star for his promotion of the unproven drug. The ultra-conservative firebrand left his fellow lawmakers 'pissed' over news that he contracted COVID-19, especially since the Texas congressman has largely refused to wear a mask on Capitol Hill and pushed his coronavirus denialism on aides. Politico, for instance, reported on Wednesday that one staffer claims Gohmert demanded a 'full staff' in the office and people were 'berated for wearing masks.'" ~~~

~~~ Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Wednesday that masks will be mandatory on the House floor, after a GOP lawmaker who has at times flouted the health recommendation [Louis Gohmert] tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day. 'Members and staff will be required to wear masks at all times in the hall of the House except that members may remove their masks temporarily when recognized,' Pelosi said from the House floor. Pelosi warned that lawmakers and staff without masks will not be permitted to enter the House chamber and risk removal by the Sergeant at Arms if they don't comply." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. From the Washington Post's live coronavirus updates for Thursday, linked above. @6:46 am ET: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has directed that, starting Thursday morning, all House members and staff on her side of the Capitol complex must wear face coverings, with very limited exceptions, and will be asked to leave if they don't. The directive, distributed late Wednesday by the House sergeant at arms and attending physician, expands on a requirement announced earlier in the day by Pelosi that members must wear masks while appearing on the House floor." ~~~

~~~ Steve M. checks some winger sites to see what their readers think of Congressman Covid's diagnosis. Well, it's a liberal plot & a total fake.

Daniel Lippman & Tina Nguyen of Politico: "The co-founder of conservative student group Turning Point USA, Bill Montgomery, has died from complications of the coronavirus, according to two friends of his. Montgomery, who started it in 2012 with young conservative star Charlie Kirk, died at the age of 80 on Tuesday from Covid-19.... In two previous episodes of his podcast, March 16 and April 23, Kirk stated that he believed that the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions should self-quarantine. Outside of that, however, he has questioned the vast majority of public health proposals to limit community spread. On the Sunday edition of his podcast, Kirk said: 'Do not force me to wear a mask, it's that simple. I'm not gonna do it, I'm not.'"

