The Commentariat -- August 9, 2019

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

David Li of NBC News: "The man accused of gunning down 22 people at an El Paso Walmart last week confessed to the grisly crime and admitted he was targeting people of Mexican descent, according to unsealed court documents Friday. Texas Rangers, responding to the scene in an unmarked car, came up to a vehicle in the left-hand turn lane at an intersection when the suspect surrendered, according to the arrest warrant written by El Paso police Det. Adrian Garcia. 'Agents and police officers at the intersection then observed a male person (defendant) to exit out of the vehicle with his hands raised in the air and stated out loud to the agents "I'm the shooter,"' Garcia wrote." Article includes photo.

Dahlia Lithwick of Slate: "The cherry bomb on top [of Trump's visit to Dayton & El Paso] was a photo from first lady Melania Trump's Twitter account that appeared to feature a grinning president with a 2-month-old infant who was orphaned during the El Paso shooting.... That's the president, grinning and giving a thumbs-up, as the orphaned child is held out like a trophy. If words weren't inclined to fail, ghoulish and surreal might serve. This child has no parents because a shooter spouting Trumpist talking points about foreign 'invaders' went to El Paso to kill them. And while the president refused to speak to reporters, who were scolded by the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, in a statement saying that the visits were all 'about the victims' and not a 'photo op,' hours later, Trump released a campaign-style video of his triumphal comforting tour. The baby's parents were both killed trying to protect him.... It appears baby Paul was brought back to the hospital by White House staff for the photo-op." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: One of the biggest lies Trump told during the 2016 campaign was, "I'm going to be so presidential...."

** POTUS* Says Torturing Children Is "a Very Good Deterrent." Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "... Donald Trump on Friday defended recent, large-scale raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and the way the agency dealt with children of the immigrants who were detained. Asked Friday why there wasn't a better plan in place to deal with the children after their parent's arrest, Trump told reporters outside the White House south lawn, 'You have to go in, you can't let anybody know.'... Trump said the raids served as a 'very good deterrent' for undocumented immigrants. 'I want people to know that if they come into the United States illegally, they're getting out,' Trump said Friday. 'They're going to be brought out. And this serves as a very good deterrent.'" Mrs. McC: MEANWHILE, in Ravenna, Italy, Dante rolled over, hopped out of his tomb & knocked out a few cantos describing the Tenth Circle of Hell.

John Wagner & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday claimed strong congressional support for strengthening background checks for gun buyers, offering an optimistic assessment for passing new legislation that was at odds with public statements from Senate Republicans. 'I think we can do very meaningful background checks,' Trump told reporters shortly before departing for campaign fundraisers in New York. 'I think Republicans are going to be great and lead the charge along with the Democrats.' Trump said that he had spoken with congressional leaders from both parties and asserted that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is 'totally on board' with his plans to keep 'sick and demented people' from buying guns. In response, a McConnell spokesman said that he had not endorsed any legislation at this point." The NBC News story, by Adam Edelman, is here. ...

... Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged he has spoken in recent days with National Rifle Association officials to ensure the powerful firearm lobby's interests are 'fully represented and respected' in negotiations on gun reform legislation following two mass shootings over the weekend.... Trump called [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi ... Thursday to discuss the universal background check bill, and also spoke with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). 'The President gave us his assurances that he would review the bipartisan House-passed legislation and understood our interest in moving as quickly as possible to help save lives,' Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement." ...

If you’re a good worker, papers don't matter. -- Jorge Castro, undocumented worker on Trump construction projects until April 2019 ...

... Joshua Partlow & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "For nearly two decades, the Trump Organization has relied on a roving crew of Latin American employees to build fountains and waterfalls, sidewalks and rock walls at the company's winery and its golf courses from New York to Florida.... For years, their ranks have included workers who entered the United State illegally, according to two former members of the crew. Another employee, still with the company, said that remains true today.... The hiring practices of the little-known Trump business unit are the latest example of the chasm between the president's derisive rhetoric about immigrants and his company's long-standing reliance on workers who cross the border illegally." Mediaite has a summary of the Post story here.

Kevin Poulsen of The Daily Beast: "Refugees from the anonymous 8chan forum are flooding into a new censorship-resistant home on the dark web, and inadvertently giving up their anonymity along the way.... The new site, called 08chan (with a leading zero) [set up as a difficult to trace 'peer-to-peer' network], has no affiliation with the original and it's not entirely clear who set it up, but 8chan's diaspora have been flooding in as word of the site spreads through right-wing social media.... There's just one catch. Peer-to-peer networks expose a user's internet address to anyone who cares to look. That's how copyright lawyers catch people trading movies, music and software, and it's how police and FBI agents arrest pedophiles trading child porn online.... [O]nly 41 percent of 08chan's users are using Tor [a program to mask their servers], based on our analysis...." --s

Utah. Josh Israel of ThinkProgress: "Angry constituents of Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) flooded his town hall meeting in North Salt Lake on Wednesday, demanding to know what he plans to do to stop mass shootings and white nationalist terrorism.... When an ... attendee suggested that condemning racism and violence should include condemning a president whose racism is inciting white supremacist violence, the Utah Republican replied that Trump should not be accountable as long as he doesn't commit racist violence himself. 'The president of the United States, as far as I know, hasn't shot anyone,' Stewart answered. Another constituent shouted back that 'Charles Manson never shot anybody either,' referencing a convicted cult leader whose followers did most of the murdering on his behalf." --s

Italy/Russia. Alberto Nardelli, et al. of Buzzfeed: "Gianluca Savoini [a longtime aide to Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is] ... at the center of the storm over a secret plan to fund the far-right party of Italy's deputy prime minister with Russian oil money, shuttled back and forth to Moscow on multiple mysterious trips last year.... BuzzFeed News, Bellingcat, and the Insider can now reveal that a member of Salvini's ministerial staff, Claudio D'Amico, was booked on the same Aeroflot flight as Savoini from Milan to Moscow on Oct. 16 ... the evening of Oct. 18, following the meeting at the Metropol that morning [discussing the secret oil deal]. D'Amico is Salvini's strategic adviser on international affairs. The revelation will ratchet up pressure on Salvini to answer questions about what he knew about the Moscow negotiation.... Savoini's dozens of travel entries over the past five years do not appear in Russia's Central Database for the Registration of Foreigners ... suggest[ing] either that he had a special status awarded upon arrival to individuals who, for example, don't have to go through passport control or that the information was wiped from the database." --s

Jake Rudnitsky of Bloomberg: "[In parts of Siberia, t]emperatures in June and July were the hottest ever charted globally.... The resulting dry conditions fed fires that torched more than 7 million hectares (17 million acres) of Siberian wilderness in just two months. Since the beginning of the year, fires have consumed more than 13 million hectares -- an area larger than Greece.... These unchecked fires are destroying millions of hectares of trees in the world's largest forest, a critical carbon sink, and could further accelerate global warming.... Russia is finally waking up to the threat of climate change, which Putin in 2017 joked could be beneficial for Russia given its reputation for cold weather." --safari: I hope Trump sends rakes. --s

See link designated "NEW" below re: Jerry Nadler's remarking that he is currently conducting an impeachment investigation.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sheryl Stolberg & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Under intense pressure to take action on gun safety in the wake of two weekend massacres, Senator Mitch McConnell ... expressed a new willingness Thursday to consider a measure expanding background checks for all gun purchasers, saying it will be 'front and center' in a coming Senate debate on how to respond to gun violence. 'There is a lot of support for that,' he said. Mr. McConnell, who has strongly opposed background checks in the past, made his remarks in an interview with a Kentucky radio host, Terry Meiners of WHAS in Louisville. While he did not support a bill requiring background checks, his remarks appeared to underscore the possibility of a shift in the politics of Washington's divisive gun debate. Mr. McConnell has refused to take up a background checks bill passed by the House because President Trump has threatened to veto it. But Mr. Trump appears increasingly open to the idea and said recently there is 'great appetite for it.' Mr. McConnell told Mr. Meiners that he had spoken with Mr. Trump and said the president was 'very much open to this discussion.'” ...

