The Commentariat -- September 9, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Today's Comments thread is mighty fine. I particularly appreciate the commentary from those who described how the coronavirus pandemic changed -- and didn't change -- their grocery shopping, cooking & dining habits.

Mrs. McCrabbie: I remember the good ole days of the Trump administration when there was just one breathtaking scandal a day.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Top officials with the Department of Homeland Security directed agency analysts to downplay the threat of violent white supremacy and of Russian election interference, according to a whistle-blower complaint filed by a top intelligence official with the department. Brian Murphy, the former head of the intelligence branch of the Homeland Security Department, said in a whistle-blower complaint filed on Tuesday that he was directed by Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of the department, to stop producing assessments on Russian interference. The department's second highest ranked official, Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, also ordered him to modify intelligence assessments to make the threat of white supremacy 'appear less severe' and include information on violent 'left-wing' groups, according to the complaint, which was released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee. In so doing, the two top officials at the department -- both appointees of President Trump -- appeared to shape the agency's views around Mr. Trump's rhetoric and interests. Mr. Murphy, who was removed from his post in August after his office compiled intelligence reports on protesters and journalists in Portland, Ore., asserted ... that he was retaliated against for raising concerns to superiors and cooperating with the department's inspector general. He asked the inspector general to investigate." ~~~

     ~~~ Murphy's whistleblower complaint is here, via a House committee pdf. ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's report, by Zachary Cohen, is here. "A whistleblower is alleging that top political appointees in the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly instructed career officials to modify intelligence assessments to suit ... Donald Trump's agenda by downplaying Russia's efforts to interfere in the US and the threat posed by White supremacists, according to documents reviewed by CNN and a source familiar with the situation. The whistleblower claims that acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf instructed DHS offiials earlier this year to 'cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference' and, instead, focus their efforts on gathering information related to activities being carried out by China and Iran."

~~~ Kelly Weill of the Daily Beast: "In October 2018, for example, then-DHS Deputy Chief of Staff Miles Taylor and DHS Counselor Kristen Marquadt allegedly pressured [Brian] Murphy into distorting information on immigrants.... Murphy says he declined to manipulate the data, and that he and a supervisor agreed that doing so would constitute a felony. Nevertheless, he claims, immigration data was distorted on multiple occasions, including oral testimony then-DHS head Kirstjen Nielsen gave to Congress, in which she claimed 3,755 known or suspected terrorists had crossed the southern border. In a meeting with Nielsen and then-DHS Chief of Staff Chad Wolf, Murphy offered documentation showing that no more than three people of that description had crossed the border. Even those descriptions might have been inappropriate, Murphy added, since they simply shared the 'name or phone number of a person who was known to be in contact with a terrorist. At that point, Mr. Murphy was removed from the meeting by Mr. Wolf.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I guess we know now why a DHS draft report that mentions both the threats of white supremacy & Russian cyberattacks recently made it into the hands of several journalists. The reason for the leak/release is spelled C-Y-A.

** Robert Costa & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: On January 28, national security advisor Robert O'Brien told Donald Trump that the coronavirus outbreak in China would "'be the roughest thing you face.' Ten days later, [according to Bob Woodward in a new book titled Rage,] Trump called Woodward and ... [said,] 'You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed.... It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.' 'This is deadly stuff,' the president repeated for emphasis. At that time, Trump was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than a seasonal flu, predicting it would soon disappear, and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control.... Trump admitted to Woodward on March 19 that he deliberately minimized the danger. 'I wanted to always play it down,' the president said.... Woodward's new book ... covers race relations, diplomacy with North Korea and a range of other issues that have arisen during the past two years. The book also includes brutal assessments of Trump's conduct from former defense secretary Jim Mattis, former director of national intelligence Daniel Coats and others." Read on. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: The WashPo story now includes audio clips. ~~~

~~~ Jamie Gangel & others at CNN also have read Woodward's book. Their report covers much of what the WashPo report does, and it includes recorded clips of Woodward's phone conversations with Trump. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's worth noting that according to a May 3 CNN report by Jeremy Diamond, "... Donald Trump claimed Sunday [May 3] that the US intelligence community 'did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January' and that 'they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner.'... 'On January 23, I was told that there could be a virus coming in but it was of no real import. In other words it wasn't, "Oh we gotta do something, we gotta do something." It was a brief conversation and it was only on January 23,' Trump said during a Fox News town hall." These would be not just lies, but monstrous, murderous lies. ~~~

~~~ Adam Edelman of NBC News: "Joe Biden and other top Democrats on Wednesday slammed ... Donald Trump over comments he made about the coronavirus to journalist Bob Woodward for an upcoming book, including the president's acknowledgment that he 'wanted to always play it down,' even though he knew it was 'deadly.' 'It was a life and death betrayal of the American people,' Biden said about the revelations during a campaign event in Warren, Michigan. 'It's beyond despicable. It's a dereliction of duty, a disgrace.... He knew how deadly it was. He knew and purposely played it down,' Biden added. 'Worse, he lied.'" ~~~

A Star-Studden QAnon Bash. Brian Slodysko & Michael Kunzelman of the AP: "Vice President Mike Pence and top officials from ... Donald Trump';s campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an event invitation obtained by The Associated Press and a review of social media postings. The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking. the Sept. 14 fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana, is expected to draw influential figures in the president's orbit including Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top Trump fundraising official who is dating Donald Trump Jr., GOP chairwoman Ronna [Romney] McDaniel, Republican National Committee finance chairman Todd Ricketts and RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr., the event invitation shows." Mrs. McC: Hey, QAnon money is just as green as yours & mine. What's the problem?

Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "Hours before President Trump arrived in Winston-Salem, N.C., for a campaign rally on Tuesday, the county's top Republican official issued a warning: The president better be wearing a mask. 'It's been ordered by the governor,' David Plyler, a Trump supporter and GOP chair of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, told the Winston-Salem Journal.... But when the president emerged Tuesday evening to address a cheering group of supporters, his face was fully exposed, a likely violation of the state's coronavirus rules. The same was true of many of the supporters behind his podium.... And in fact, the whole event appears to have defied restrictions from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who has limited outdoor mass gatherings to 50 people under the state's current phase of reopening. Trump jeered that crowd cap too...."

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

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Patients who rely on the U.S. Postal Service for their prescription drugs may have experienced 'significant' delays in their deliveries, according to a Senate report released Wednesday, which accused Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of jeopardizing the 'health of millions of Americans.' Several major U.S. pharmacies told the two Democratic senators leading the investigation -- Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Robert P. Casey Jr. (Pa.) -- that average delivery times have ticked up since the spring.... Warren and Casey did not identify the pharmacies, but their report comes nearly three weeks after they asked Walgreens, CVS, and other pharmacies and benefit managers to detail the effects of DeJoy's changes to the Postal Service. This summer, DeJoy implemented policies to reduce overtime and mail trips.... Four prescription drug providers told Warren and Casey that delivery times this summer have increased by half a day or more, on average, compared with earlier this year or similar time frames in 2019, according to the Senate report.... The medicine delays, in some cases, appear to have started around May, when DeJoy had been tapped for the job but before he officially took the reins. The timeline raises the possibility that the coronavirus pandemic may have contributed to slowdowns for mailed prescription drugs, particularly as patients put new strain on the system by shifting away from in-person pickup to delivery."

William Booth & Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "The family of Harry Dunn, the 19-year-old motorcyclist killed by a car driven on the wrong side of an English roadway by the wife of a U.S. official, filed a U.S. federal lawsuit against the driver, Anne Sacoolas, on Wednesday. The lawsuit, which claims wrongful death and seeks financial damages, represents a significant escalation in the year-long campaign by Dunn's parents to hold Sacoolas accountable. The case has been a source of friction between British and American officials. Sacoolas left Britain shortly after the Aug. 27, 2019, accident, with the U.S. government asserting that she had diplomatic immunity. She returned to her home in Northern Virginia. But in December, British police charged her with causing death by dangerous driving."

Celine Castronuovo of the Hill: "The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Kanye West will not appear on the state’s Nov. 3 presidential ballot as an independent candidate, despite the rapper's efforts to run in the state. The decision came just hours before eight of Arizona's 15 counties faced a deadline for printing election ballots. The court said in its ruling that West's electors did not file a necessary election document that stated their names and political parties, The Associated Press reported. The justices added that any nominating signatures collected before presidential electors filed their 'statements of interest' are invalid."

Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The United States is cutting troop levels in Iraq roughly in half, to 3,000 forces, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East said Wednesday in a long-expected move that will help fulfill President Trump's goal of reducing the Pentagon's overseas deployments. The decision to reduce the 5,200 troops now in Iraq comes three weeks after Mr. Trump met with Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the Iraqi prime minister, in Washington, in part to finalize details of the drawdown, which will happen this month."

Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "A Manhattan gynecologist accused by the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang of sexually assaulting her now faces federal charges related to the sexual abuse of women, according to a new indictment released on Wednesday. The former doctor, Robert A. Hadden, who has lost his medical license, was charged with six counts of enticing women, including one minor, to engage in illegal sex acts. The indictment says that over more than a decade, Mr. Hadden 'sexually abused dozens of female patients, including multiple minors, under the guise of conducting purported gynecological and obstetric examinations' at his medical office and at hospitals in Manhattan. The indictment identifies six victims of Mr. Hadden only by numbers, and it was not immediately clear whether any of those cases included that of Evelyn Yang, the former candidate's wife, who told CNN in January that Mr. Hadden sexually assaulted her in his exam room in 2012 when she was seven months pregnant with her first child."

Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: "Fox News got very excited Wednesday morning when announcing its exclusive that ... Donald Trump had been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. What it didn't mention was that hundreds of people are nominated every year, and that Trump's nomination -- for his role in the new Israel-United Arab Emirates agreement -- came from one of Norway's most well-known anti-immigration cranks. The nomination was submitted by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian parliament, who also nominated Trump in 2018.... Any members of a national assembly or national government can put someone forward for the Peace Prize, so a mere nomination is not very significant."

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race, Etc.

Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "When the announcer at President Trump's recent rally [in New Hampshire] urged a packed airplane hangar of supporters to don their masks, a cacophonous round of boos erupted, followed by defiance. No matter that the attendees' chairs were inches apart, their temperatures had not been taken and masks were required by the state. Joe Biden, meanwhile, has barely left his home without a mask for months, and he makes a point of keeping voters -- when he encounters any -- at a distance from himself and one another. Events at drive-in theaters have been kept under 50 -- people, not cars -- to respect state guidelines. This contrast continued Tuesday, when Trump flew to Florida and North Carolina, addressing crowds in both places, while Biden's camp announced by 9:30 a.m. he would make no public appearances all day. It's a likely snapshot of the race's final eight weeks: one campaign fueled by in-person events, raucous gatherings and defiant crowds flouting health rules; the other driven by quiet, small-bore events with everyone masked and spaced apart."

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post: "At first glance, little seemed noteworthy as Sen. Kamala D. Harris deplaned in Milwaukee on Monday. She was wearing a mask. She didn't trip. Instead, what sent video pinging around the Internet was what was on her feet: her black, low-rise Chuck Taylor All-Stars, the classic Converse shoe that has long been associated more closely with cultural cool than carefully managed high-profile candidacies. By Tuesday morning, videos by two reporters witnessing her arrival had been viewed nearly 8 million times on Twitter...." Mrs. McC: Looks like smart, relatively inexpensive footware.

So here are Kamala & Barack chatting happily about Joe: ~~~