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "The leaders of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google took a brutal political lashing Wednesday as Democrats and Republicans confronted the executives for wielding their market power to crush competitors and amass data, customers and sky-high profits. The rare interrogation played out over the course of a nearly six-hour hearing, with lawmakers on the House's top antitrust subcommittee coming armed with millions of documents, hundreds of hours of interviews and in some cases the once-private messages of Silicon Valley's elite chiefs. They said it showed some in the tech sector had become too big and powerful, threatening rivals, consumers and, in some cases, even democracy itself.... Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.)..., the chairman of the antitrust panel, opened a congressional investigation of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google last year, aiming to explore whether the tech industry's most influential quartet of companies had attained their status through potentially anti-competitive means. In response, the four chief executives -- Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Apple's Tim Cook, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Google&'s Sundar Pichai -- took the witness stand to fiercely defend their businesses Wednesday as rags-to-riches success stories, made possible only through American ingenuity and the sustained support of their ever-growing customer bases." ~~~

~~~ New York Times: "The captains of the New Gilded Age -- Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google -- appear[ed] together before Congress for the first time to justify their business practices. Members of the House judiciary's antitrust subcommittee have investigated the internet giants for more than a year on accusations that they have stifled rivals and harmed consumers." The Times liveblogged the hearing at the linked page. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of the big-tech hearing are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Thanks to PD Pepe for the link.

Elections 2020

AND He's Off! John Wagner & Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: “President Trump on Thursday floated the prospect of delaying the November election, as he ramped up his attacks on mail-in voting, claiming without evidence that its widespread use would be a 'catastrophic disaster' that could lead to fraudulent results. 'With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,' Trump tweeted. 'It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???' The U.S. Constitution gives the power to regulate the 'time, place and manner' of elections to the U.S. House and Senate, with Congress also empowered to alter the rules. Nowhere is the president granted such power. In addition, the Constitution spells out a hard end to a president's term on Jan. 20 in the year following a presidential election." CNN has a story here.

Shane Goldmacher & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "At fund-raising events where he has pulled in more than $24 million for Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s campaign in the past two months, former President Barack Obama has privately unleashed on President Trump to party donors, bringing up past accusations of Mr. Trump's' assaulting women' and warning of his efforts to push 'nativist, racist, sexist' fears and resentments.... Mr. Obama has laid out the stakes of 2020 in forceful fashion. He has urged support for Mr. Biden, his former vice president, while worrying about the state of American democracy itself, even making an oblique reference to Nazi Germany, according to notes made from recordings of Mr. Obama's remarks, donors and others who have been on the calls."

South Carolina Senate Race. He's So Black. Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "Sen. Lindsey Graham's reelection campaign posted an advertisement to Facebook earlier this month featuring a digitally altered image of his opponent -- who is Black -- with a darker skin tone. The campaign ad, uploaded to Graham's Facebook on July 23, includes an image of his Senate rival Jaime Harrison that was originally published in the New York Times. The version of the image in Graham's ad, however, shows Harrison surrounded by a dark, portrait-style background effect with a notably darker skin tone." Mrs. McC: AND yesterday, we learned that Georgia's U.S. Sen. David Perdue had run an ad digitally-altering opponent Jon Ossoff's nose, so the rednecks would get the hint Ossoff was so Jewish. This is not a coincidence. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Kevin Stone of KTAR Phoenix: “A banned former Democratic volunteer was arrested for arson Wednesday in the fire that destroyed the party's Maricopa County headquarters in Phoenix last week, authorities said. Matthew Silvanus Egler, 29, was booked on one count of arson of an occupied structure, a class 2 felony, in connection to the blaze set early Friday morning in central Phoenix. Egler had been banned from volunteering at the Democratic office 'due to the nature of his previous behavior,' according to a joint press release from the Phoenix fire and police departments. He claimed responsibility for the fire on social media and threatened more violence, according to the release." CCTV also caught Egler at the scene.

Pete Williams & Dartunorro Clark of NBC News: "Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital Wednesday to undergo a routine non-surgical procedure to correct a bile stent, a court spokesperson told NBC News.... She underwent a minimally invasive procedure Wednesday at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to revise a bile duct stent that was originally placed in August 2019, the court said in a statement. 'According to her doctors, stent revisions are common occurrences, and the procedure ... was done to minimize the risk of future infection,' the court spokesperson said. 'The Justice is resting comfortably and expects to be released from the hospital by the end of the week.'"

Marcia Dunn of the AP: "The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built -- a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers -- blasted off for the red planet Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life. NASA's Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into a clear morning sky in the world's third and final Mars launch of the summer. China and the United Arab Emirates got a head start last week, but all three missions should reach their destination in February after a journey of seven months and 300 million miles...." ~~~

The Commentariat -- July 29, 2020

Afternoon Update:

** Mike Baker of the New York Times: "Federal tactical teams that have clashed with protesters in Portland in recent weeks will soon begin leaving the city, Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon said Wednesday. The federal agents will begin leaving downtown on Thursday, Ms. Brown said in a statement. An agreement between federal and state officials calls for the Oregon State Police to provide security for the exterior of the courthouse, while the usual team of federal officers that protects the courthouse year-round will continue to provide security for the interior of the courthouse. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that while the department has agreed with the Oregon governor on a withdrawal plan, the department will proceed with the withdrawal of security personnel in Portland only if federal officials are confident that federal properties will no longer be under attack." Related AP story linked below.

Nevada. Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "The Douglas County, Nev., public library wanted to take a stand this week: 'Everyone is welcome,' read a proposed diversity statement, which added the library 'denounces all acts of racism, violence and disregard for human rights. We support #BlackLivesMatter.' But Douglas County Sheriff Daniel Coverley quickly took a stand of his own. 'Due to your support of Black Lives Matter and the obvious lack of support or trust with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, please do not feel the need to call 911 for help,' Coverley wrote in a letter to the library published Monday. 'I wish you good luck with disturbances and lewd behavior.' A county spokesperson later told the Reno Gazette Journal that despite the sheriff's statement, deputies would continue responding to calls from the library. After a follow-up meeting with the library's director on Tuesday, Coverley blamed the stress protests have put on police for his response." Mrs. McC: Way back yesterday, Bill Barr testified under oath before Congress, "I don't agree there is systemic racism in police departments generally in this country."

"We Really Don't Care." -- Trump. Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump called for a quick fix Wednesday to address expiring unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions, saying the other parts of the GOP's $1 trillion relief bill can wait. 'The rest of it, we're so far apart, we don't care, we really don't care,' Trump told reporters outside the White House, referring to divisions between the two parties. Democrats have repeatedly rejected the idea of a piecemeal approach that would involve a stand-alone unemployment insurance bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has not embraced the idea either, insisting any bill must include a five-year liability shield for businesses, health-care providers and others -- a non-starter for Democrats." ~~~

~~~ Orion Rummler of Axios: Donald Trump went on a little rant Wednesday about how Republicans who don't want funding in the coronavirus package for a new FBI building across from his D.C. hotel should "go back to school."