     ... The Politico story, by Marianne Levine, is here.

Adeel Hassan of the New York Times: "In tearful videos and images that ricocheted across social media, children whose migrant parents were rounded up by federal authorities in Mississippi pleaded with the United States government to release their mothers and fathers.... On Thursday afternoon, state officials, immigration advocates, and lawyers still did not have a clear picture of what happened to those children, or who took custody of them. The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services said that no child was in its custody.... On Thursday afternoon, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi said that all detainees were asked if they had a child at school or daycare. Those that did were allowed to call to make arrangements, it said, and federal agents worked with schools to help ensure the children's safety. The office added that in cases where two parents were rounded up, one was released on humanitarian grounds." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: If you read the whole story, & stories I linked yesterday about the raids, I think you'll come away with the impression that ICE made little or no effort to keep track of the children whose parents were detained. ICE made no effort to ensure the children were placed in safe accommodations. Their care was literally left to "the kindness of strangers" like the gym owner who opened up his gym as a place they could stay overnight & the residents who brought the children food. (To add to the confusion, it appears the raid took place on the first day of the school year, so their teachers wouldn't even know the children or the parents.) These parents & others ICE detained in Mississippi, BTW, were not, as far as we know, the "criminals, rapists & murderers" Trump likes to characterize. They were working in terrible jobs, probably for low wages, & were contributing to the communities in which they live(d). Shame on us. ...

     ... Sarah Fowler of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger writes a related report. ...

... Update. Sophie Tatum & Mark Osborne of ABC News: "Several hundred individuals arrested during an immigration roundup across Mississippi on Wednesday, leaving their children without parents in some cases, have been released, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman said Thursday.... ICE Southern Region Communications Director Bryan Cox ... said on Thursday that none of those detained remain at a processing center, explaining in an email to ABC News that all have 'either been released or custody determination made that they will be held and moved to an ICE detention facility.'... Cox said Thursday that more than 300 were released from custody..., and according to ICE, were 'returned to the place where they were originally encountered.'"

Travel Advisory. Scott Smith of the AP: "The United States often takes a leading role in calling out the world's most dangerous places, warning its people about the risks of traveling to countries that are at war, under terrorist threats, experiencing civil unrest or displaying significant anti-American sentiment. The latest mass shootings have triggered a sharp role reversal, with three countries warning their citizens about the risks of traveling to the U.S. Venezuela, Uruguay and Japan issued warnings to varying degrees following the deaths of 31 people over the weekend in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas. Each warning noted U.S. gun violence.... Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said Venezuela's warning came off more like a 'political jab' than a genuine concern for its citizens' safety. It came hours before Trump signed an executive order that hit [President Nicolás] Maduro's government with yet another round of punishing financial sanctions designed to end his rule.... Countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands have not issued new warnings in recent days, but they have longstanding advisories for travelers of mass shootings and gun violence."

Colby Hall of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump is getting criticized for a 30-second video he shared documenting the warm reception he received in Dayton and El Paso following mass shootings last weekend. The professionally shot and edited video was shared on the president's Twitter feed Wednesday evening and features a series of shots of President Trump shaking hands and posing for photos with hospital staffers, though noticeably does not include any images of his meeting with any victims from either mass shooting.... But as Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler notes [in a tweet], the press was not allowed to join President Trump during any of his visits, and as a result, the public is only allowed to learn what happened via the tightly curated and slickly packaged information propagated by the White House. Or as he fairly calls it 'propaganda.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday ridiculed former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and bragged about the crowd size at one of his rallies while visiting medical staff who treated victims of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, over the weekend.... When one the people Trump was addressing said Wednesday he was sitting in the front row of Trump's rally earlier this year, the president reached out to shake his hand. 'That was some crowd, and we had twice the number outside,' Trump replied. 'And then you had this crazy Beto. Beto had, like, 400 people in a parking lot. They said, "His crowd was wonderful."'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Trump Angry His Staff Didn't Allow More Videos of His Acting Like an Ass. Kaitlan Collins of CNN: "Some of ... Donald Trump's own aides conceded Thursday that his visits to two cities in mourning did not go as planned, as a new video revealed he bragged about crowd sizes while visiting patients at an El Paso hospital.... White House officials blocked reporters and their cameras from entering the two hospitals during his visits to Ohio and Texas this week, a move they said was out of respect for the patients' privacy. But according to one person familiar with the President's reaction, the President lashed out at his staff for keeping the cameras away from him, complaining that he wasn't receiving enough credit. Aides had feared a moment like the one that is now going viral -- where the President appears to focus on himself in front of those still recovering from a tragedy." ...

... "Something of a Debacle." Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman is quite sure the White House thinks ... Donald Trump behaved disastrously on Wednesday while he was supposed to be consoling the victims of the El Paso and Dayton shootings. Haberman spoke to CNN's John Berman on Thursday to discuss how Trump lashed out at his political enemies while traveling to see the shooting victims in both cities. She began by noting how Trump gave a speech this week to call for unity and condemn white supremacy, and yet, neither the president -- nor his campaign -- is making any changes to their rhetoric.... 'Most [of the White House staff] -- while they would I suspect not say that publicly -- will privately admit that yesterday was something of a debacle. These are not the headlines they wanted to see. They wanted him to go in and behave differently. The goal was to go in and get out with as little news as possible,' [Haberman said.]" ...

... Chris Walker of the Hill Reporter: "Some [observers] found [Trump's] demeanor [during his visits to Dayton & El Paso] -- smiling, giving the 'thumbs up' sign, and acting jovial at times -- to be inappropriate for an occasion where the chief executive has, at times, acted as the 'healer-in-chief.' 'A hospital official tells CNN Trump showed "an absence of empathy" during his visit to El Paso,' [CNN's Jim] Acosta wrote in his tweet."

** Chris Hayes analyzes how Trump has acted on his two biggest campaign promises:

Jana Winter & Hunter Walker of Yahoo! News: "Alleged white supremacists were responsible for all race-based domestic terrorism incidents in 2018, according to a government document distributed earlier this year to state, local and federal law enforcement. The document, which has not been previously reported on, becomes public as the Trump administration's Justice Department has been unable or unwilling to provide data to Congress on white supremacist domestic terrorism. The data in this document, titled 'Domestic Terrorism in 2018,' appears to be what Congress has been asking for -- and didn't get. The document, dated April 15, 2019, shows 25 of the 46 individuals allegedly involved in 32 different domestic terrorism incidents were identified as white supremacists. It was prepared by New Jersey's Office of Homeland Security Preparedness, one of the main arteries of information-sharing, and sent throughout the DHS fusion center network as well as federal agencies, including the FBI.... The April 15 document is available online on the New Jersey state government's website."

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Gone Fishin'. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Facing mounting controversy for declaring the very real problem of white supremacy in America to be a 'hoax,' Tucker Carlson announced at the end of his Wednesday night Fox News show that he will be taking a vacation. 'By the way,' he said, 'I am taking several days off -- headed to the wilderness to fish with my son.'... There is, of course, a long history of Fox hosts heading out on vacation as they become engulfed in controversy for inflammatory comments.... I reached out to Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Anne Dias Roland Hernandez, and Paul Ryan -- the people who make up the Fox Corporation board -- on Wednesday to see if they had any comments about the bold untruths Carlson conveyed to his audience Tuesday night. I did not get any comment back... -- Fox spokesperson Hope Hicks did not provide a comment on behalf of either Rupert Murdoch or Lachlan Murdoch... -- Roland Hernandez answered my call, but when I started to ask my question, abruptly hung up. He did not reply to a follow-up text message." ...