~~~ AND here is Donald sending out tweets endorsing violence, complete with graphic videos: ~~~

~~~ Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "President Trump has reverted to using graphic depictions of violence as a centerpiece of his reelection campaign strategy, using his Twitter account, stump speech and even the White House podium as platforms for amplifying domestic conflict.... Over the holiday weekend..., he tweeted video of a melee in Texas between protesters and security officers during an event for a Trump-affiliated group and two celebratory videos of a protester in Portland, Ore., with his feet on fire. One of the videos was scored to the Kenny Loggins song 'Footloose' and the second featured mocking play-by-play commentary by a mixed-martial-arts announcer. 'These are the Democrats "peaceful protests,&"' Trump wrote. 'Sick!' On Monday, he retweeted a prediction that political unrest 'could lead to "rise of citizen militias around the country."'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump's refusal to pointedly denounce right-wing vigilantes has alarmed many national security veterans who are warning that political violence in America could quickly spiral out of control. In an interview with Vanity Fair, former Homeland Security Department Under Secretary for Intelligence John Cohen warned that Trump was setting the stage for sectarian conflict on American streets when he justified his own supporters taking the law into their own hands.... Trump recently told Fox News that he would prefer professional law enforcement control violent protests, but added that 'my supporters are wonderful, hardworking, tremendous people, and they turn on their television set and they look at a Portland or they look at a Kenosha.... They are looking at all of this and they can't believe it.' The president has also defended supporter Kyle Rittenhouse, who has been charged with first-degree murder after he fatally shot two demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin last month." (Also linked yesterday.)

From an Economist cover."Trump Goes Full White Supremacy."* Josh Feldman of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump went on a brief tangent during his North Carolina rally Tuesday night on Kamala Harris.... 'People don't like her,' he said. 'Nobody likes her. She could never be the first woman president, she could never be. That would be an insult to our country.'" (*Headline borrowed from Dean Obeidallah, cited by Ed Mazza in post linked below.) ~~~

~~~ Ed Mazza of the Huffington Post: “Trump also dismissed Harris as 'further left than crazy Bernie,' referring to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and mispronounced her first name three times in a row, with great exaggeration, as his audience jeered[.]" Mrs. McC: Since Harris's views are definitely not "further left than Bernie," we must ask ourselves, "What could he possibly mean?" How about "People, they're both bad, but Black is worse than Jewish"?

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump is the most racist U.S. president* since Woodrow Wilson. If you read Michael Cohen's book, or if you listened to Rachel Maddow's interview of Cohen last night, you'll know that Cohen has made clear that Trump's greatest beef with Obama had little to do with Obama's policies and everything to do with the color of Obama's skin. A Black president is an insult to a country that is rightfully & wholly "owned & operated" by white people.

Tina Nguyen of Politico: "... Donald Trump is adding to his list of items that the 'radical left' will 'destroy' if Joe Biden wins the election. Trump has claimed, at various points, that Biden's ascension to the White House would ruin everything from 'jobs' to 'the Second Amendment' to 'God' to the 'middle class,' offering scant evidence. More recently, he vowed Biden would 'ABOLISH Suburban Communities.' And on Tuesday, he added a new item to his ever-expanding inventory of horrors in Biden's America: the environment. 'The left's agenda isn't about protecting the environment, it's about punishing America, and that's true,' he said in Florida, where he stopped before a North Carolina campaign rally to sign a decade-long ban on oil drilling off the coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. In North Carolina hours later, Trump reiterated his check list of items Democrats won't allow, misleadingly describing coronavirus restrictions on large crowds as he bragged about the thousands of people who had shown up to see him speak in recent weeks.... Trump claimed 15,000 people were cheering him on ... -- a number that seemed to far exceed the few thousand people that had gathered." ~~~

     ~~~ David Knowles of Yahoo! News: "President Trump traveled to Florida on Tuesday and pitched himself as a strong defender of the environment, despite his unprecedented moves to overturn regulations put in place to safeguard the country's air, water and natural resources. 'Trump is the great environmentalist,' the president said of himself at a ceremony in Jupiter, where he signed an executive order to extend a ban on offshore oil drilling in three states. 'And I am, I am. I believe strongly in it.' Left unsaid at the ceremony for the executive order, which covers South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, is that it was Trump's own proposal to allow drilling along the coasts of those states that sparked the backlash that led him to reconsider his initial plan."

Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump has reportedly been weighing whether to invest up to $100 million of his own money in his 2020 reelection campaign. Trump 'has talked about the idea with multiple people, though he hasn't yet committed to any self-funding,' according to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg. 'Trump has sought advice about whether he should self-fund as he scrutinizes heavy spending by his team earlier this year that failed to push him ahead of the former vice president in the polls,' Bloomberg reported, noting that Democrats and ... Joe Biden 'have recently raised more than Trump and his allies.'" Related NYT story linked below. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump defended his campaign's financial decision-making on Tuesday, after a report provoked new scrutiny of his reelection team's spending habits and squandered cash advantage over ... Joe Biden. 'My Campaign spent a lot of money up front in order to compensate for the false reporting and Fake News concerning our handling of the China Virus,' Trump wrote on Twitter. 'Now they see the GREAT job we have done, and we have 3 times more than we had 4 years ago - & are up in polls. Lots of $'s & ENERGY!'... The president's ... post came after The New York Times published a review on Monday detailing how the Trump campaign has already spent more than $800 million of the $1.1 billion it raised in coordination with the Republican National Committee from the beginning of 2019 through July. The Times report raised questions about former campaign manager Brad Parscale's financial stewardship of Trump's war chest.... Among the campaign's expenses were a car and driver for Parscale, who was replaced atop the campaign in July by Bill Stepien." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Maybe Trump thinks $100MM is the price of a "Stay out of Jail" card; that is, if he is re-elected, his chances of ending up in a New York jail diminish considerably. However, can he afford it? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Dan Alexander of Forbes: Donald Trump's "net worth has dropped an estimated $600 million since last September, to $2.5 billion. That puts him at No. 339 on The Forbes 400, down 64 spots from a year ago." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ashley Parker & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "President Trump's reelection campaign is paying to replace sod on the White House South Lawn and in the Rose Garden after damage to the greenery late last month from large crowds and heavy equipment used for Republican National Convention festivities, White House and campaign officials said Tuesday. Trump's unprecedented decision to stage overtly political events on public property -- which drew complaints that the Trumps were using 'the people&'s house' for personal gain -- continues to reverberate nearly two weeks later, as work crews re-sod the lawn and make other repairs." More on the Rose Garden linked below.

Trump v. Obama, Then & Now. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "The imminent release of a memoir written by President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen drew new attention to a weird footnote from the 2012 campaign: a video produced by Trump in which he 'fires' then-president Barack Obama.... Watching the video now is revelatory. It's Trump, making the case to an Obama impersonator for why Obama doesn't deserve a second term. And the metrics he uses to make that case are ones against which Trump himself now fares particularly poorly." (Also linked yesterday.)

Stephanie Saul of the New York Times: "A week after President Trump suggested that voters in North Carolina should cast two ballots -- one by mail and another at the polls -- the authorities in Georgia are threatening criminal action against 1,000 Georgia voters who did just that. Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's secretary of state, announced at a news conference on Tuesday that investigations were underway in 100 of the state's 159 counties after the discovery of 1,000 instances of double voting in the state's June primary and August runoff elections. 'We will prosecute,' said Mr. Raffensperger, a Republican, noting that double voting in Georgia, considered a serious felony, carries a penalty of one to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. While calling attention to the double votes could add fuel to Mr. Trump's unfounded claim that mail voting opens the door to fraud, Mr. Raffensperger noted that double voting hadn't changed the outcome of any races. The scenario Mr. Raffensperger described appeared to be identical to the one suggested by Mr. Trump last Wednesday, when he told reporters in Wilmington, N.C., that voters should test the integrity of the state's election system by voting by mail and then subsequently appearing at the polls in person." ~~~

     ~~~ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's story is here. A Politico story is here.