Jake Sherman of Politico: "Rep. Louie Gohmert -- a Texas Republican who has been walking around the Capitol without a mask -- has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to multiple sources. Gohmert was scheduled to fly to Texas on Wednesday morning with ... Donald Trump and tested positive in a pre-screen at the White House.... Gohmert attended Tuesday's blockbuster House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General William Barr in person, where lawmakers were seated at some distance from one another. But footage from before the hearing shows Gohmert and Barr walking together in close contact, with neither wearing a mask." ~~~

~~~ Matt Shuham of TPM: "Gohmert, who's become known on Capitol Hill for often refusing to follow public health experts' guidance to wear a mask, said in June that he'd mask up in the event that he got sick. Given that masks are meant to protect against asymptomatic people spreading the virus, the comment was just one in a long line of bizarre or wrong statements about the virus from the Texas lawmaker. Here's a look back through his greatest hits."

New York Times: "The captains of the New Gilded Age -- Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google -- will appear together before Congress for the first time to justify their business practices. Members of the House judiciary's antitrust subcommittee have investigated the internet giants for more than a year on accusations that they have stifled rivals and harmed consumers." The Times is liveblogging the hearing at the linked page. Includes live video. ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of the big-tech hearing are here. Includes video. Plus the Post has video on its front page, so free to nonsubscribers.

South Carolina Senate Race. He's So Black. Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "Sen. Lindsey Graham's reelection campaign posted an advertisement to Facebook earlier this month featuring a digitally altered image of his opponent -- who is Black -- with a darker skin tone. The campaign ad, uploaded to Graham's Facebook on July 23, includes an image of his Senate rival Jaime Harrison that was originally published in the New York Times. The version of the image in Graham's ad, however, shows Harrison surrounded by a dark, portrait-style background effect with a notably darker skin tone." Mrs. McC: AND yesterday, we learned that Georgia's U.S. Sen. David Perdue had run an ad digitally-altering opponent Jon Ossoff's nose, so the rednecks would get the hint Ossoff was so Jewish. This is not a coincidence.

~~~~~~~~~~

When the POTUS* Is Batshit Crazy

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Wednesday are here.: "President Trump insisted on Tuesday that large portions of the country were 'corona-free' -- even though no portion actually is free of the virus -- and said that governors should proceed with reopening, despite a new federal report warning 21 states that they were in a 'red zone' and needed to take aggressive steps to slow the spread of the virus. The report, dated Sunday, was shared with state officials by the White House coronavirus task force." The report, via the NYT, is here, and it includes state-by-state & some county-by-county data. Because it's such a big file, it takes some time to fully load. Here's a NYT pdf of the report, which is a much faster load. Mrs. McC: One of the states that is in the red zone is North Carolina, where on Monday Trump repeated his admonition that states needed to re-open.

Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "President Trump devolved into self-pity during a White House coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, lamenting that his approval ratings were lower than those of two top government medical experts. Just over a week after he began a rebooted effort, driven by rising infection rates and sinking poll numbers, to talk about the virus in terms more in line with medical consensus, Mr. Trump was again making unfounded claims and defending discredited medical experts. It was the sort of eccentric, science-deficient performance that many of his aides believe unnerved the public during the spring.... Noting that Dr. Anthony S. Fauci ... and Dr. Deborah L. Birx ... have high approval ratings even as his own have sagged, Mr. Trump added, 'And yet, they're highly thought of -- but nobody likes me. It can only be my personality,' he concluded.... When reporters pressed him on a viral video he had retweeted on Monday night that included doctors falsely claiming that hydroxychloroquine was a 'cure' for the virus and that masks were unnecessary, Mr. Trump responded: 'They're very respected doctors. There was a woman who was spectacular in her statements about it, and she's had tremendous success with it." When a reporter noted that the physician who spoke of 'a cure,' Dr. Stella Immanuel of Houston, also 'made videos saying that doctors make medicine using DNA from [space] aliens,' Mr. Trump responded, 'I know nothing about her,' and abruptly ended the briefing moments later." A related CNN story is here. ~~~