     ... Kellyanne Defends Top White House Consultant Tucker. Jason Lemon of Newsweek: "White House counselor Kellyanne Conway defended Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday, arguing that his assertion that white supremacy is a 'hoax' was getting 'outsized coverage' compared to other threats. Conway made the comments during an interview with pundit Eric Bolling on his show America This Week.... "I think perhaps what Tucker is saying, but you'd have to ask him, is that the outsized coverage it gets versus all forms of hate," the Trump administration official said, pointing specifically to the left-wing ideology of Antifa and calling out anti-semitism." Mrs. McC: Lemon's lede is so poorly-written that it conveys something other than what he means to write.

Trump Made Me Do It. Seaborn Larson in the Billings Gazette: "The attorney for a 39-year-old man charged with assaulting a child who didn't take his hat off for the national anthem says his client, compromised by a traumatic brain injury, believes he was acting on an order from ... Donald Trump. Superior resident Curt Brockway was charged Monday with felony assault on a minor. His defense attorney, Lance Jasper, told the Missoulian Wednesday the president's 'rhetoric' contributed to the U.S. Army veteran's disposition when he choke-slammed a 13-year-old, fracturing his skull, at the Mineral County fairgrounds on Aug. 3. 'His commander in chief is telling people that if they kneel, they should be fired, or if they burn a flag, they should be punished,' Jasper said.... Charging documents indicate Brockway told the deputy he grabbed the boy by the throat, lifted him into the air and slammed the boy on the ground.... Deputies later learned the boy had suffered a concussion and a fractured skull." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Charles Pierce: "If this guy truly has a traumatic brain injury, that's a viable defense. But his lawyer has gone one step further and is arguing what actually would be Trump Derangement Syndrome.... Look. He's making us all a little crazy. But that isn't a legitimate defense in criminal court. Yet." Thanks to MAG for the link. ...

... Abigail Tracy of Vanity Fair: "While Donald Trump was denying any culpability for inspiring the mass shooter in El Paso, Texas, attorneys for another right-wing terrorist, Cesar Sayoc, were arguing the exact opposite. 'In this darkness, Mr. Sayoc found light in Donald J. Trump,' attorneys for Sayoc wrote in a court filing for the defendant, who was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to sending pipe bombs to prominent critics of the president.... The Trump Defense, such as it was, did not convince Judge Jed S. Rakoff. In explaining his decision to give Sayoc 20 years behind bars, as opposed to the lifetime sentence recommended by prosecutors, Rakoff said Sayoc's support for Trump was 'something of a sideshow.'.... But the Sayoc case is part of a broader pattern of attorneys invoking President Trump's influence and rhetoric in defense of their clients in criminal cases. There have been at least a half-dozen such cases in the media over the last three years.... The El Paso shooting has amplified a long-festering national conversation about the real-world impact of the president's rhetoric.... And the more Trump talks, the more the risk of radicalization grows." Thanks to MAG for the link.

Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "President Trump said in a tweet Thursday that he will name Joseph Maguire, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, as the acting director of national intelligence. Maguire will assume the role Aug. 15, when Sue Gordon, a career intelligence official who serves as the deputy to the director of national intelligence, will resign. Trump announced Gordon's resignation in a tweet Thursday.... In her letter of resignation, Gordon emphasized her years of experience and praised intelligence agency employees. Trump has repeatedly assailed U.S. intelligence agencies and derided their conclusions when they conflict with his.... Trump was reluctant to keep Gordon, regarding her as part of a career establishment of which he has long been suspicious, according to officials with knowledge of the president's views. Congressional Democrats said Trump has pushed out Gordon as part of a plan to bring the intelligence agencies to heel." ...

... Martin Matishak of Politico: Sue "Gordon left a resignation letter for the president with a handwritten note that signaled she was leaving not leaving her post happily. 'I offer this letter as an act of respect & patriotism, not preference,' she wrote, according to a copy of the note provided by the White House.... 'Sue Gordon's retirement is a significant loss for our Intelligence Community,' Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who was adamant that Gordon take the reins when Coats left, said in a statement."

Maggie Haberman: "President Trump said on Wednesday night that he was 'strongly considering' commuting the 14-year prison sentence of Rod R. Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was convicted of trying to essentially sell President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat for personal gain. But after a day of pushback from conservatives and the Illinois delegation of House Republicans, Mr. Trump was having second thoughts, people close to him said. On Thursday night, he said on Twitter that the matter was simply being reviewed.... Aboard Air Force One on Wednesday..., Mr. Trump said, 'I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly; he was given close to 18 years in prison.... And it was the same gang, the Comey gang and all these sleaze bags that did it.... And I'm thinking about commuting his sentence.'... [Jared] Kushner said it would appeal to Democrats, according to [an] official." Adam Raymond of New York has the story here.

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Either Kushner is an idiot or he's trolling Democrats. Bringing up Blago of course is a reminder that not every single corrupt politician is a Republican.

NEW. Rachel Frazin of the Hill: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that his House panel is conducting an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Nadler added that the committee will decide by the year's end whether to refer articles of impeachment to the House floor. 'This is formal impeachment proceedings,' Nadler said in an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett. 'We are investigating all the evidence, we're gathering the evidence. And we will at the conclusion of this -- hopefully by the end of the year -- vote to vote articles of impeachment to the House floor. Or we won't. That's a decision that we'll have to make. But that's exactly the process we're in right now.'"

Katie Benner of the New York Times: "Andrew G. McCabe, the former F.B.I. deputy director who was fired for statements he made about communications between the F.B.I. and the press, sued the F.B.I. on Thursday, alleging that the dismissal was retaliatory and politically motivated.... [The suit claims that] President Trump 'purposefully and intentionally' pushed the Justice Department to demote and terminate him as part of an 'unconstitutional plan' to discredit and remove Justice Department and F.B.I. employees who were 'deemed to be his partisan opponents.' Mr. McCabe, 51, was also the subject of a scathing Justice Department inspector general report that accused him of violating the bureau's media policy when he authorized the disclosure of information to the press and of misleading investigators about what he had done." The NRP story, by Carrie Johnson, is here.

Greg Walters of Vice News: "House Democrats have procured thousands of documents about the finances of wealthy Russians who might have links to Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing unidentified people familiar with the probe. Those records may provide a back door into learning about Trump's ties to foreign sources of income, and a way around his lawsuits to block Congressional investigations into his finances. The list of banks who’ve handed over information includes Trump's longtime favorite lender, Deutsche Bank, along with Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo, according to the report. Trump is waging a legal battle to stop his banks from sharing information with Congress, prompting a courtroom fight that could take months, if not years, to play out -- even if he eventually loses. But getting documents about the finances of Russians could yield insight into Trump's financial history, even while the wrangling over his own records drags on."

Ha! Ben Lefebvre & Nahal Toosi of Politico: "The State Department has put on leave an employee of its energy bureau after reports that he has been an active member of a white supremacist group for more than five years, two sources familiar with the situation said on Thursday. Matthew Gebert, a foreign affairs officer for the department's Bureau of Energy Resources, was linked to the Washington D.C.-area chapter of a white supremacist organization and published racist propaganda online, according to a report published Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate speech.... Former State Department officials expressed surprise that security screenings had not flagged Gebert's involvement with the hate groups. Gebert would have undergone a routine screening before starting his position [in 2013] and another at his five-year work anniversary...." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: If you read the SPLC report which safari linked yesterday, you'll know that a State Department spokesperson seemed quite supportive of Gebert's extensive white supremacist activities. The person told reporter Matthew Hayden that State was "committed to providing a workplace that is free from discriminatory harassment and investigates alleged violations of laws, regulations, or Department policies, taking disciplinary action when appropriate." Apparently in light of the attention the El Paso murderer & Donald Trump have drawn to white supremacy this week, the State Department decided having a committed white supremacist on staff might not be such a good idea -- at this time.