Chutzpah, Lies & Corruption, Ctd.

You Are Paying Donald Trump's Defense Attorneys in Alleged Rape-Related Case. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "In a highly unusual legal maneuver, the Department of Justice moved on Tuesday to replace President Trump's private lawyers and defend him against a defamation lawsuit brought in a New York state court by the author E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of raping her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Lawyers for the Justice Department said in court papers that Mr. Trump was acting in his official capacity as president when he denied ever knowing Ms. Carroll and thus could be defended in court by government lawyers -- in effect underwritten by taxpayer money.... Ms. Carroll's lawyer said in a statement issued Tuesday evening that the Justice Department's move to intervene in the case was a 'shocking' attempt to bring the resources of the United States government to bear on a private legal matter." Mrs. McC: That's putting it mildly. ~~~

     ~~~ Oh, Wait. It's Worse Than That. Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The maneuver removes the case -- at least for now -- from state court in New York, where a judge last month had rejected Trump's bid for a delay. It also means that Justice Department lawyers will be essentially aiding Trump's defense, and taxpayers could be on the hook for any potential damages, if the U.S. government is allowed to stand in for Trump.... Citing the Federal Torts Claim Act, the department said that Attorney General William P. Barr has the authority under federal law to move such a case to federal court if he certifies a federal employee was acting within the scope of their job during an incident, though he had delegated that authority to [another DOJ official]." Emphasis added. Here's a CNN story. ~~~

     ~~~ Wait, Wait! It's Even Worse Than That. Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "As Leah Litman explains, this is not only a transparent attempt to deny Carroll a remedy, it seems to rely on an argument that misogyny is a core function of Trump's job[.]... [AND this from Litman:] 'Oh, and of course the FTCA doesn't ALLOW you to sue the United States for defamation, so if Trump's DOJ succeeds in convincing a court to substitute the United States for him as defendant, then that will be the end of the suit -- and E. Jean Carroll will have no remedy at all.'" An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Looks as if Trump has a solid argument here. Based on prior practice, it seems Trump has turned the presidency into a job in which misogyny is indeed a core function. And racism. And xenophobia. And lying. And insulting Americans. And two-hour "work" days. And golfing. And And And.

     ~~~ Another Legal Scholar Agrees with Litman. Dan Berman of CNN: "Should the Justice Department be allowed to take over, it could mean the end of Carroll's lawsuit as the federal government can't be sued for defamation, noted CNN legal analyst and University of Texas law school professor Steve Vladeck."

Fredo's got a convicted lier for a lawyer, who may be going back to jail for an even longer time - additional lies to Congress. Many more tapes of him with Fredo and other media scum reporters. Reveals how deranged & sick they all are! -- Donald Trump, in a fairly incomprehensible tweet Tuesday, where Fredo (I think) is CNN's Chris Cuomo & the "lier" is Michael Cohen

If you're going to call me something, at least have the decency to spell it right. -- Michael Cohen on MSNBC

When Is a Denial Not a Denial? Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The White House is in full denial mode about the damning report first published last week in the Atlantic that President Trump had repeatedly denigrated members of the military and the nation's war dead. But as allies -- and one prominent erstwhile ally -- stepped forward to offer versions of events similar to the line touted by the White House, it's worth emphasizing that not all denials are created equal. Some address only specific aspects of the report, while leaving open the possibility that others are true or that such things were said at other points. Others vouch for Trump while very notably declining to address anything specific.... Let's look at what [those who supposedly vouched for Trump] ... have said." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Kate Bennett of CNN: "The newly renovated White House Rose Garden is under repair less than three weeks after its official unveiling. The garden is experiencing 'issues with water drainage' and 'some minor complications with updated construction,' a source with knowledge of the garden troubles told CNN. New sod is also being laid down.... First lady Melania Trump on August 22 hosted a private party to celebrate the redone Rose Garden, which the public was told had been completed after approximately three weeks of renovation.... [Donald] Trump on Monday held a news conference on the North Portico, an unusual outdoor location, but the source notes hosting press in seats at the Rose Garden 'would not be doable' in the iconic garden's current status. Trump has also had to motorcade to Andrews Air Force Base of late, again preventing media from seeing the construction in the Rose Garden in recent days." Mrs. McC: So I take it the Trumpists tried to keep secret how badly the renovation had messed up the garden.

All the Best People, Ctd. David Folkenflik of NPR: "The CEO appointed by President Trump to lead the federal agency that oversees the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters has made strict protocols for scrutinizing job candidates a hallmark of his brief tenure there. CEO Michael Pack suspended a slew of senior executives at the U.S. Agency for Global Media and stopped routinely renewing visas for foreign employees over hiring protocols, claiming the executives' lapses threatened national security. In June, Pack hired a lawyer with no background in news to investigate his agency's coverage for potential anti-Trump bias, in a way that appears to violate Voice of America's legal protections of journalistic independence. That investigative attorney has a potentially problematic record himself: he remains under a court order to stay away from his father and to surrender all firearms due to a complaint that he made detailed death threats against his father."

Josef Federman of the AP: "The U.S. Embassy said Tuesday the State Department has sold the ambassador's official residence near Tel Aviv -- a decision that cements the embassy's controversial move to Jerusalem. In an announcement, the embassy did not identify the buyer or disclose the sale price. But Israeli media had said the sprawling seaside compound in the upscale town of Herzliya had an asking price of over $80 million.... A report in the Israeli financial news outlet Globes identified the buyer as U.S. casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a major supporter and financial backer of ... Donald Trump.... Joe Biden has called the Trump administration's decision to move the embassy 'short-sighted and frivolous,' but he has said he would not move it back to Tel Aviv if elected president in November."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here: "As senators returned to Washington on Tuesday, their leader, Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, announced that the Senate would vote to advance a scaled-back stimulus plan, which is expected to reinstate lapsed federal unemployment benefits at $300 per week -- half their previous level -- and allocate $105 billion for schools and funds for testing and the Postal Service, according to Republican aides familiar with the discussions. The plan represents an effort to intensify pressure on Democratic leaders, who want to fully restore the $600 unemployment benefits and have refused to consider any measure below $2.2 trillion." (Also linked yesterday.)

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Top Senators urged the Trump administration on Tuesday to halt its plans to implement a mandatory payroll tax deferral for millions of federal employees, arguing that these workers should not be treated as political 'pawns.' The issue stems from an order issued by President Trump in August, which allows participating employers to cease withholding their workers' payroll taxes until the end of the year. Private-sector employees may be able to opt out of the plan, but federal workers do not appear to have a choice -- meaning they will see a slight boost to their pay now, then owe more in 2021. The forced nature of the president's order drew frustration from about two dozen lawmakers led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who called it a 'payroll tax scheme' and demanded answers in a sharply critical letter sent to the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget, which are overseeing the deferral's implementation."

Christopher Rowland of the Washington Post: "The chief executives of nine drug companies pledged Tuesday not to seek regulatory approval before the safety and efficacy of their experimental coronavirus vaccines have been established in Phase 3 clinical trials, an extraordinary effort to bolster public faith in a vaccine amid President Trump's rush to introduce one before Election Day.... Trump has increasingly tied his reelection hopes to introduction of a vaccine before Nov. 3.... The [drugmakers'] statement left open the door for the use of partial data from the massive Phase 3 vaccine trials -- which require the participation of at least 30,000 test subjects -- to seek emergency-use authorization. Such trials typically take years to complete and require lengthy follow-up to see how long protection from a vaccine may last." A Hill report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Rebecca Robbins, et al., of STAT: "A large, Phase 3 study testing a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford at dozens of sites across the U.S. has been put on hold due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca, a frontrunner in the race for a Covid-19 vaccine, said in a statement that the company's 'standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data.' In a follow-up statement, AstraZeneca said it initiated the study hold. The nature of the adverse reaction and when it happened were not immediately known, though the participant is expected to recover, according to an individual familiar with the matter."

Katherine Wu of the New York Times: "As the world awaits the arrival of a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, a team of researchers has come forward with a provocative new theory: that masks might help to crudely immunize some people against the virus.... Masked exposures are no substitute for a bona fide vaccine. But data from animals infected with the coronavirus, as well as insights gleaned from other diseases, suggest that masks, by cutting down on the number of viruses that encounter a person's airway, might reduce the wearer's chances of getting sick. And if a small number of pathogens still slip through, the researchers argue, these might prompt the body to produce immune cells that can remember the virus and stick around to fight it off again."

** Kim Severson of the New York Times: "When the coronavirus hit..., Americans began spending more money at the supermarket than at places where someone else made the food.... Here are seven ways the pandemic has already changed the way Americans shop for food: 1. Trips Are Fewer, Lists Are Better.... 2. Online Aisles Are Bustling.... 3. Orange[s Are] the New Snack.... 4.... Pandemic shopping has ushered in wider aisles, new methods of sanitation and less-crowded stores. And shoppers want these changes to stay.... 5. Choices Are Shrinking.... 6.... Frozen food ... sales [are] up almost 18 percent.... 7. 'Local' Is a Bigger Lure." Mrs. McC: Contributors, I'd be interested to read how the pandemic has affected your own food shopping, preparing & eating habits. You can use a different avatar to reply, if you wish.

Black Lives Matter, Etc.