For some reason the internet wanted to take them down and took them off. I guess Twitter took them off and I think Facebook took them off. I don't know why[.] I think they're very respected doctors. -- Donald Trump, press briefing Tuesday, on the nutty doctors' group

~~~ "Corona-Free." Ben Gittleson, et al., of ABC News: "As the U.S. neared 150,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus..., Donald Trump doubled down on his defense of an unproven drug to treat COVID-19 and offered a rosy picture of the growing public health crisis and of what is to come. 'We're seeing improvements across the major metro areas and most hot spots. You can look at large portions of our country, it's -- it's corona-free,' Trump said Tuesday afternoon. 'But we are watching very carefully California, Arizona, Texas and most of Florida is starting to head down in the right direction -- and I think you'll see it rapidly head down very soon.'... The briefing comes amid a broadened rift between Trump and several of his top public health officials and follows the president's recent social media promotion of hydroxychloroquine, a drug still unproven to treat COVID-19 despite his push. Asked to clarify his position on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, Trump said that 'many doctors think it is extremely successful.'"

AND This (first reported by Aaron Rupar of Vox): ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Bloomberg is a petite guy with wavy gray hair. The reporter looks hefty, has a shaved or bald head, and as he's wearing a mask, one can't tell much about what he "looks like," but my guess is not much like Michael Bloomberg.

Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post: "... Joe Biden announced a plan Tuesday to spend tens of billions of dollars to help people of color overcome inequities in the economy, a move that comes amid financial and racial upheaval nationwide. The plan calls for dedicating $30 billion worth of previously proposed government investments to a small business opportunity fund benefiting black, brown and Native American entrepreneurs. The goal is to spur five times as much in private investments. Biden is also proposing to triple the goal for federal contracting with small disadvantaged businesses, from 5 percent to at least 15 percent of all spending on materials and services by 2025. And he is calling for President Trump and Congress to create an emergency housing support program, along with promoting a refundable tax credit of up to $15,000 to help families purchase their first homes. The plan marks Biden's latest attempt to make a major statement on racial issues, a topic on which he has faced blowback from activists on several occasions during his campaign." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ So while Joe was figuring out ways to provide better economic possibilities for minorities & inch toward the American idea of equal opportunities for all, let's see what Donnie was doing: ~~~

~~~ Reed Richardson of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump went on a late night Twitter binge on Monday with more than a dozen posts pushing dubious claims about the drug hydroxychloroquine, including twice retweeting a video from a woman falsely claiming that the drug was a 'cure' for Covid-19 and that 'you don't need a mask.'" Mrs. McC: People should be tearing their hair out over this story. It is the craziest thing Trump has ever espoused, and he has had many, many crazy ideas. AND it's dangerous. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "... Donald Trump exhibited his new serious tone toward the coronavirus crisis on Monday night, sharing a viral video of fringe doctors touting the controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as 'a cure for COVID.' The video, which also featured the doctors dismissing mask-wearing, was eventually taken down by Facebook for 'sharing false information' about the virus, after racking up millions of views in a matter of hours. Several right-wing outlets and personalities, however, continued to promote the clip of the doctors' press conference on Twitter, eventually reaching the president's timeline.... Trump then shared a tweet directly from Dr. Stella Immanuel, one of the physicians who took part in the press conference. Immanuel is also a preacher who once wrote a book claiming that there is a Satanic plot to take over the world and href="https://twitter.com/willsommer/status/1287912805857931264">recently challenged CNN anchors and top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci to provide her with urine samples.... The president also shared tweets attacking Fauci on Monday night, despite insisting recently that he had a 'very good relationship' with the doctor after White House officials publicly blasted him." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Darlene Superville & Amanda Seitz of the AP: "... Donald Trump's attempt to project a more serious tone about the coronavirus lasted for about a week. On Tuesday, he resumed spreading misinformation about how to fight the virus and amplifying criticism of Dr. Anthony Fauci.... Social media platforms worked to remove multiple versions of a video promoted by Trump that included unproven claims about treating people who test positive for the virus, but only after more than 17 million people had seen one version of it.... Fauci, a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force, responded to Trump's tweets during an appearance Tuesday on ABC's 'Good Morning America.' 'I go along with the FDA,' said Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 'The overwhelming prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Chip off the Old Blockhead. Katie Shepherd & Taylor Telford of the Washington Post: "Twitter on Tuesday penalized Donald Trump Jr. for posting hydroxychloroquine misinformation, the social media giant said.... Twitter said it ordered the president's son to delete the misleading tweet and said it would 'limit some account functionality for 12 hours.' The tweet, which featured a viral video showing a group of doctors making misleading and false claims about the coronavirus pandemic, was directly tweeted by Trump Jr.'s account. That contrasts with his father, who retweeted multiple clips of the same video to his 84.2 million followers Monday night. Twitter removed the videos, deleting several of the tweets that President Trump shared, and added a note to its trending topics warning about the potential risks of hydroxychloroquine use." An Axios story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "A Houston doctor who praises hydroxychloroquine and says that face masks aren't necessary to stop transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus has become a star on the right-wing internet, garnering tens of millions of views on Facebook on Monday alone. Donald Trump Jr. declared the video of Stella Immanuel a 'must watch,' while Donald Trump himself retweeted the video. Before Trump and his supporters embrace Immanuel's medical expertise, though, they should consider other medical claims Immanuel has made.... She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches. She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments, and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Brandy Zadrozny & Ben Collins of NBC News: "A dozen doctors delivered speeches in front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday to a small crowd, claiming without evidence that the coronavirus could be cured and that widely accepted efforts to slow its spread were unnecessary and dangerous. It was the latest video to go viral from apparent experts, quietly backed by dark money political organizations.... Dressed in white coats with 'America's Frontline Doctors' stitched on the chest, the stars of the Facebook video claimed that business and school closings, social distancing and even masks were not needed, because hydroxychloroquine ... could both prevent and cure the coronavirus.... Livestreamed by the far-right website Breitbart News, the video spread quickly, initially through conservative, anti-vaccination and government conspiracy groups. Within hours, it had reached over 20 million Facebook users. he event was hosted and funded by the Tea Party Patriots, a right-wing political nonprofit group...." ~~~

~~~ The Veep Is Crazy, Too. Will Sommer & Adam Rawnsley of the Daily Beast: "Dr. Simone Gold, the leader of America's Frontline Doctors, tweeted later Tuesday to announce the group had met with Vice President Mike Pence. 'We have just met with Vice President Mike Pence to request the administration's assistance in empowering doctors to prescribe hydroxychloroquine without political obstruction. We also discussed the recent censorship of doctors on social media platforms,' Gold wrote." ~~~