Emily Birnbaum of the Hill: "Senate Republicans' campaign arm on Thursday announced it will stop spending money to advertise on Twitter after the social media site locked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) campaign account this week. The halt marks an escalation in the conservative battle against the country's largest tech companies, which they claim routinely censor right-wing voices. Critics have insisted there is little evidence to substantiate those claims beyond individual anecdotes." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race 2020

"Biden: If Elected President, I'll Let Mitch McConnell Block Everything." Jonathan Chait: "Joe Biden, touring Iowa, told reporters, in so many words, that his plan is to have an ineffectual, failed presidency. Or, as Biden put it more pithily, 'Ending the filibuster is a very dangerous move.... He is nostalgically trapped in the bygone world of his youth ... and his belief that the institution can be restored to its bygone manners, is a symptom of a more profound disorder that you might call 'Senatitis.'" ...

... Two Days, Two Gaffes. Emma Kinery of Bloomberg: "Joe Biden told a group of mostly Asian and Hispanic voters Wednesday that 'poor kids are just as bright' as white children. The former vice president ... made the remarks to the Asian & Latino Coalition in Des Moines, Iowa, where he is on a four-day campaign swing.... He quickly added, 'Wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids, no I really mean it, but think how we think about it.'" Mrs. McC: Truthiness? In his much-lauded speech Wednesday, Biden said, "We choose truth over facts." Both MSNBC & CNN played clips of the speech that included that clause, but the hosts who introduced it didn't comment on the nonsensical remark. Please, Democrats, can we have a better candidate?

Matt Stevens of the New York Times: "The entrepreneur and former tech executive Andrew Yang became the ninth Democratic presidential candidate to qualify for the next debates after a new poll of Iowa voters released Thursday showed him earning 2 percent support. Mr. Yang had already met the Democratic National Committee's other debate-qualification threshold by having drawn donations from more than 130,000 people."...

... Andrew Prokop of Vox: "Currently, nine candidates have qualified for debate No. 3: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Andrew Yang. Prokop explains what the qualifications thresholds are & provides a handy Venn diagram of who's in & who's out.

Jonathan Lemire of the AP: "Now is the summer (vacation) of the president's discontent. As Donald Trump prepares to leave Friday for his annual August holiday..., he's confronting a storm of crises, at home and abroad, that could set the course for his upcoming re-election bid. With his poll numbers stalled and his ability to rally the country questioned, he's being tested by an escalating trade war with China that may slow the economy, rising tensions with both Iran and North Korea and, in the aftermath of the latest mass shootings, pressure to act on guns and face accusations of his own role in fostering an environment of hate. The dark clouds are converging as the president's bid for a second term takes on new urgency. Trump exudes confidence but as the two dozen Democrats eager to take his job sharpen their attacks, the White House -- or, for the next 10 days, the clubhouse in Bedminster, New Jersey -- will have to mount a multifront effort rooted in maintaining his base rather than trying to expand it."

News Lede

ABC News: "Police in Springfield, Missouri, arrested a man on Thursday afternoon after he walked into a Walmart, armed with a rifle and wearing body armor. The man, identified as 20-year-old Dmitriy Andreychenko, was arrested for making a terrorist threat, Springfield Police confirmed Friday. Andreychenko was stopped at the scene by an armed off-duty firefighter until officers arrived and took the man into custody, the Springfield Police Department said. A video taken by a witness outside the store shows the suspect with his arms up in the air and what looks like an assault rifle slung around his neck as he's being arrested. It's unclear what the Andreychenko's motive was, but police told ABC Springfield affiliate KSPR that the man was recording himself with his cellphone while walking through the store.... Andreychenko had about 100 rounds of ammunition on him when he entered the store, police told the station."

The Commentariat -- August 8, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Yesterday, Ken W. linked to a story about a man who had bashed a boy's head into the pavement, causing serious injury, because the child had not taken off his hat while the national anthem played. Earlier in the day, I had seen a story covering the same incident, but I couldn't bear to read it, so I passed on Ken's story, too. Now, I have no choice to address the story because it has political significance:

Seaborn Larson in the Billings Gazette: "The attorney for a 39-year-old man charged with assaulting a child who didn't take his hat off for the national anthem says his client, compromised by a traumatic brain injury, believes he was acting on an order from ... Donald Trump. Superior resident Curt Brockway was charged Monday with felony assault on a minor. His defense attorney, Lance Jasper, told the Missoulian Wednesday the president's 'rhetoric' contributed to the U.S. Army veteran's disposition when he choke-slammed a 13-year-old, fracturing his skull, at the Mineral County fairgrounds on Aug. 3. 'His commander in chief is telling people that if they kneel, they should be fired, or if they burn a flag, they should be punished,' Jasper said.... Charging documents indicate Brockway told the deputy he grabbed the boy by the throat, lifted him into the air and slammed the boy on the ground.... Deputies later learned the boy had suffered a concussion and a fractured skull."

Colby Hall of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump is getting criticized for a 30-second video he shared documenting the warm reception he received in Dayton and El Paso following mass shootings last weekend. The professionally shot and edited video was shared on the president's Twitter feed Wednesday evening and features a series of shots of President Trump shaking hands and posing for photos with hospital staffers, though noticeably does not include any images of his meeting with any victims from either mass shooting.... But as Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler notes [in a tweet], the press was not allowed to join President Trump during any of his visits, and as a result, the public is only allowed to learn what happened via the tightly curated and slickly packaged information propagated by the White House. Or as he fairly calls it 'propaganda.'"

Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday ridiculed former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and bragged about the crowd size at one of his rallies while visiting medical staff who treated victims of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, over the weekend.... When one the people Trump was addressing said Wednesday he was sitting in the front row of Trump's rally earlier this year, the president reached out to shake his hand. 'That was some crowd, and we had twice the number outside,' Trump replied. 'And then you had this crazy Beto. Beto had, like, 400 people in a parking lot. They said, "His crowd was wonderful."'"