Let's See if This Draft Report Becomes the Official Report. Geneva Sands of CNN: "White supremacists will remain the most 'persistent and lethal threat' in the United States through 2021, according to Department of Homeland Security draft documents. The most recent draft report predicts an 'elevated threat environment at least through' early next year, concluding that some US-based violent extremists have capitalized on increased social and political tensions in 2020. Although foreign terrorist organizations will continue to call for attacks on the US, the report says, they 'probably will remain constrained in their ability to direct such plots over the next year.' The threat assessment -- which also warns of continued disinformation efforts by Russia -- is especially notable as ... Donald Trump has often employed race-baiting tactics in his quest for reelection and frequently downplayed the threat from white supremacists during his term in office. The Trump administration has portrayed Antifa and anarchists as a top threat to the US, with the President tweeting this summer that the US will designate Antifa as a terrorist organization.... The 2020 draft report also finds that Russian state-affiliated actors will continue targeting US industry and all levels of government with 'intrusive cyber espionage.'"

David Montgomery of the New York Times: "U. Reneé Hall, the police chief in Dallas, abruptly announced her resignation on Tuesday amid eroding support on the City Council stemming from her department's handling of protests over the policing of African-Americans. Her resignation, which becomes effective on Nov. 10, follows a wave of police chief resignations in other cities during a tumultuous summer that has brought intense scrutiny on American law enforcement. Chief Hall, who is African-American, is the first woman to lead the Dallas department and has held the position since 2017.... She gave herself a C-minus when council members asked her to assess her performance in handling the situation, and her report on the department's actions during the protests found problems with operational plans, communications and maintaining a unified command structure. Some council members found fault with the fact that the report emphasized protesters who targeted the police with violence but failed to discuss some of the harsh measures employed by officers against the demonstrators."

New York. Michael Wilson of the New York Times: "The police chief of Rochester, N.Y., and several of his department's highest ranking officials resigned on Tuesday in the aftermath of the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who suffocated after he had been placed in a hood by city police officers and pinned to the ground. The resignations of the police chief, La'Ron D. Singletary, the deputy chief, Joseph Morabito, and, according to Mayor Lovely Warren, others in the department, came three days after the state attorney general, Letitia James, announced that she would impanel a grand jury to consider evidence in Mr. Prude's death. 'As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character,' the police chief said in a statement. He later added: 'The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude's death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for.'" (Also linked yesterday.) An ABC News story is here. ~~~

~~~ Not in My Pricey Neighborhood. Nikita Stewart of the New York Times: "Nearly 300 homeless men who had been temporarily living in a hotel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan will be relocated after weeks of backlash from some residents who said the men had diminished the quality of life in the upscale neighborhood. The city had moved the men into the hotel, the Lucerne, in July as part of an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus in New York's dormitory-style homeless shelters. Over all, thousands of homeless men and women have been placed in hotels around the city. But the decision was met with particular blowback on the Upper West Side, becoming a test of values for a largely white neighborhood with a reputation as one of the most liberal enclaves in New York and elsewhere in the country."

Utah. Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "A Salt Lake City police officer shot a 13-year-old boy with autism on Friday night, prompting an investigation and raising concerns about officers' use of force in a city that has been reckoning with protests and police accountability. The officer fired at the boy while responding to a call about a 'violent psych issue,' Sgt. Keith Horrocks of the Salt Lake City Police Department told reporters on Saturday morning. 'In this case it was a juvenile that was having a mental episode, a psychological episode, and had made threats to some folks with a weapon,' Sergeant Horrocks said, adding that the officer had fired his gun 'during a short foot pursuit.' The boy's mother, Golda Barton, identified her son to local news reporters as Linden Cameron. She said that he did not have a weapon, and that she had called the police to get help and possibly take him to a hospital."

Donnie Jr. Dismisses Kenosha Double Homicide as a Typical Stupid Kid Thing. Karen Robinson-Jacobs of Forbes: "When asked in an interview with the TV show Extra about the deadly shootings in Kenosha in which 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse has been accused of killing two protesters and wounding a third, Donald Trump Jr. said, 'we're waiting for due process,' and he lamented the tragedy of a 'young kid' putting himself in a volatile situation while armed with a deadly weapon, saying, 'We all do stupid things at 17.'"

Craig Timberg & Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post: "Facebook software engineer Ashok Chandwaney has watched with growing unease as the platform has become a haven for hate. On Tuesday morning, it came time to take a stand. 'I'm quitting because I can no longer stomach contributing to an organization that is profiting off hate in the US and globally,' Chandwaney wrote in a letter posted on Facebook's internal employee network shortly after 8 a.m. Pacific time. The nearly 1,300-word document was detailed, bristling with links to bolster its claims and scathing in its conclusions.... Chandwaney specifically cited the company's role in fueling genocide in Myanmar and, more recently, violence in Kenosha, Wis.... Tuesday's resignation made Chandwaney the latest Facebook employee to quit amid rising discontent within a company that, just a few years ago, was considered an ideal employer -- exciting, deep-pocketed and, as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg frequently said, animated by the seemingly benevolent mission of connecting the world together. Worker frustration with Facebook's policies on hate and racist speech has risen as protests against racial injustice have swept the country, with thousands of employees demanding that Zuckerberg, who controls a majority of Facebook's voting shares, change his stances."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Robyn Dixon & Ruby Mellen of the Washington Post: "Alexei Navalny, who was poisoned last month with a nerve agent similar to the Soviet-era chemical weapon Novichok, was brought out of an induced coma, and his condition has improved, German doctors said Monday. A statement from the Charité clinic in Berlin said he was responding to voices, but it was too early to know the long-term impact of the poisoning. The clinic's statement said that Navalny, an acerbic critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was being weaned off a ventilator." (Also linked yesterday.)

News Ledes

AP: "Wildfires raged unchecked across parts of the Western U.S on Wednesday, with gusty winds forecast to drive flames into new ferocity. In California, Diablo winds in the north and Santa Ana winds in the south were stoking unprecedented numbers of fires that have already grown explosively. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year. Fires also forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments in the Western wildfires. ~~~

~~~ AND this, from contributor unwashed: "Re: the fires out west. Windy.com provides imagery of how extensive they are. Two are Fire intensity and CO concentration, as measured from space. (Found under menu option for Air quality)"

New York Times: "Diana Rigg, the British actress who enthralled London and New York theater audiences with her performances in classic roles for more than a half-century but remained best known as the quintessential new woman of the 1960s -- sexy, confident, witty and karate-adept -- on the television series 'The Avengers,' died on Thursday at her home in London. She was 82."

The Commentariat -- September 8, 2020

New Hampshire's Democratic primary is today.

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Michael Wilson of the New York Times: "The police chief of Rochester, N.Y., and several of his department's highest ranking officials resigned on Tuesday in the aftermath of the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who suffocated after he had been placed in a hood by city police officers and pinned to the ground. The resignations of the police chief, La'Ron D. Singletary, the deputy chief, Joseph Morabito, and, according to Mayor Lovely Warren, others in the department, came three days after the state attorney general, Letitia James, announced that she would impanel a grand jury to consider evidence in Mr. Prude's death. 'As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character,' the police chief said in a statement. He later added: 'The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude's death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for.'"

When Is a Denial Not a Denial? Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "The White House is in full denial mode about the damning report first published last week in the Atlantic that President Trump had repeatedly denigrated members of the military and the nation's war dead. But as allies -- and one prominent erstwhile ally -- stepped forward to offer versions of events similar to the line touted by the White House, it's worth emphasizing that not all denials are created equal. Some address only specific aspects of the report, while leaving open the possibility that others are true or that such things were said at other points. Others vouch for Trump while very notably declining to address anything specific.... Let's look at what [those who supposedly vouched for Trump] ... have said."

Katherine Wu of the New York Times: "As the world awaits the arrival of a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, a team of researchers has come forward with a provocative new theory: that masks might help to crudely immunize some people against the virus.... Masked exposures are no substitute for a bona fide vaccine. But data from animals infected with the coronavirus, as well as insights gleaned from other diseases, suggest that masks, by cutting down on the number of viruses that encounter a person's airway, might reduce the wearer's chances of getting sick. And if a small number of pathogens still slip through, the researchers argue, these might prompt the body to produce immune cells that can remember the virus and stick around to fight it off again."

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here: "As senators returned to Washington on Tuesday, their leader, Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, announced that the Senate would vote to advance a scaled-back stimulus plan, which is expected to reinstate lapsed federal unemployment benefits at $300 per week -- half their previous level -- and allocate $105 billion for schools and funds for testing and the Postal Service, according to Republican aides familiar with the discussions. The plan represents an effort to intensify pressure on Democratic leaders who want to fully restore the $600 unemployment benefits and have refused to consider any measure below $2.2 trillion."

Christopher Rowland of the Washington Post: "The chief executives of nine drug companies pledged Tuesday not to seek regulatory approval before the safety and efficacy of their experimental coronavirus vaccines have been established in Phase 3 clinical trials, an extraordinary effort to bolster public faith in a vaccine amid President Trump's rush to introduce one before Election Day.... Trump has increasingly tied his reelection hopes to introduction of a vaccine before Nov. 3.... The [drugmakers'] statement left open the door for the use of partial data from the massive Phase 3 vaccine trials -- which require the participation of at least 30,000 test subjects -- to seek emergency-use authorization. Such trials typically take years to complete and require lengthy follow-up to see how long protection from a vaccine may last." A Hill report is here.