~~~ Steve M.: "As the GOP blocks climate action, rejects vaccines, and increasingly flirts with crackpottery such as QAnon, mainstream media figures still treat Republicans as responsible governing partners. How far do Republicans have to go before it's generally acknowledged that they're unfit to hold office? Do they have to start talking about demon sex? Would they be shunned even then?" Mrs. McC: Nope. The leader of the Republican party already is, at least indirectly, endorsing the demon sex theory of endometriosis, and it's not a banner headline anywhere.

Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump brushed off the new $1 trillion Senate GOP coronavirus legislation as 'sort of semi-irrelevant' Tuesday, dismissing its significance just a day after Senate Republican leaders overcame contentious internal divisions to roll it out. At the Capitol, meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) disavowed a key Trump administration priority in the bill -- funding for a new FBI headquarters [which potentially would profit the nearby Trump hotel] -- while the second-ranking GOP senator ... John Thune (R-S.D.) ... suggested that Congress might be unable to make a deal in time to avert the expiration of emergency unemployment benefits on Friday." ~~~

~~~ Laura Reiley of the Washington Post: "About 26 million adults reported going without enough food to eat in the previous week, according to an analysis of the Census Bureau's weekly household data survey in early July. But Republicans' Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools Act (the Heals Act) does not expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, nor does it extend the Pandemic EBT program, a debit-card benefit for households with children who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals. The Pandemic EBT program expired at the end of June.... Although the Senate GOP proposal offers no new funds for SNAP and Pandemic EBT, it does double the tax deduction for business meals, known as the 'three-martini-lunch deduction,' increasing the reimbursement from 50 percent to 100 percent of meals.? ~~~

~~~ Andrew Taylor of the AP: "A new $1 trillion COVID-19 response package by Senate Republicans is supposed to give the government more weapons to battle the surging coronavirus pandemic.... The Republican measure includes billions for F-35 fighters, Apache helicopters and infantry carriers sought by Washington's powerful defense lobby. Overall, the proposal stuffs $8 billion into Pentagon weapons systems." --s

Texas. Alex Samuels of the Texas Tribune: "Vance Ginn, the chief economist for the [confederate think tank] Texas Public Policy Foundation, is facing fierce backlash for a recent racist tweet that said schools should open since most of the people dying from the coronavirus in Texas are elderly or Hispanic.... Ginn tweeted that the people most likely to perish from the deadly virus are people older than 50 and Hispanics [and 'very few kids die]. Why not #openschools, end universal mandates, target vulnerable & check those from #Mexico?' Ginn ... since deleted [the] tweet. He juxtaposed his tweet with a GIF of Prince Harry of Wales miming a mic drop. He later apologized for tweeting the GIF." Mrs. McC: Right. Because the GIF was offensive but not caring about the deaths of older teachers & Hispanics is just fine.