Emily Birnbaum of the Hill: "Senate Republicans' campaign arm on Thursday announced it will stop spending money to advertise on Twitter after the social media site locked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) campaign account this week. The halt marks an escalation in the conservative battle against the country's largest tech companies, which they claim routinely censor right-wing voices. Critics have insisted there is little evidence to substantiate those claims beyond individual anecdotes."

~~~~~~~~~~

President* Uses "Day of Unity" to Attack Democrats. Mitch Smith & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Trump began a day set aside for healing in Dayton and El Paso by lashing out against his political rivals and the news media, employing the kind of divisive language that prompted protests in both cities even before he arrived.... Even as his spokeswoman said [Trump's visit to Dayton] was never designed as a photo op, Dan Scavino, the president's social media director, posted on Twitter pictures from inside Miami Valley Hospital. 'The President was treated like a Rock Star inside the hospital, which was all caught on video,' he tweeted. 'They all loved seeing their great President!'... Even though officials refused to allow reporters to witness the Dayton hospital visit..., the White House quickly released a video featuring images of Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, shaking hands with emergency workers and chatting with hospital staff members.... In a news conference soon after Mr. Trump departed Dayton for El Paso, [Sen. Sherrod] Brown and [Dayton Mayor Nan] Whaley said the president refused to commit to signing a universal background check bill, but told them that he would 'get things done.'... Flying on Air Force One, Mr. Trump attacked the senator and the mayor on Twitter, saying they had misrepresented what happened inside the hospital. 'Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud,' the president wrote. 'It bore no resemblance to what took place.' Mr. Scavino added on Twitter: 'They are disgraceful politicians, doing nothing but politicizing a mass shooting, at every turn they can.'"

"Send Him Back!": El Paso Protesters. Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: On a day when President Trump vowed to tone down his rhetoric and help the country heal following two mass slayings, he did the opposite -- lacing his visits Wednesday to El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, with a flurry of attacks on local leaders and memorializing his trips with grinning thumbs-up photos.... Both in Dayton and El Paso, Trump kept almost entirely out of public view, a marked break with tradition, as presidents visiting grieving communities typically offer public condolences.... [Sen. Sherrod] Brown and [Dayton Mayor Nan] Whaley described the visit by the president and first lady Melania Trump in favorable terms.'... [Trump] lashed out at Brown and Whaley, falsely accusing them of 'totally misrepresenting' the reception he received at Miami Valley Hospital.... But neither Brown nor Whaley said Trump received a poor reception at the hospital.... Whaley later responded to Trump's comments about her and Brown by calling him 'a bully and a coward.'... None of the eight patients still being treated at University Medical Center in El Paso agreed to meet with Trump when he visited the hospital, UMC spokesman Ryan Mielke said. Two victims who already had been discharged returned to the hospital to meet with the president.... During his flight home from El Paso, Trump attacked Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.), the twin brother of presidential candidate Julián Castro.... As he departed the White House on Wednesday morning en route to Ohio, [President] Trump told reporters he would refrain from attacking his adversaries during the trip.... That detente lasted only a few minutes. Answering a reporter's question about [Joe] Biden, Trump pounced. 'Joe is a pretty incompetent guy,' the president said. 'Joe Biden has truly lost his fastball, that I can tell you.'" ...

... Politico's report, by Gabby Orr, is here. ...

... John Bowden of the Hill: "In a tweet Wednesday night, Trump referred to [Rep Joaquin Castro] as the "lesser brother of a failed presidential candidate (1%) who makes a fool of himself every time he opens his mouth.' An initial tweet misspelled Joaquin Castro's name.... Julián Castro responded in his own tweet, vowing that he and his brother would 'keep fighting' against Trump's 'hate' and 'corruption.'" Mrs. McC: I too find "Joaquin" difficult to spell. Then again, were I sitting on AF1 with my crack staff all around, before I embarrassed myself to my gazillion brilliant Twitter followers, I would ask staff, "Is this the way you spell 'Wahkeen'?" ...

... Daniel Dale of CNN fact-checks Trump's claim that Sherrod Brown & Nan Whaley "misrepresent[ed] the reception [he] received from shooting victims during his visit to a Dayton hospital.... This is false. While both Brown and Whaley criticized Trump's past rhetoric, they were only complimentary about his visit to the hospital." ...

... "The Dems ... Are Truly Disgusting!": Trump. Zeke Miller & Jill Colvin of the AP: "Aiming to play the traditional role of healer during national tragedy..., Donald Trump paid visits Wednesday to cities reeling from mass shootings.... But his divisive words preceded him, large protests greeted him and biting political attacks soon followed.... Outside Dayton's Miami Valley Hospital, at least 200 protesters gathered, blaming Trump's incendiary rhetoric for inflaming political and racial tensions in the country and demanding action on gun control. Some said Trump was not welcome in their city. There were Trump supporters, as well. In El Paso, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke spoke to several hundred people.... Trump's motorcade passed El Paso protesters holding 'Racist Go Home' signs. And Trump spent part of his flight between Ohio and Texas airing his grievances on Twitter, berating Democratic lawmakers, O'Rourke and the press. It was a remarkable split-screen appearance for TV viewers, with White House images of handshakes and selfies juxtaposed with angry tweets.... Trump seemed focused on politics through the day. He mentioned the crowd at his earlier rally in El Paso. When a reporter asked what he saw during the day, he answered with claims about how he was received respectfully in both cities. Then on the flight home he unleashed another political tweet: 'The Dems new weapon is actually their old weapon, one which they never cease to use when they are down, or run out of facts, RACISM! They are truly disgusting!'" ...

... Michael Shear followed Trump on his no-apologies tour. "In a tweet on Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump quoted a conservative television news outlet's reporting that 'the Dayton, Ohio, shooter had a history of supporting political figures like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and ANTIFA.'... Before he departed on Wednesday, he dismissed criticism about his use of divisive language. 'I think my rhetoric brings people together,' he said.... Before leaving, he lashed out at the mayor of Dayton, calling her a supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders and of antifa, a radical leftist group.' The president also rejected calls to abandon the way he talks about immigrants, saying that 'illegal immigration is a terrible thing for this country' and insisting that 'we have very many people coming in. They are pouring in to this country.' Mr. Trump also used language tha echoed his 'both sides' comments after the neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville in 2017, saying on Wednesday that 'I'm concerned about the rise of any type of hate. I don't like it. Any type of supremacy, whether it's white supremacy or antifa.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The chance that Whaley is an Antifa supporter is somewhere around zero. But Trump is happy to condemn people for completely invented reasons. It's false charges like this, coming from a president*, that incite violence. ...

... Lawrence O'Donnell said Wednesday on MSNBC of Trump's visits to Dayton & El Paso, "These were campaign stops today." Trump used government resources to produce a propaganda video which Trump already has used in a campaign ad, O'Donnell said. (No link.)

Josh Dawsey & Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "President Trump has repeatedly told lawmakers and aides in private conversations that he is open to endorsing extensive background checks in the wake of two mass shootings, prompting a warning from the National Rifle Association and concerns among White House aides, according to lawmakers and administration officials. Trump, speaking to reporters Wednesday before visiting Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, where weekend shootings left 31 dead, said there 'was great appetite for background checks' amid an outcry over government inaction in the face of repeated mass shootings.... NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre spoke with Trump on Tuesday after the president expressed support for a background check bill and told him it would not be popular among Trump's supporters, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.... LaPierre also argued against the bil's merits, the officials said.... Advisers to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he would not bring any gun-control legislation to the floor without widespread Republican support." The Raw Story has a summary here.

The Trump Family Idiots. Like Sister, Like Brother, Like Father. Remember way back this morning when we read that Ivanka Trump tweeted made up stuff about Chicago, killing off people who had been wounded? Well, this morning Brother Junior went on Fox "News" & likened Julian Castro to the Dayton mass murderer because he had republlished a publicly-available list of Trump donors in San Antonio. Of course there is nothing wrong or murderous with publicizing information the government provides, and even if there were, Julian Castro didn't do so. His brotherJoaquin did, though. Philip Bump of the Washington Post reports. Worth a read, right to the end, where we learn Junior complained that Instagram "hit" him -- deleted his post -- just because he compared aspiring immigrants to animals in the zoo. (Also linked yesterday.)