So here are Kamala & Barack chatting happily about Joe: ~~~

~~~ AND here is Donald sending out tweets endorsing violence, complete with graphic videos: ~~~

~~~ Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "President Trump has reverted to using graphic depictions of violence as a centerpiece of his reelection campaign strategy, using his Twitter account, stump speech and even the White House podium as platforms for amplifying domestic conflict.... Over the holiday weekend..., he tweeted video of a melee in Texas between protesters and security officers during an event for a Trump-affiliated group and two celebratory videos of a protester in Portland, Ore., with his feet on fire. One of the videos was scored to the Kenny Loggins song 'Footloose' and the second featured mocking play-by-play commentary by a mixed-martial-arts announcer. 'These are the Democrats "peaceful protests,"' Trump wrote. 'Sick!' On Monday, he retweeted a prediction that political unrest 'could lead to "rise of citizen militias around the country."'" ~~~

~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump's refusal to pointedly denounce right-wing vigilantes has alarmed many national security veterans who are warning that political violence in America could quickly spiral out of control. In an interview with Vanity Fair, former Homeland Security Department Under Secretary for Intelligence John Cohen warned that Trump was setting the stage for sectarian conflict on American streets when he justified his own supporters taking the law into their own hands.... Trump recently told Fox News that he would prefer professional law enforcement control violent protests, but added that 'my supporters are wonderful, hardworking, tremendous people, and they turn on their television set and they look at a Portland or they look at a Kenosha'''. They are looking at all of this and they can't believe it.' The president has also defended supporter Kyle Rittenhouse, who has been charged with first-degree murder after he fatally shot two demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin last month."

Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump has reportedly been weighing whether to invest up to $100 million of his own money in his 2020 reelection campaign. Trump 'has talked about the idea with multiple people, though he hasn't yet committed to any self-funding,' according to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg. 'Trump has sought advice about whether he should self-fund as he scrutinizes heavy spending by his team earlier this year that failed to push him ahead of the former vice president in the polls,' Bloomberg reported, noting that Democrats and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden 'have recently raised more than Trump and his allies.'" Related NYT story linked below. ~~~

~~~ Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump defended his campaign's financial decision-making on Tuesday, after a report provoked new scrutiny of his reelection team's spending habits and squandered cash advantage over Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. 'My Campaign spent a lot of money up front in order to compensate for the false reporting and Fake News concerning our handling of the China Virus,' Trump wrote on Twitter. 'Now they see the GREAT job we have done, and we have 3 times more than we had 4 years ago - & are up in polls. Lots of $'s & ENERGY!'... The president's ... post came after The New York Times published a review on Monday detailing how the Trump campaign has already spent more than $800 million of the $1.1 billion it raised in coordination with the Republican National Committee from the beginning of 2019 through July. The Times report raised questions about former campaign manager Brad Parscale's financial stewardship of Trump's war chest.... Among the campaign's expenses were a car and driver for Parscale, who was replaced atop the campaign in July by Bill Stepien." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Maybe Trump thinks $100MM is the price of a "Stay out of Jail" card; that is, if he is re-elected, his chances of ending up in a New York jail diminish considerably. However, can he afford it? ~~~

~~~ Dan Alexander of Forbes: Donald Trump's "net worth has dropped an estimated $600 million since last September, to $2.5 billion. That puts him at No. 339 on The Forbes 400, down 64 spots from a year ago."

Trump v. Obama, Then & Now. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "The imminent release of a memoir written by President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen drew new attention to a weird footnote from the 2012 campaign: a video produced by Trump in which he 'fires' then-president Barack Obama.... Watching the video now is revelatory. It's Trump, making the case to an Obama impersonator for why Obama doesn't deserve a second term. And the metrics he uses to make that case are ones against which Trump himself now fares particularly poorly."

Robyn Dixon & Ruby Mellen of the Washington Post: "Alexei Navalny, who was poisoned last month with a nerve agent similar to the Soviet-era chemical weapon Novichok, was brought out of an induced coma, and his condition has improved, German doctors said Monday. A statement from the Charité clinic in Berlin said he was responding to voices, but it was too early to know the long-term impact of the poisoning. The clinic's statement said that Navalny, an acerbic critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was being weaned off a ventilator."

Presidential Race

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post: "Former vice president Joe Biden spent Monday in Harrisburg, Pa., the first of two Pennsylvania visits on his schedule this week. Recent polls have shown the race tightening in that state, which Trump took by fewer than 70,000 votes in 2016. Both Biden and Trump will visit Shanksville, Pa., on Friday to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Democratic ticket has maintained a clear geographic focus in its first few weeks, holding multiple virtual events geared toward Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida -- battleground states likely to determine the ticket's fate in November.... Sen. Kamala D. Harris visited Milwaukee on Monday for her first in-person campaign stop since being named the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, highlighting the campaigns' continued convergence on Wisconsin, the epicenter of ongoing protests against police violence and a state President Trump won by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2016. Hours after Vice President Pence toured an energy facility in La Crosse -- and just days after Biden himself visited Kenosha and Milwaukee -- Harris toured an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers training facility and held a roundtable with Black business owners in Milwaukee.... Harris began the visit with a private meeting with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man left paralyzed after police shot him seven times in Kenosha last month. Members of his legal team were also in attendance.... According to a statement released by Blake's attorney Ben Crump, Blake told Harris he was proud of her."

David Smith of the Guardian: "After turning the south lawn into a convention stage last month, Donald Trump held a surprise press conference-cum-campaign event on Monday at the White House's front door.... Despite the lofty surroundings, the president dropped all pretense of rising above the political hurly-burly. Over 46 minutes, he branded ... Joe Biden 'stupid', falsely accused Biden and ... Kamala Harris of peddling anti-vaccination conspiracy theories, and unleashed a torrent of half-truths and non-truths. But unlike the loyalists on the south lawn for the convention speech, or the devotees who gather at Trump's increasingly frequent airport-hangar rallies, there was a stony silence from mask-wearing reporters sitting under columns, ornate carvings and a giant lamp on the White House driveway.... Trump wanted to use Labor Day to boast about economic recovery. The numbers are 'terrific', he said. 'We are in the midst of the fastest economic recovery in US history,' he claimed. Some 10.6m jobs had been added since May, he said, though he did not acknowledge nearly half the jobs lost in the pandemic had still not returned.... No mention of the more than 100,000 small businesses that shut down or the unemployment benefits that had expired for millions of Americans." Read on. Also, there are several related stories linked below.

Darlene Superville of the AP: "The prospect of a vaccine to shield Americans from coronavirus infection emerged Monday as a point of contention in the White House race as ... Donald Trump [Mrs. McC: falsely] accused Democrats of 'disparaging' for political gain a vaccine he repeatedly has said could be available before the election [at his fake briefing Monday.]... Trump insisted he hasn't said a vaccine could be ready before November, although he has said so repeatedly and as recently as Friday. The president then proceeded to say what he had just denied ever saying. 'What I said is by the end of the year, but I think it could even be sooner that that,' he said about a vaccine. 'It could be during the month of October, actually could be before November.'"

Gabby Orr of Politico: "With minimal hope for further coronavirus relief from Congress, the White House is pressing ahead with a revised pitch to voters at the outset of the fall campaign season: American grit will keep the economy afloat, not the government. It was this message that Vice President Mike Pence brought to voters in the all-important swing state of Wisconsin on Labor Day, the unofficial start of the final sprint before the 2020 election. Schools may remain shuttered, a congressional aid package is likely a lost cause, and there's no guarantee of a Covid-19 vaccine before the end of the year. Yet Pence pressed on with a positive message about declining unemployment, the headline-making August jobs report and downtrends in coronavirus infection rates across states that faced major outbreaks earlier this summer."

Shane Goldmacher & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Brad Parscale, [Donald Trump's] former campaign manager, liked to call Mr. Trump's re-election war machine an 'unstoppable juggernaut.' But interviews with more than a dozen current and former campaign aides and Trump allies, and a review of thousands of items in federal campaign filings, show that the president's campaign and the R.N.C. developed some profligate habits as they burned through hundreds of millions of dollars. Since Bill Stepien replaced Mr. Parscale in July, the campaign has imposed a series of belt-tightening measures that have reshaped initiatives, including hiring practices, travel and the advertising budget.... Of the $1.1 billon his campaign and the party raised from the beginning of 2019 through July, more than $800 million has already been spent. Now some people inside the campaign are forecasting what was once unthinkable: a cash crunch with less than 60 days until the election, according to Republican officials briefed on the matter." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Don't worry. Trump knows just what to do. Declare bankruptcy & don't pay the vendors, just as did so often in the good ole days.

Trump Tries to Prove He Would Never Insult the Military by Insulting the Military. Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump accused the top brass of the Department of Defense of needlessly waging wars to boost the profits of defense contractors during a Labor Day press conference held at the White House. 'I'm not saying the military's in love with me, the soldiers are, the top people in the Pentagon probably aren't because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy,' Trump argued. There was widespread shock over Trump's accusation.... 'In an unprecedented public attack by a sitting US president on the leadership of the US military, President Trump has accused US military leaders of seeking to start wars to boost the profits of defense contractors,' CNN national security reporter Ryan Browne tweeted. '... President Trump has appointed all the top level people at the Pentagon, which includes both uniformed military officers and civilian personnel, Browne noted.... 'What's also notable about Trump now railing against the "military industrial complex" is that he spent most of his first term touting how much funding he got for the military for those very same planes and bombs,' [Abby Phillip of CNN tweeted]." A CNN story is here.