Eric Tucker of the AP: "Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow's military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort meant to reach American and Western audiences, U.S. government officials said.... The disclosure comes as the spread of disinformation, including by Russia, is an urgent concern heading into November's presidential election as U.S. officials look to avoid a repeat of the 2016 contest...." Mrs. McC: Trump probably gave Putin more disinformation ideas during their recent phone call. Sadly, I'm not kidding. More on the Trump-Putin conversation linked below. ~~~

~~~ Julian Barnes & David Sanger of the New York Times: "The disinformation efforts are a refinement of what Russia tried to do in 2016.... While the disinformation efforts outlined on Tuesday by American officials were focused on the pandemic, security researchers said Russia continued to push disinformation on a variety of topics."

Nicholas Fandos & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Attorney General William P. Barr vigorously defended the federal response to nationwide protests and civil unrest in a combative congressional hearing on Tuesday where Democrats accused him and other Trump administration officials of suppressing protesters' rights in an overly violent crackdown. The attorney general also insisted that he intervened in the criminal cases of President Trump's allies Roger J. Stone Jr. and Michael T. Flynn to uphold the rule of law, not to do Mr. Trump's bidding.... He also said of the criminal cases that grew out of the Russia investigation that he wanted to be fair to Mr. Trump's former advisers.... Amid frequent sniping, lawmakers came away with few, if any, new facts or admissions." The Washington Post's report is here. ~~~

~~~ Nicholas Fandos & others at the New York Times report on the, ah, highlights of Bill Barr's testimony. Matt Zapotosky & others have the Washington Post's "highlights" report. Even Chuck Todd! ran a short montage of Barr's echoing some of Trump's stupider remarks. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Amber Phillips of the Washington Post homes in on five takeaways: "1. He is all in as a partisan player[.]... 2. Under increased scrutiny, Barr is not backing down from sending federal agents into cities[.]... 3. Barr doesn't think police have a racism problem[.]... 4. Barr continued to cast doubt about voting by mail[.]... 5. Barr hesitates to say a president shouldn't accept foreign help to get elected[.] In probably one of the most stunning exchanges of the day, Barr at first did not denounce clearly illegal behavior. The question was from Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.).

"Cicilline: Is it ever appropriate, sir, for the president to solicit or accept foreign assistance in an election?
"Barr: It depends what kind of assistance.
"Cicilline: Is it ever appropriate for the president or presidential candidate to accept or solicit foreign assistance of any kind in his or her election
"Barr: No, it's not appropriate.

"Foreign help, of any kind, in an election is absolutely illegal." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I thought the most consequential testimony Barr made lay in the fact-free and evasive answers he gave in response to Democrats' questions about the upcoming election. Besides claiming, without evidence, that mail-in ballots invited voter fraud, he would not commit to not interfering in state election results if he thought they violated federal guidelines. Whereas I had pictured Trump chaining himself to the Resolute Desk if he lost the election, now it appears there will be a broad effort to undermine or reverse election results if they don't go in Republicans' favor, and Barr will lead the charge. You thought Florida 2000 was a travesty? At least that election really was very close. Trump, Barr and their allies seem to be planning to muck up the entire 2020 election. ~~~

     ~~~ Thanks to PD Pepe on the lead to the video.

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "The acting chief of the U.S. Park Police [Gregory T. Monahan] told a House committee on Tuesday that he was informed on June 1 that President Trump would be visiting Lafayette Square later that day, but that the decision to forcefully clear protesters from the park at 6:30 that evening was unrelated to Trump's visit soon after the dramatic use of force. He said the two events occurring within a half-hour was a coincidence.... Monahan said the Park Police decided to erect a fence on the north end of Lafayette Square, and 'there is 100 percent zero correlation between our operation and the president's visit to the church.' That claim was contested by an Army National Guard major [Adam DeMarco] who testified later.... DeMarco's testimony, released on Monday, said the fencing did not arrive at the park until around 9 p.m., so there would be no urgency to clear the park before that. [Monahan] denied that tear gas was used on the protesters. DeMarco insisted, from his training at the United States Military Academy and his active duty tours in the Army, that tear gas was used, that he saw tear gas canisters on Park Police officers, and that he found a spent canister on the ground.... Monahan's claim that police used a powerful sonic device to issue the warnings 'is simply false,' said David H. Laufman, DeMarco"s attorney."