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday said he's 'all in favor' of background checks for weapon purchases in the wake of recent mass shootings, but threw cold water on the prospect of banning high-powered weapons that have been used in several massacres. 'I'm looking to do background checks,' he told reporters. 'I think background checks are important. I don't want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate. Sick people. I'm all in favor of it.' He indicated there would be little movement on legislation to ban high powered weapons like the one used in Dayton and other mass shootings. 'You have to have a political appetite within Congress and so far I haven't seen that,' Trump said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Anita Kumar of Politico: "... Donald Trump this week said his administration has done 'much more than most' to help curb mass shootings in the United States.... [But] his administration has actually eased gun restrictions over the past two and a half years. Federal agencies have implemented more than half a dozen policy changes -- primarily through little-noticed regulatory moves -- that expand access to guns by lifting firearms bans in certain locations and limiting the names on the national database designed to keep firearms away from dangerous people. The administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn New York City restrictions on transporting handguns outside homes. And it pushed to allow U.S. gunmakers to more easily sell firearms overseas, including the types used in mass shootings." In describing the minimal gun-control measures Trump did take in response to earlier mass murders, "William Vizzard, who spent nearly three decades at the ATF, described the restrictions as modest. 'On a scale of 1 to 100, they're about a 2, he said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jake Tapper of CNN: "Whit House officials rebuffed efforts by their colleagues at the Departmen of Homeland Security for more than a year to make combating domestic terror threats, such as those from white supremacists, a greater priority as specifically spelled out in the National Counterterrorism Strategy, current and former senior administration officials as well as other sources close to the Trump administration tell CNN. 'Homeland Security officials battled the White House for more than a year to get them to focus more on domestic terrorism,' one senior source close to the Trump administration tells CNN. 'The White House wanted to focus only on the jihadist threat which, while serious, ignored the reality that racial supremacist violence was rising fast here at home. They had major ideological blinders on.'... Why the White House pushed back so much is a matter of some debate. The former senior administration official noted that the White House, specifically the President, has a problem criticizing white supremacy." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: One reason Trump says outrageous things -- like lying about Sherrod Brown's & Nan Whaley's remarks -- is to deflect your attention from substantive stories like Tapper's.

Scott Glover & Majlie Kamp of CNN: "The El Paso shooting suspect's mother called the Allen, Texas, Police Department weeks before the shooting because she was concerned about her son owning an 'AK' type firearm, lawyers for the family confirmed to CNN. The mother contacted police because she was worried about her son owning the weapon given his age, maturity level and lack of experience handling such a firearm, attorneys Chris Ayres and R. Jack Ayres said. During the call, the mother was transferred to a public safety officer who told her that -- based on her description of the situation -- her son, 21, was legally allowed to purchase the weapon, the attorneys said. The mother did not provide her name or her son's name, and police did not seek any additional information from her before the call concluded, they added."

Mike Memoli of NBC News: "Former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday excoriated President Donald Trump for a 'toxic tongue' that he said has inflamed the nation's divisions, saying that he lacked the moral authority to lead America. Addressing voters in rural southeastern Iowa as the president traveled between two American cities reeling from mass shooting incidents, Biden drew a direct link between Trump's rhetoric on immigration and what appeared to motivate the alleged shooter in Saturday's attack on El Paso, Texas.... Over the course of a nearly half-hour address Biden named a slew of former presidents -- from George Washington to George Bush, from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama. But he cast Trump as the aberration, saying he had 'more in common with George Wallace than he does with George Washington.'"

Darren Sands of BuzzFeed News: "Cory Booker stood in the well in the hallowed halls of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Wednesday morning and challenged Americans to act on the country's gun violence epidemic, just days after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that killed at least 31 people and brought the country to a grieving halt. Booker offered a lyrical and, at times, spirited speech that presented an intersectional message on the dangers that white supremacy and gun violence pose to America." (Also linked yesterday.)

Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "Hundreds of white-collar Walmart employees are expected to walk out Wednesday afternoon to protest the retailer's gun policies after shootings at two company stores left 24 people dead. Workers at Walmart's e-commerce offices in San Bruno, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Brooklyn are taking action to urge the world's largest retailer to stop selling guns and discontinue donations to politicians who receive funding from the National Rifle Association. Walmart sells guns in about half of its 4,750 U.S. stores, making it one of the nation's largest retailers of firearms and ammunition.... Organizers also started a Change.org petition to call on company executives to stop selling firearms. As of Wednesday morning, it had more than 28,000 signatures." After learning of the employees' plans, Walmart suspended at least one of the organizers' email & Slack accounts. USA Today has the story here. (Also linked yesterday.) ...

     ... The story has been updated, with Greg Bensinger added to the byline. New lede: "Roughly 40 white-collar Walmart employees [in San Bruno, California,] walked out Wednesday afternoon to protest the retailer's gun policies after deadly shootings at two company stores. Workers at Walmart's e-commerce offices in Portland, Ore., and Brooklyn were also taking action to urge the world's largest retailer to stop selling guns and discontinue donations to politicians who receive funding from the National Rifle Association." Mrs. McC: This is the only story on the walkout I could find.

Say, Let's Ask Susan Collins about All This. Josh Israel of ThinkProgress: "Amid calls for action to stop gun violence and mass shootings, [Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)] told right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday that it is' extremely disappointing' that Americans want action now. Collins, who sometimes bucks her party on gun issues but is most often there when the Senate Republican leadership needs her, has been non-committal on specific responses to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton over the weekend. Asked about the issue by Hewitt, she launched an attack -- not on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has blocked all action on gun safety legislation, or ... Donald Trump, who has fueled white nationalist violence with his racist rhetoric -- but on the activists who are calling for change to the status quo. 'Surely this is the time when we could put aside politics and come together and our leaders could act as one to give our condolences to the victims' families. And ... it's extremely disappointing,' she complained.... 'There are times for political debate, but this is not one of them.'" Mrs. McC: Shame on you for "extremely disappointing" Collins yet again.

Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: "Fox News anchor Shepard Smith appeared to throw a short but intense burst of righteous rebuke at Fox host ... Tucker Carlson when he told viewers that 'White nationalism is without question a serious problem in America.' On Tuesday night, Carlson delivered a disgusting rant in which he claimed that white supremacy is a 'hoax' that is 'actually not a real problem in America' -- just days after that 'hoax' killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas and wounded dozens more.... 'Marking the unmistakable rise of white nationalism and white racism in America, and saying as president, he will work to fight against it, calling us to our better souls, to recognize that white nationalism is real, that white nationalism is on the rise, and that white nationalism is without question a very serious problem in America,' Smith said, the last clause a crystalline dagger at Carlson." ...

... So Then... Justin Wise of the Hill: "'Watching Fake News CNN is better than watching Shepard Smith, the lowest rated show on @FoxNews,' Trump tweeted ... yesterday. 'Actually, whenever possible, I turn to [One America News Network]!'... Smith acknowledged Trump's tweet during his show Wednesday, saying, 'Good afternoon, Mr. President. It's nice to have you with us.'"

MEANWHILE. Rogelio Solis & Jeff Amy of the AP: "U.S. immigration officials raided seven Mississippi chicke processing plants Wednesday, arresting 680 mostly Latino workers in the largest workplace sting in at least a decade. The raids, planned months ago, happened just hours before ... Donald Trump visited El Paso, Texas, the majority-Latino border city.... 'On a day when we seek unifying words and acts to heal the nation's broken heart, President Trump allows so many families and communities to be torn apart,' said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.... About 600 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fanned out across the plants operated by five companies, surrounding the perimeters to prevent workers from fleeing.... Those arrested [at a plant in Morton, Mississippi,] were taken to a military hangar to be processed for immigration violations. About 70 family, friends and residents waved goodbye and shouted, 'Let them go! Let them go!' Later, two more buses arrived.... The companies involved could be charged with knowingly hiring workers who are in the county illegally and will be scrutinized for tax, document and wage fraud, [Matthew] Albence, [ICE's acting director,] said." ...