Apparently He Sounds Better in the Original German. Katrin Bennhold of the New York Times: Donald "Trump is emerging as a kind of cult figure in Germany's increasingly varied far-right scene. 'Trump has become a savior figure, a sort of great redeemer for the German far right,' said Miro Dittrich, an expert on far-right extremism at the Berlin-based Amadeu-Antonio-Foundation.... His message of disruption — his unvarnished nationalism and tolerance of white supremacists coupled with his skepticism of the pandemic;s dangers -- is spilling well beyond American shores, extremism watchers say. In a fast-expanding universe of disinformation, that message holds real risks for Western democracies, they say, blurring the lines between real and fake news, allowing far-right groups to extend their reach beyond traditional constituencies and seeding the potential for violent radicalization."

Nikki Ramirez in Business Insider: "The belief that immigrants arrive in the United States with the intent to 'steal' has been ubiquitous in right-wing politics for decades: Immigrants have been accused of stealing jobs, stealing tax dollars, and stealing benefits. But lately, some of the GOP's most stalwart voices have drummed up a more explicit accusation that immigrants are here to steal the very essence of America and replace it with something foreign -- an idea plucked directly from far-right-wing media.... Often intermingled with a "white genocide' conspiracy theory, it proposes that a variety of factors, such as an influx of nonwhite immigrants, multiculturalism, and falling birthrates among white Europeans, will result in white populations losing their position as the dominant demographic.... [The movement] seeks to mobilize believers into action against their supposed 'replacement.'... Elements of the "great replacement" conspiracy theory have also recently appeared in the statements of prominent conservative politicians [like] Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).... Fox News is home to a near-constant stream of claims that America is being subjected to an immigrant invasion.'"

Andrew Selsky of the AP: "Hundreds of people gathered Monday afternoon in a small town south of Portland for a pro-President ... Trump vehicle rally -- just over a week after member of a far-right group was fatally shot after a Trump caravan went through Oregon's largest city. Later, pro-Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed at Oregon's Capitol [Salem]. Vehicles waving flags for Trump, the QAnon conspiracy theory and in support of police gathered about noon at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City. The rally's organizers said they would drive to toward the state capital, Salem, and most left the caravan before that. A smaller group of members of the right-wing group the Proud Boys went on to Salem, where a crowd of several dozen pro-Trump supporters had gathered. At one point Monday afternoon, the right-wing crowd rushed a smaller group of Black Lives Matters counter-demonstrators, firing paint-gun pellets at them. There were skirmishes, and the Black Lives Matter group dispersed shortly after local police arrived on the scene."

Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "House Democrats are launching an investigation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and called for his immediate suspension following accusations that he reimbursed employees for campaign contributions they made to his preferred GOP politicians, an arrangement that would be unlawful. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement late Monday that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which she chairs, would begin an investigation, saying that DeJoy may have lied to her committee under oath. Maloney also urged the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to immediately suspend DeJoy, whom 'they never should have hired in the first place,' she said."

Darlene Superville of the AP: "... Donald Trump says he's open to an investigation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy following published reports that former employees of DeJoy, a major donor to Trump and other Republicans, said they felt pressured to make campaign contributions to GOP candidates. The president also said Monday that DeJoy should lose his job if campaign finance irregularities are uncovered while describing the GOP fundraiser as a 'very honest guy.' Trump replied 'sure, sure' when asked at a news conference whether he would support an investigation into DeJoy. DeJoy already faces unrelated scrutiny from Congress for U.S. Postal Service changes that some fear will slow delivery of mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 elections." A Washington Post story is here.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Hey, Kids, It's Back-to-School Day! ~~~

     ~~~ Sorry, Kid. Donald Trump Will Not Call on You. Here's Trump at his "briefing" yesterday: ~~~

The Washington Post's live updates for coronavirus developments Tuesday are here: "From Memorial Day weekend through the unofficial end of the season Monday, the number of Americans who died of covid-19 shot up from just under 100,000 to more than 186,000, according to data tracked by The Washington Post, as infections more than quadrupled to upward of 6.2 million."

Fake Author of "Art of the Deal" Too Good to Deal as Americans Suffer. Orion Rummler of Axios: "President Trump told reporters at a Labor Day briefing on Monday that he is 'taking the high road' by not meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats to negotiate the next coronavirus stimulus package.... Unemployment benefits have expired for millions of Americans, but House Democrats and the White House are no closer to a deal -- while nearly one in eight households are struggling to get enough to eat.... 'I don't need to meet with them to be turned down,' Trump told reporters. 'They don't want to make a deal because they think if the country does as badly as possible ... that's good for the Democrats.'"

The Rich Get Richer & the Poor Get Poorer. Megan Cassella of Politico: "The path toward economic recovery in the U.S. has become sharply divided, with wealthier Americans earning and saving at record levels while the poorest struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table. The result is a splintered economic picture characterized by high highs -- the stock market has hit record levels -- and incongruous low lows: Nearly 30 million Americans are receiving unemployment benefits, and the jobless rate stands at 8.4 percent. And that dichotomy, economists fear, could obscure the need for an additional economic stimulus that most say is sorely needed. The trend is on track to exacerbate dramatic wealth and income gaps in the U.S., where divides are already wider than any other nation in the G-7.... Spiraling inequality can also contribute to political and financial instability, fuel social unrest and extend any economic recession. The growing divide could also have damaging implications for ... Donald Trump's reelection bid. Economic downturns historically have been harmful if not fatal for incumbent presidents, and Trump's base of working-class, blue-collar voters in the Midwest are among the demographics hurting the most." ~~~

~~~ Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "Are you better off now than you were in July?... Stocks are up; the economy added more than a million jobs in 'August'...; preliminary estimates suggest that G.D.P. is growing rapidly in the third quarter, which ends this month. But the stock market isn't the economy: more than half of all stocks are owned by only 1 percent of Americans, while the bottom half of the population owns only 0.7 percent of the market.... What Friday's [jobs] report actually gave us was a snapshot of the state of the labor market around Aug. 12.... The next employment report, which will be based on data collected this week ... will probably (not certainly) be weaker than the last.... And the situation remains dire for the hardest-hit workers.... One disturbing fact about the August report was that average wages rose.... Rising average wages at this point are a sign that those who really need jobs aren't getting them. So the economy is still bypassing those who need a recovery most. Yet most of the safety net that temporarily sustained the economic victims of the coronavirus has been torn down."

I'm Going to Disneyland --! To Get Covid. Tarpley Hitt of the Daily Beast: "... the Downtown Disney district [in Disneyland Anaheim] had no on-site testing. In a letter to the unions in June, Disney Labor Relations Director Bill Pace called testing 'not viable' and prone to 'false negatives,' in spite of the fact that it has been implemented in Orlando. Likewise, the district did not contain its visitors, but allowed streams of thousands to pass in and out of the area with little more than a temperature check. But the most alarming difference, cast members told The Daily Beast, involved the district's shadowy contact tracing. Four sources familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast that Disney has kept the total number of positive cases at the district under wraps, alerting unions only to the positive test results of their members -- often days after the fact, risking further exposure.... 'We want to know if any cast members have tested positive. But Disney has taken the position that they're only going to tell us if our cast members do,' said Matt Bell, a spokesperson for UFCW Local 324, one of a dozen unions representing workers, or 'cast members,' at Disneyland."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Belarus. Yuras Karmanau of the AP: "A leading opposition activist and several other members of an opposition council in Belarus went missing Monday and their colleagues feared they were detained as part of the authorities' efforts to squelch nearly a month of protests against the re-election of the country's authoritarian leader. Maria Kolesnikova, a member of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to facilitate talks with President Alexander Lukashenko on a transition of power, was reportedly put on a minibus in the capital, Minsk, and driven away by unidentified people. Her disappearance follows a massive rally Sunday that drew an estimated 100,000 protesters pushing for the resignation of Lukashenko, who extended his 26-year rule in the Aug. 9 election that the opposition sees as rigged." ~~~

     ~~~ Update: The Belarus Government Tells a Different Story. Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "A Belarus opposition leader [Maria Kolesnikova] who played a key role in leading recent anti-government street protests was arrested after she resisted being expelled to neighboring Ukraine early Tuesday, according to Ukrainian authorities. The Belarus state news agency maintained that she was arrested while trying to leave the country.... Ivan Kravtsov, a member of the opposition Coordinating Council and Anton Rodnenkov, its spokesman, were also seized Monday." A Guardian story is here.

U.K. London Bridges Falling Down. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "... Hammersmith Bridge, a majestic but badly corroded 19th-century suspension bridge that connects the district of Barnes with much of London, was closed last month for safety reasons.... Two major crossings in the city center, Vauxhall Bridge and London Bridge, are closed to car traffic while they receive urgent repairs. Tower Bridge, the very symbol of London, was closed for two days last month after a mechanical glitch jammed its drawbridge open.... Hammersmith Bridge is an apt metaphor for all the ways the country has changed after a decade of economic austerity, years of political wars over Brexit, and months of lockdown to combat the pandemic, the last of which has decimated already-stressed public finances." Mrs. McC: Apparently our "special relationship" with Britain extends to a shared dedication to neglecting vital infrastructure.

News Lede

AP: "Helicopters rescued more people from wildfires Tuesday as flames chewed through bone-dry California after a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people and ended with the state's largest utility turning off power to 172,000 customers to try to prevent more blazes. Three early morning helicopter flights pulled another 35 people from the Sierra National Forest, the California National Guard said. California has already set a record with 2 million acres (809,000 hectares) burned this year, and the worst part of the wildfire season is just beginning. The previous record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest wildfire in state history, which swept through the community of Paradise and killed 85 people."

The Commentariat -- September 7, 2020

Presidential Race, Etc.

Alexander Burns, et al., of the New York Times: "A presidential campaign long muffled by the coronavirus pandemic will burst into a newly intense and public phase after Labor Day, as Joseph R. Biden Jr. moves aggressively to defend his polling lead against a ferocious onslaught by President Trump aimed chiefly at white voters in the Midwest. Private polls conducted for both parties during and after their August conventions found the race largely stable but tightening slightly in some states, with Mr. Trump recovering some support from conservative-leaning rural voters who had drifted away over the summer amid the worsening pandemic. Yet Mr. Biden continues to enjoy advantages with nearly every other group, especially in populous areas where the virus remains at the forefront for voters, according to people briefed on the data."

Matt Viser & Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "In an urban church near looted downtown buildings in Kenosha, Wis., Joe Biden told the diverse group in the pews that President Trump was the accelerant for the country's burning racial divide. An hour later, in a leafy Milwaukee suburb that is 90 percent White, Biden discussed the challenges of going back to school when districts are struggling to reopen -- a problem they wouldn't have, he said, if Trump hadn't bungled the coronavirus response. The next day, Biden said in a nationally televised speech that the nation's recovery would be racing ahead if not for one man, Trump, whose coronavirus response he said cratered the economy.... Biden has settled on a through line meant to appeal to everyone: Trump is the reason for all of America's most pressing ills, no matter which one matters most to a specific audience." Mrs. McC: That works for me. Because it's true.

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post: "Vice-presidential nominee Kamala D. Harris said she believes Russian interference could cost the Democratic ticket the White House, when paired with President Trump's attacks on the credibility of the voting system. Harris, in a CNN interview that aired Sunday, said she is certain that Russia is actively trying to interfere, as U.S. intelligence officials have said. 'I am clear that Russia interfered in the election of president of the United States in 2016,' the senator from California said. 'I serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee. We have published detailed reports about exactly what we believe happened. And I do believe that there will be foreign interference in the 2020 election, and that Russia will be at the front of the line.'"

Amazing Grace. Ann Colwell of CNN: "Anita Hill never pictured herself voting for Joe Biden. But given the political reality the nation is facing, she's not only going to vote for Biden -- she's also willing to work with him, should he become president. 'Notwithstanding all of his limitations in the past, and the mistakes that he made in the past, notwithstanding those -- at this point, between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I think Joe Biden is the person who should be elected in November,' Hill told CNN's Gloria Borger. But it's not just because he's running against Donald Trump, she adds. 'Its more about the survivors of gender violence. That's really what it's about.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Trump & the Lying Liars Who Lie. Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "For President Trump and his allies, it was a week spent spreading doctored and misleading videos. On Aug. 30, the president retweeted footage of a Black man violently pushing a White woman on a subway platform under the caption, 'Black Lives Matter/Antifa' -- but the man was not affiliated with either group, and the video was shot in October. White House social media director Dan Scavino shared a manipulated video that falsely showed ... Joe Biden seeming to fall asleep during a television interview, complete with a fake TV headline.And Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the second-ranking House Republican, released a video splicing together quotes from activist Ady Barkan ... to falsely make it sound as if he had persuaded Biden to defund police departments. For the president and his top supporters, it was a campaign push brimming with disinformation -- disseminating falsehoods and trafficking in obfuscation at a rapid clip, through the use of selectively edited videos, deceptive retweets and false statements.... Trump has built a political career around falsehoods...." Parker cites many, many more instances of Trump's campaign lies & deceptions. ~~~