Dara Lind of ProPublica: "Federal authorities are using a new tactic in their battle against protesters in Portland, Oregon: arrest them on offenses as minor as 'failing to obey' an order to get off a sidewalk on federal property -- and then tell them they can't protest anymore as a condition for release from jail. Legal experts describe the move as a blatant violation of the constitutional right to free assembly, but at least 12 protesters arrested in recent weeks have been specifically barred from attending protests or demonstrations as they await trials on federal misdemeanor charges."

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, et al., of the New York Times: "From the earliest days of the recent protests against police brutality and racism, some top federal law enforcement officials viewed the demonstrators with alarm and called for an aggressive federal response that two months later continues to escalate. A memo from the deputy director of the F.B.I., dated June 2, demanded an immediate mobilization as protests gathered after George Floyd's death while in police custody a week earlier. David L. Bowdich, the F.B.I.'s No. 2, declared the situation 'a national crisis,' and wrote that in addition to investigating 'violent protesters, instigators' and 'inciters,' bureau leaders should collect information with 'robust social media exploitation teams' and examine what appeared to be 'highly organized behavior.'... The memo came after a weekend in which protests gave way to looting in some cities and the day after federal agents forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from the White House so President Trump could walk through Lafayette Square. Since then, the federal response has become a focal point of the Trump administration and of Mr. Trump's re-election campaign. The Bowdich memo suggests agencies need little prodding to adopt the president's forceful posture."

Gillian Flaccus, et al., of the AP: "The Trump administration has started talks with the Oregon governor's office and indicated that it would begin to draw down the presence of federal agents sent to quell two months of chaotic protests in Portland if the state stepped up its own enforcement, a senior White House official said Tuesday. The official stressed to The Associated Press that the talks with the office of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown are in the early stages and there is no agreement."

Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "Across the country, conservative armed civilians have surged into public view -- marching on statehouses, challenging Black Lives Matter protests, chasing Internet rumors -- and bringing the threat of lethal force to local politics. Their emergence has prompted congressional hearings on the surge in anti-government militias and domestic extremism and has alarmed researchers who track hate groups. Unlike the old image of militiamen as fringe elements motivated by a desire to overthrow the federal government, these groups often rally in defense of the president and see themselves as pro-government allies of local law enforcement.... With a hodgepodge of military garb and over-the-counter assault rifles, such self-styled 'patriots' come from lots of backgrounds, but they are predominantly white and male. They are often veterans who say the mission now is to defend the Constitution and the freedoms they fought for in Iraq and Afghanistan." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Looks as if we should consider the Tea Party a relic of the good old days when angry white seniors raised their fists & demanded "Make English America's official Language" and "RESPECT ARE-COUNTRY SPEAK ENGLiSH." Now the rabble-rousers are weaponized young militiamen who support a fascistic president*.

Minnesota. Libor Jany of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "A masked man who was seen in a viral video smashing the windows of a south Minneapolis auto parts store during the George Floyd protests, earning him the moniker 'Umbrella Man,' is suspected of ties with a white supremacist group and sought to incite racial tension, police said. A Minneapolis police arson investigator said the act of vandalism ... helped spark a chain reaction that led to days of looting and rioting. The store was among dozens of buildings across the city that burned to the ground in the days that followed. 'This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city,' Sgt. Erika Christensen wrote in a search warrant affidavit filed in court this week. '... The actions of this person created an atmosphere of hostility and tension. Your affiant believes that this individual's sole aim was to incite violence.' Police identified 'Umbrella Man' thanks to a tip that came via e-mail last week, Christensen said. The Star Tribune could not independently verify the police account, which has so far only surfaced in the search warrant.... The man ... has a criminal history that includes convictions of domestic violence and assault...."

Caitlin Emma & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Democrats on Tuesday were forced to pull their Homeland Security spending bill from the floor, just days before it was slated for a vote, after it faced strong blowback from both progressives and centrists within the caucus. Dozens of vulnerable Democrats in swing districts as well as progressives had threatened to torpedo the measure in recent days: The moderates argued the bill went too far in cracking down on immigration enforcement, while liberals argued it didn't do nearly enough to rein in the Trump administration's draconian policies.... Democrats had also crafted an amendment to the DHS bill to block federal funding for the administration's use of paramilitary action to quell protests in Oregon and Washington state, in hopes of winning over more progressive votes."