... Angela Fritz & Luis Velarde of the Washington Post: "Many children [of parents ICE detained] didn't have a loved one or family friend to go home to. Some walked home from school but were locked out because their parents were detained in the raid. Volunteers set up a makeshift shelter for the children at a local gym tonight, WJTV's Alex Love reported. There was food, 'but most children are still devastated and crying for their parents and can't eat,' Love said on Twitter. Bryan D. Cox, a spokesman for ICE, told The Post that all arrested individuals were asked 'if they had any children who were at school or child care and needed to be picked up.' He said cellphones were also made available to detainees so they could make arrangements for child care. Cox also said schools were contacted as the raids began so they were aware there could be child care issues and knew who to contact if parents didn't pick up their kids. Any detainee that indicates he or she has dependents 'and is not being criminally arrested or is subject to mandatory detention, will be expeditiously processed,' Cox said."

Juan Cole: "Latino-Americans are standard-bearers of a bright future for the US. The Latino Gross Domestic Product in the US in 2016 was at least $2.13 trillion, according to a study by the Latino Donor Collaborative. In that year, the US GDP was $18 trillion. If the nearly 60 million Latinos in the US were a country, they'd be the world's 7th largest.... They are expected to generate 25% of all economic advance in the US in 2019-2020 despite only being 17% of the population. They are more than pulling their weight.... Latinos own 4.37 million businesses in the US, contributing $700 billion to the economy every year. More, in the past decade Latinos started 86% of all new businesses. The El Paso shooter, a loser, was targeting precisely the people who could help ensure he had a secure economic future in Texas." --s

Elliot Hannon of Slate: "In June, the U.S.government deported 41-year-old Jimmy Aldaoud to Iraq. Aldaoud, who was born in Greece, said he had lived in the U.S. since he was six months old and had never even been to Iraq, the country he where he was technically a national. Aldaoud was residing in a small Detroit metro area community of Chaldean Catholics, a branch of the Roman Catholic church whose roots are in present-day Iraq, when immigration officials showed up, detained him, and ultimately put him on a plane to Baghdad. Aldaoud did not speak Arabic. He did not have a home or any contacts there. Aldaoud was also a diabetic and, on Tuesday, he died in a country that was not his own from what appeared to be a lack of access to insulin, according to the family friends and the American Civil Liberties Union."

Lawyers Paid to Work for You Think They Work for Trump

Nicholas Fandos & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The House Judiciary Committee sued on Wednesday to force the former White House counsel Donald F. McGahn II to testify before Congress, asking a federal judge to strike down the Trump administration's claim that top presidential aides are 'absolutely immune' from its subpoenas. In a filing in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the Judiciary Committee identified Mr. McGahn as 'the most important witness, other than the president, to the key events' at the center of its investigation into possible obstruction of justice by President Trump --behavior detailed by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, that the committee said could warrant impeachment.... 'When faced with competing demands from coequal branches of government, Don will follow his former client's instruction, absent a contrary decision from the federal judiciary.' [William Burke, one of McGahn's attorneys said.]" Mrs. McC: But, um, Trump was never McGahn's "client"; "the presidency" was his "client."

Josh Marshall of TPM: "The President has been going into court in his personal capacity -- i.e., with his own private lawyers -- trying to knock down various House efforts to subpoena documents relative to his personal and business finances... His lawyers ... have made a raft out of outlandish legal claims.... But now the Department of Justice is entering these cases and to a great degree mimicking these arguments.... What all of this amounts to is that the Department of Justice is now more or less openly operating as the President's personal defender." --s ...

... Blame the Court. Josh Kovensky of TPM: "Echoing arguments made by personal attorneys for President Trump, the Justice Department weighed in Tuesday on Trump's side in his bid to halt a congressional probe of his finances. Trump took the unprecedented step of hiring personal attorneys to try to halt a subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee seeking financial records from his longtime accountant, Mazars USA LLP. Accusing House Democrats of issuing 'sweeping subpoenas purportedly justified by vague incantations of hypothetical legislative purposes,' DOJ attorneys argued in the Tuesday filing that the subpoena 'raises significant separation-of-powers issues.' The DOJ filing is the first time the Trump Administration has taken a position in court on the President'bid to halt Congress' investigations of himself. The Justice Department filed its brief after the DC appeals court asked it to during oral arguments in the case last month. The judges wondered aloud why the government had not taken a position on the matter."

Matt Shuham of TPM: "At a GOP fundraiser back home in South Carolina on Friday, the White House chief of staff [Dick [sic] Mulvaney] celebrated ;a decision announced recently by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. Hundreds of government economists and researchers based in Washington, D.C., the secretary said in June, were being given a choice: Move to Kansas City, or get out. They had 33 days to decide. 'Guess what happened?' Mulvaney asked his audience. 'More than half the people quit.'... An inspector general's investigation was launched in November into the legality of the relocation, and reported Monday that Perdue may have improperly circumvented Congress.... The relocation, Mulvaney said, offered proof he was draining ['the swamp']." --s ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Yes, but Mulvaney is a dick.

** Michael Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center: "A U.S. State Department official oversaw the Washington, D.C.-area chapter of a white nationalist organization, hosted white nationalists at his home and published white nationalist propaganda online, Hatewatch has determined. The official, Matthew Q. Gebert, works as a foreign affairs officer assigned to the Bureau of Energy Resources, a State Department spokesperson told Hatewatch. Online, and in private correspondences with other white nationalists, Gebert uses 'Coach Finstock' as a pseudonym. Through that alias, he expressed a desire to build a country for whites only.... Four separate sources named Gebert's wife, Anna Vuckovic, as 'Wolfie James,' a blogger and Twitter personality who also is connected to the white nationalist movement." --s ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The State Department's response at the bottom of the report is more than worrisome. However, the Feds are very concerned about this:

... Jason Wilson & Will Parrish of the Guardian: "Law enforcement groups, including the FBI, have been monitoring opponents of a natural gas infrastructure project in Oregon and circulated intelligence to an email list that included a Republican-aligned anti-environmental PR operative, [Mark Pfeifle of Off The Record Strategies] emails obtained by the Guardian show.... The emails, obtained via open records requests, reflect the increased scrutiny and surveillance to which law enforcement agencies are often subjecting indigenous and environmental groups, activists say.... In a telephone interview, a spokesman for the US attorney in Oregon also confirmed the existence of another body mentioned in the emails: a 'domestic terrorism working group' led by the assistant US attorney, Craig Gabriel, that meets 'roughly quarterly' in Portland." --s

E. A. Crunden of ThinkProgress: "The Trump administration's plan to freeze fuel efficiency standards in defiance of California's stricter, more environmentally friendly rules is set to have dire ramifications for emissions levels and the economy, according to new research out Wednesday. Rolling back California's robust vehicle emissions requirements will cost the U.S. economy $400 billion through 2050, an analysis from the environmental policy group Energy Innovation found. President Donald Trump's efforts to undo Obama-era rules will also increase U.S. gasoline consumption by up to 7.6 billion barrels, subsequently increasing U.S. transport emissions up to 10% by 2035." --s

Ben Tobin & Phillip Bailey of the Louisville Courier-Journal: "After sharing a video of a profanity-laced protest outside [Mitch McConnell's] home in Louisville, the campaign Twitter account, Team Mitch, has been locked out.... On Monday, Black Lives Matter Louisville leader Chanelle Helm said in a live video of the protest outside of McConnell's Highlands-area home that instead of falling and injuring his shoulder over the weekend, the GOP leader 'should have broken his little raggedy, wrinkled-(expletive) neck.' After a man makes a reference to a hypothetical McConnell voodoo doll, Helm replied, 'Just stab the m----- f----- in the heart.' That comment went viral on Twitter."

Presidential Race 2020

Trump Has Millions of New Fans. Nate Cohn of the New York Times: "The share of Americans who say they have a favorable view of [Donald Trump] has increased significantly since the 2016 election.... And over the last few months, some of the highest-quality public opinion polls, though not all, showed the president's job approval rating -- a different measure from personal favorability -- had inched up to essentially match the highest level of his term.... [This] has some important implications in how to view his re-election prospects.... Millions of Americans who did not like the president in 2016 now say they do. Over all, his personal favorability rating has increased by about 10 percentage points among registered voters since Election Day 2016...."

Madeleine Aggeler of New York: "Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins and chairman of the Related Companies, which includes cult fitness brands SoulCycle and Equinox, is scheduled to throw an extravagant fundraiser for President Trump's 2020 reelection campaign on Friday, the Washington Post reports. Tickets for his Hamptons luncheon begin at $100,000 for lunch and a photo opportunity with the president. For $250,000, guests can partake of lunch, a photo op, and a small roundtable discussion with Trump. The report was met with dismay by fans of SoulCycle and Equinox, many of whom threatened to withdraw their memberships in protest." Both SoulCycle & Equinox posted tweets claiming Ross is merely a "passive investor."