~~~ John Harwood of CNN: "From the outset of Donald Trump's presidency, Americans have told pollsters they consider him dishonest. That makes his re-election campaign entirely on-brand. In ways large and small, in targeted advertising and public remarks, Trump has made deceit the hallmark of his bid for a second term.... Trump uses outright fabrications against Democratic rival Joe Biden.... Trump falsely describes the conditions he inherited and presides over today.... On the core 2020 campaign issues -- coronavirus, the economy, and racial justice protests -- he offers fables.... Some falsehoods have grown ... familiar.... Trump says his border wall with Mexico 'will soon be complete' (just five miles of all-new border barriers have been built), that his tariffs bring billions into the US Treasury from China (American purchasers of Chinese imports pay them) and that he 'essentially' kept his promise to kill Obamacare (seven states have expanded Medicaid under Obamacare provisions during his presidency)." And so forth.

Peter Baker of the New York Times Gets Real: "Not in generations has a sitting president so overtly declared himself the candidate of white America.... After a summer when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets protesting racial injustice against Black Americans, President Trump has made it clear over the last few days that, in his view, the country's real race problem is bias against white Americans. Just days after returning from Kenosha, Wis., where he staunchly backed law enforcement and did not mention the name of Jacob Blake, the Black man shot seven times in the back by the police, Mr. Trump issued an order on Friday to purge the federal government of racial sensitivity training that his White House called 'divisive, anti-American propaganda.' The president then spent much of the weekend tweeting about his action, presenting himself as a warrior against identity politics. 'This is a sickness that cannot be allowed to continue,' he wrote of such programs. 'Please report any sightings so we can quickly extinguish!' He reposted a tweet from a conservative outlet hailing his order: 'Sorry liberals! How to be Anti-White 101 is permanently cancelled!'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Sorry, President* Racist. You can't make me fear people who don't look like they might be my first cousins.

Alayna Treene of Axios: "House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is privately encouraging voting by mail and warned President Trump the party could be 'screwed' by his fight against mail-in voting.... McCarthy [told me] the party can't afford for Republicans to sit home, afraid of getting COVID-19, while Democrats flood the field with mail-in ballots. McCarthy is particularly worried about deterring senior citizens. McCarthy said he's spent hours telling Trump that this preoccupation will hurt the president's own re-election, as well as Republicans running for Congress."

All the Best People, Ctd. Ewan Palmer of Newsweek: "A man who received thanks from Donald Trump for organizing boat parades showing support for the president is accused of using anti-Semitic language and sending threatening messages to a Florida resident. Carlos Gavidia, 53, was charged with sending a written threat to kill or do bodily injury after surrendering himself to police on Tuesday morning.... The 53-year-old received national attention for organizing a number of Trump boat parades.... Gavidia's Instagram page also shows him attending the president's RNC nomination speech on the White House lawn last week, as well as pictures with Trump at Admirals Cove and with the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, taking part in one of his boat parades." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Thanks to RAS for the link.Most Hilarious Weekend News Report:

Trump Skipped Cemetery Visit to Swipe Art Forgeries, Smuggle Them on AF1. Daniel Politi of Slate: "After Trump's cemetery trip was canceled, the president suddenly had a few hours to kill inside the U.S. ambassador's historic residence in Paris and it seems that during that time he took a particular liking to a few pieces of art. The next day, he ordered a Benjamin Franklin bust, a Franklin portrait and a set of figurines of Greek mythical characters be loaded on Air Force One to go back to Washington with him, reports Bloomberg.... 'The President brought these beautiful, historical pieces, which belong to the American people, back to the United States to be prominently displayed in the People's House,' White House spokesman Judd Deere said in response to questions from Bloomberg News.... But the truth is that they were fakes and replicas. The figurines that now sit in the Oval Office are from the early 20th century by an artist who was trying to claim they were from the 16th or 17 centuries. The figurines have little value and are really '20th century fakes of wannabe 17th century sculptures,' according to an art dealer.... White House officials ended up borrowing the original portrait [of Ben Franklin] from the National Portrait Gallery and hanging it up in the Oval Office rather than the replica Trump brought back from France." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump may think American soldiers fighting & dying in France were "suckers" & "losers," but when it comes to art appreciation, Trump is a sucker AND a loser. How perfect that he shirked his official duty to the American military so that he had time to pick out art forgeries to redecorate his own office. Yo, Donnie, I have the actual portrait of the Monna Lisa and it's bigger than that little fake in the Louvre. (This is 100% true, if you switch the words "actual" and "fake.") You can have my painting for $10mm, and if you want to use your campaign haul to pay for it, I'm good with that. Cash only.

Remembering Cadet Bone Spurs. Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "Long before Trump's views of the military would emerge as a flash point in his 2020 reelection campaign ... Trump had a long track record of incendiary and disparaging remarks about veterans and military service. Many of his remarks are memorialized in television interviews and the tapes of radio conversations with shock jocks, dating to his years as a private citizen and businessman.... The roots of Trump's view of the military were formed at an early age, according to friends and family. Growing up in a mansion in Jamaica Estates in Queens, Trump heard the family criticize those who joined the military instead of going into business. Trump and his father, Fred Trump Sr., were especially harsh in criticizing the decision by Donald's older brother, Fred Jr., to join the U.S. Air National Guard, according to Fred Jr.'s daughter, Mary L. Trump."

Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Top administration officials on Sunday said they've never heard ... Donald Trump make disparaging remarks about veterans or the military, a subtle attempt to dispute a report in The Atlantic. But the president's top defender was the president himself.... Trump's defense of himself Sunday was to go on the attack. The president accused news organizations of partnering with the Democratic Party on 'a massive Disinformation Campaign' and urged his 85 million Twitter followers to let the magazine's owner [-- Laurene Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs --] 'know how you feel!!!'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Alexis Benveniste of CNN: "Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, said his magazine's story about Trump calling Americans who died in battle 'losers' and 'suckers,' was just the tip of the iceberg. 'I would fully expect more reporting to come out about this and more confirmation and new pieces of information in the coming days and weeks,' Goldberg told CNN's Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter on 'Reliable Sources' Sunday.... 'We all have to use anonymous sources, especially in a climate where the president of the United States tries to actively intimidate,' Goldberg said of his editorial decision to cite nameless people. 'These are not people who are anonymous to me.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

DeJoy Gained Influence via Illegal Straw-Donor Contributions to GOP. Aaron David, et al., of the Washington Post: "Louis DeJoy's prolific campaign fundraising, which helped position him as a top Republican power broker in North Carolina and ultimately as head of the U.S. Postal Service, was bolstered for more than a decade by a practice that left many employees feeling pressured to make political contributions to GOP candidates -- money DeJoy later reimbursed through bonuses, former employees say.... Two other employees familiar with [DeJoy's company] financial and payroll systems said DeJoy would instruct that bonus payments to staffers b boosted to help defray the cost of their contributions, an arrangement that would be unlawful.... Another former employee with knowledge of the process described a similar series of events, saying DeJoy orchestrated additional compensation for employees who had made political contributions, instructing managers to award bonuses to specific individuals.... Between 2000 and 2014, 124 individuals who worked for the company together gave more than $1 million to federal and state GOP candidates." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) Mother Jones has a summary report here. A Hill summary report is here. ~~~

~~~ The Gentleman Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks. Catie Edmondson, et al., of the New York Times: "At a hearing last month, [Louis] DeJoy angrily denied a suggestion by Representative Jim Cooper, Democrat of Tennessee, that he had reimbursed his employees' political donations. 'That's an outrageous claim, sir, and I resent it,' Mr. DeJoy responded. 'What are you accusing me of?'... 'These are very serious allegations that must be investigated immediately, independent of Donald Trump's Justice Department,' Senator Chuck Schumer of New York ... said in a statement.... Josh Stein, North Carolina's attorney general [D], said in a statement that 'it is against the law to directly or indirectly reimburse someone for a political contribution' and that 'any credible allegations of such actions merit investigation by the appropriate state and federal authorities.'"

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Sunday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Sarah Watson, et al., of the New York Times: "... [at] about 100 college communities around the country ... [coronavirus] infections have spiked in recent weeks as students have returned for the fall semester. Though the rate of infection has bent downward in the Northeast, where the virus first peaked in the U.S., it continues to remain high across many states in the Midwest and South -- and evidence suggests that students returning to big campuses are a major factor. Despite the surge in cases, there has been no uptick in deaths in college communities, data shows. This suggests that most of the infections are stemming from campuses, since young people who contract the virus are far less likely to die than older people. However, leaders fear that young people who are infected will contribute to a spread of the virus throughout the community.... The result often is an exacerbation of traditional town-and-gown tensions...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Brian Dunleavy of UPI (Sept. 3): "Vitamin D deficiency increases a person's risk for catching COVID-19 by 77% compared to those with sufficient levels of the nutrient, a study published Thursday by JAMA Network Open found." Mrs. McC: I found several reputable new organizations that published this study's findings. See remarks by Victoria & Linda in yesterday's Comments. For years, I've been taking 4000 IU ((100 mcg)/daily of Vitamin D3, an inexpensive over-the-counter, supplement recommended by more than one of my doctors. I'm not a doctor, and I'm not advising anyone else to do the same, but it might be a good idea to ask your doctor what s/he advises for you on this. Taking a Vitamin D supplement seems far less wacky to me than anything Trump & the My Pillow guy have suggested.

Black Lives Matter

Jessica Wolfrom of the Washington Post: "Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis., in late August, spoke from a hospital bed, describing his physical pain and appealing to others to 'change y'all lives' in an emotional video released by his lawyer Saturday night. It was Blake's second public appearance since being shot seven times in the back in late August by Rusten Sheskey, a Kenosha police officer. The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down. 'Every 24 hours, it's pain,' Blake said. 'It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat.'" The Hill's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ben Matthis-Lilley of Slate: "When an incident of police brutality against a Black person in the United States is captured on video, the aftermath follows a pattern. Activists, members of the community, and certain writers say that American policing and police discipline are fundamentally flawed.... In response, elected officials, police chiefs, and certain other writers say that most police officers are decent people doing a tough job to the best of their ability.... Which side are the police on? Do they favor the candidate [Biden] who believes law enforcement basically means well, as long as it keeps working to 'root out the bad apples' in police departments? Or the candidate [Trump] with a record of supporting criminal behavior, extrajudicial violence, and racism -- and of celebrating the bad apples? The country's largest municipal police union (the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York) picked ... [Trump]; its leader, Patrick Lynch, spoke at the Republican convention. On Friday, the largest national police organization, the Fraternal Order of Police, announced that it was endorsing Trump on behalf of its 355,000 members as well. The police say that they want members of minority communities to believe the officers patrolling their neighborhoods are motivated by the principle of upholding the law.... Those officers also keep choosing to endorse Donald Trump." (Also linked yesterday.)

Cindy Boren of the Washington Post: "The college football season has begun and, during an era of protests and a coronavirus pandemic, ESPN's first Saturday telecast was anything but usual. []Link fixed. The hosts were far apart, broadcasting from their homes rather than appearing before a boisterous, sign-loving crowd on a campus somewhere, and 'College GameDay' devoted time to the protests of systemic racism and police brutality that have taken place across the country. Kirk Herbstreit broke down in tears as he spoke of the need to change.... '[Benjamin Franklin] said, 'Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.' The Black community is hurting. ... How do you listen to these stories and not feel pain and not want to help?' Herbstreit asked, weeping." Mrs. McC: Herbstreit is white. It doesn't seem Trump can scare him, either.

Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday that he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have agreed to work on a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown Oct. 1, weeks before the election. 'The speaker and I have agreed we don't want to see a government shutdown,' Mnuchin said on 'Fox News Sunday.' Mnuchin said his expectation is that this so-called 'continuing resolution' would extend government funding into December -- although the date has not yet been agreed on. Without action by Congress, agency funding would expire at midnight Sept. 30, and the government would begin to shut down.... Mnuchin's comments appear to suggest that the White House is not girding for a clash over this spending deadline, though White House officials have in the past tried to negotiate deals with Democrats in Congress, only to have President Trump announce that he is opposed at the last moment.... Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Tuesday, and leaders in both parties say they hope to reach agreement on a new coronavirus relief bill. But they remain far apart, and it's unclear whether a deal will be possible."

Owen Bowcott of the Guardian: "The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, is due to appear at the Old Bailey in the latest stage of his legal battle against extradition to the US, where he faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years. The hearing, which is scheduled to last four weeks, will hear allegations from the US Department of Justice that Assange tried to recruit hackers to find classified government information. A US grand jury previously indicted Assange on 18 charges, 17 of which fall under the US Espionage Act. They cover conspiracy to receive, obtaining and disclosing classified diplomatic and military documents."

Beyond the Beltway

California. Neil Vigdor, et al., of the New York Times: "... about 200 people -- many of them unaware that a rapidly growing wildfire was closing in on a popular campground area in the Sierra National Forest -- found themselves suddenly trapped while trying to flee Saturday night into Sunday morning.... It took a treacherous rescue operation by military helicopters to evacuate them from the Mammoth Pool Reservoir area, the authorities said. Others posted videos on social media showing themselves escaping by driving through a labyrinth of fire and ash.... Dozens of evacuees were packed into the helicopters. Two UH-60 Black Hawks and a CH-47 Chinook transported them to Fresno Yosemite International Airport, said Brad Alexander, a spokesman for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. About 20 people were injured, he said, and some were taken to hospitals. Two people remained in very serious condition from burns, Daniel Lynch, the director of emergency medical services for Fresno County, said on Sunday."

Way Beyond

U.K./E.U. A Bitter Divorce, Ctd. Luke McGee of CNN: "The EU's chief [Brexit] negotiator, Michel Barnier, has warned that the UK must abide by the terms of the Brexit deal it agreed last year, after reports that the British government was planning new legislation that would undermine elements of it. The Financial Times, quoting three people familiar with the plans, reported that sections of a market bill slated for publication Wednesday, are expected to 'eliminate the legal force of parts of the withdrawal agreement' in areas including state aid and Northern Ireland customs. This 'could undermine the agreement on Northern Ireland that Boris Johnson signed last October to avoid a return to a hard border in the region,' one person with knowledge of the plans told the FT. The report has inflamed tensions between London and Brussels as post-Brexit trade negotiations enter their eighth round this week. 'The withdrawal agreement has been signed and ratified by the UK and the EU, it is in force,' one EU diplomat told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'If the UK chose not to respect it, then theoretically the EU would have to take legal measures,' the diplomat added."

News Ledes

Hill: "The National Weather Service (NWS) said Los Angeles County saw its highest temperature on official record Sunday after a high of 121 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in the San Fernando Valley earlier in the day. The federal agency said the temperature was recorded around noon in Woodland Hills at Pierce College, which runs one of the country's oldest cooperative weather stations." ~~~

~~~ KGO San Francisco: "Records were smashed all across the Bay Area Sunday as a heat wave impacting millions of Californians intensified. More than 10 cities in the Bay Area set new records. San Francisco hit 100 degrees for the 1st time since 2017. Concord, Livermore, Gilroy, Napa and Santa Rosa had high temperatures between 110 and 112, all records for this date." Mrs. McC: San Francisco broke a same-day record set in 1904. ~~~

~~~ Washington Post: "California just witnessed one of its hottest weekends in memory, which intensified destructive wildfires that erupted. The scorching temperatures forced the National Weather Service to issue heat alerts for nearly the entire state. Many areas were also under red-flag warnings for high fire danger as the heat worsened blazes already burning and helped fuel new ones. Numerous locations in California experienced their hottest September day on record Sunday. A few spots saw their highest temperatures ever observed in any month.... San Luis Obispo, just 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, reached a sweltering 120 degrees. This may be the highest temperature ever measured so close to the ocean in the Americas."