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Trump said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that he has not spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about U.S. intelligence reports of Russian bounties given to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. 'I have never discussed it with him, no,' Trump said during a taping of 'Axios on HBO.' He said he did not bring up the issue during his most recent conversation with Putin last week, which Trump said was 'a phone call to discuss other things.'... During the interview, Trump continued to cast doubt on the intelligence, saying, 'Frankly, that's an issue that many people said was fake news.' Pressed by Axios's Jonathan Swan on whether he believes the intelligence, Trump did not answer directly. 'You know, it's interesting,' Trump said. 'Nobody brings up China. They always bring Russia, Russia, Russia.'" Axios' report, by Swan & Dave Lawler, is here.

Lolita Baldor of the AP: "Spurred on by ... Donald Trump's demand to pull troops out of Germany, the U.S. will bring about 6,400 forces home and shift about 5,400 to other countries in Europe, U.S. defense officials said Wednesday, detailing a Pentagon plan that will cost billions of dollars and take years to complete. The decision fulfills Trump's announced desire to withdraw troops from Germany, at least in part due to its failure to spend enough on defense. U.S. officials said that some moves will begin in months and would likely send air and ground forces to countries that already have an American troop presence. The plan leaves about 25,000 troops in Germany."

Many of the Best People ... Are Crazy. Julian Borger of the Guardian: "The US ambassador to Iceland [Jeffrey Ross Gunter], a dermatologist and major Republican donor, reportedly became so paranoid about his security he asked to carry a gun and to be taken everywhere in an armoured car.... Gunter's alleged antics are not an isolated case. A record share of Donald Trump's ambassadorial appointments have been political, mostly rewards for big-money donors, and his nominees have frequently stood out for their lack of qualifications or aptitude.... Since being nominated [in] May 2019, Gunter has proved so hard to work with he has gone through seven deputy chiefs of mission (DCMs) career diplomats who do most of the day-to-day management of the embassy.... A report to be published on Tuesday by Senate Democrats on the current situation at the state department, titled Diplomacy in Crisis ... includes a litany of cases of unqualified or unvetted diplomatic nominees." --safari: Numerous examples are highlighted in the article.

Presidential Race

Hans Nichols, now of Axios: "Former Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he'll announce his running mate 'the first week in August.'... Last week, Biden seemed to back away from his timeline of early August, but he recommitted to it Tuesday at a speech in Delaware announcing his plans for fighting systemic racism." ~~~

~~~ Bill Barrow & Andrew Harnik of the AP: "As he took questions from reporters on Tuesday, [Joe] Biden held notes that were captured by an Associated Press photographer. [Sen. Kamala] Harris' name was scrawled across the top, followed by five talking points. 'Do not hold grudges.' 'Campaigned with me & Jill.' 'Talented.' 'Great help to campaign.' 'Great respect for her.'... Biden's list, at the least, suggests that he wants to defuse any tensions around his relationship with Harris."

S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump's campaign is violating federal election law by funneling close to a quarter-billion dollars to date through private companies in order to hide the ultimate recipients of the money, including the wife of one of his sons and the girlfriend of another, a watchdog group charged in a complaint filed Tuesday. 'The money is being laundered through corporations run by top Trump campaign officials,' said Brendan Fischer, a lawyer with the Campaign Legal Center. 'That has the effect of keeping the public in the dark as to a big chunk of Trump campaign spending.' The group's complaint with the Federal Election Commission asks for an investigation to put an end to the practice and to punish the campaign with fines. How quickly any of that might happen, though, is an open question, given that the commission currently does not have a quorum to take official actions. Even with one in place, investigations can last for several years." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A Washington Post story is here.

Oliver Milman of the Guardian: "A lack of bees in agricultural areas is limiting the supply of some food crops, a new US-based study has found, suggesting that declines in the pollinators may have serious ramifications for global food security.... Of seven studied crops grown in 13 states across America, five showed evidence that a lack of bees is hampering the amount of food that can be grown, including apples, blueberries and cherries.... Swaths of American agriculture is propped up by honeybees, frantically replicated and shifted around the country in hives in order to meet a growing need for crop pollination.... The researchers found that wild native bees ... are often more effective pollinators than [controlled] honeybees but research has shown several species are in sharp decline." --s