Stephen Brown of the New York Daily News: "The founder of Students for Trump pleaded guilty Tuesday to running a $46,000 scam in which he posed as a lawyer and gave legal advice. John Lambert, 23, created a website for a fake law firm called Pope & Dunn and claimed to be Eric Pope, a graduate of NYU Law School with a finance degree from the University of Pennsylvania and 15 years of experience in corporate and patent law, prosecutors said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Steve Eder & Emily Steel of the New York Times: "For over 15 years, Jeffrey Epstein served as a close personal adviser to Leslie H. Wexner, the billionaire mogul behind Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works. Now, Mr. Wexner says Mr. Epstein 'misappropriated vast sums of money' from him and his family. Mr. Wexner, the chief executive of the retail giant L Brands, included the accusation in a 564-word letter he sent Wednesday to the Wexner Foundation, giving his most detailed account yet of how his life and affairs became intertwined with Mr. Epstein, who was arrested last month and charged with sex trafficking involving girls as young as 14. In the letter, Mr. Wexner said the misappropriation was first discovered in 2007 ... [after] Florida authorities charged Mr. Epstein with multiple counts of molestation and unlawful sexual activity with a minor." The Hill's story is here.

Can You Hear Me Now? Joseph Cox of Vice: "Contractors working for Microsoft are listening to personal conversations of Skype users conducted through the app's translation service, according to a cache of internal documents, screenshots, and audio recordings obtained by Motherboard.... Apple and Google recently suspended their use of human transcribers for their respective Siri and Google Assistant services after a backlash over similar media reporting on the companies' practices." --s

Sam Levin of the Guardian: "Monsanto [now owned by the German pharmaceutical corporation Bayer] operated a 'fusion center' to monitor and discredit journalists and activists, and targeted a reporter who wrote a critical book on the company, documents reveal. The agrochemical corporation also investigated the singer Neil Young and wrote an internal memo on his social media activity and music.... The documents, mostly from 2015 to 2017, were disclosed as part of an ongoing court battle on the health hazards of the company's Roundup weedkiller[.]" --s

** Damian Carrington of the Guardian: "The climate crisis is damaging the ability of the land to sustain humanity, with cascading risks becoming increasingly severe as global temperatures rise, according to a landmark UN report compiled by some of the world's top scientists.... Further heating will lead to unprecedented climate conditions at lower latitudes, with potential growth in hunger, migration and conflict and increased damage to the great northern forests.... Continued destruction of forests and huge emissions from cattle and other intensive farming practices will intensify the climate crisis, making the impacts on land still worse." Here's the report. --s ...

     ... The New York Times report, currently (7 am ET Thursday) at the top of the online front page, is here.

Beyond the Beltway

Puerto Rico Gets Its Third Governor in Six Days. Danica Coto of the AP: "Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez became Puerto Rico's new governor Wednesday, just the second woman to hold the office, after weeks of political turmoil and hours after the island's Supreme Court declared Pedro Pierluisi's swearing-in a week ago unconstitutional. Accompanied by her husband, Judge Jorge Díaz, and her daughter, Vázquez took the oath of office in the early evening at the Supreme Court before leaving without making any public comment.... The high court's unanimous decision, which could not be appealed, settled the dispute over who will lead the U.S. territory after its political establishment was knocked off balance by big street protests spawned by anger over corruption, mismanagement of funds and a leaked obscenity-laced chat that forced the previous governor and several top aides to resign. But it was also expected to unleash a new wave of demonstrations because many Puerto Ricans have said they don’t want Vázquez as governor."

Way Beyond

India. Jeffrey Gettleman, et al., of the New York Times (August 5): "India's Hindu nationalist government on Monday unilaterally wiped out the autonomy of the restive Kashmir region, sending in thousands of army troops to quell any possible unrest the move would bring in a disputed territory fought over by India and Pakistan. Government authorities severed internet connections, mobile phone lines and even land lines, casting Kashmir into an information black hole that made it very difficult to discern what was unfolding.... On Monday, Amit Shah, India's home minister, announced in a quick speech, which belied years of steady plotting, that the central government was removing the special, somewhat autonomous status that served as the foundation for Kashmir joining India more than 70 years ago." Mrs. McC: Sorry I missed this earlier.

Turkey. Alison Flood of the Guardian: "More than 300,000 books have been removed from Turkish schools and libraries and destroyed since the attempted coup of 2016, according to Turkey's ministry of education ... as the government cracks down on anything linked to Fethullah Gülen, the US-based Muslim cleric who is accused by Turkey of instigating 2016's failed military coup. Glen has denied involvement." --s

News Lede

AP: "A gang member who killed four people and wounded two others in random stabbings across two Southern California cities has a violent past, police said Thursday, and court records show he was free on bail for a charge last month of carrying a concealed dagger. Zachary Castaneda 'could have injured or killed many other people' had he not been arrested Wednesday after two-hours of robberies and vicious knife attacks, Garden Grove police Chief Tom DaRe said Thursday. A blood-covered Castaneda was taken into custody when he walked out of a convenience store in neighboring Santa Ana, dropping a knife and gun he had taken from a security guard he had just killed, police said. Castaneda was kept in restraints as detectives tried to interview him. 'He remained violent with us through the night,' DaRe said. 'He never told us why he did this.'"

The Commentariat -- August 7, 2019

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Michael Shear of the New York Times is following Trump on his no-apologies tour. "In a tweet on Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump quoted a conservative television news outlet's reporting that 'the Dayton, Ohio, shooter had a history of supporting political figures like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and ANTIFA.'... Before he departed on Wednesday, he dismissed criticism about his use of divisive language. 'I think my rhetoric brings people together,' he said.... Before leaving, he lashed out at the mayor of Dayton, calling her a supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders and of antifa, a radical leftist group.' The president also rejected calls to abandon the way he talks about immigrants, saying that 'illegal immigration is a terrible thing for this country' and insisting that 'we have very many people coming in. They are pouring in to this country.' Mr. Trump also used language that echoed his 'both sides' comments after the neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville in 2017, saying on Wednesday that 'I'm concerned about the rise of any type of hate. I don't like it. Any type of supremacy, whether it's white supremacy or antifa.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The chance that Whaley is an Antifa supporter is somewhere around zero. But Trump is happy to condemn people for completely invented reasons. It's false charges like this, coming from a president*, that incite violence.

The Trump Family Idiots. Remember way back this morning when we read that Ivanka Trump tweeted made up stuff about Chicago, killing off people who had been wounded? Well, this morning Brother Junior went on Fox "News" & likened Julian Castro to the Dayton mass murderer because he had republished a publicly-available list of Trump donors in San Antonio. Of course there is nothing wrong or murderous with publicizing information the government provides, and even if there were, Julian Castro didn't do so. His brother Joaquin did, though. Philip Bump of the Washington Post reports. Worth a read, right to the end, where we learn Junior complained that Instagram "hit" him -- deleted his post -- just because he compared aspiring immigrants to animals in the zoo.

Darren Sands of BuzzFeed News: "Cory Booker stood in the well in the hallowed halls of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Wednesday morning and challenged Americans to act on the country's gun violence epidemic, just days after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that killed at least 31 people and brought the country to a grieving halt. Booker offered a lyrical and, at times, spirited speech that presented an intersectional message on the dangers that white supremacy and gun violence pose to America."

Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "Hundreds of white-collar Walmart employees are expected to walk out Wednesday afternoon to protest the retailer's gun policies after shootings at two company stores left 24 people dead. Workers at Walmart's e-commerce offices in San Bruno, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Brooklyn are taking action to urge the world's largest retailer to stop selling guns and discontinue donations to politicians who receive funding from the National Rifle Association. Walmart sells guns in about half of its 4,750 U.S. stores, making it one of the nation's largest retailers of firearms and ammunition.... Organizers also started a Change.org petition to call on company executives to stop selling firearms. As of Wednesday morning, it had more than 28,000 signatures." After learning of the employees' plans, Walmart suspended at least one of the organizers' email & Slack accounts. USA Today has the story here.

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday said he's 'all in favor' of background checks for weapon purchases in the wake of recent mass shootings, but threw cold water on the prospect of banning high-powered weapons that have been used in several massacres. 'I'm looking to do background checks,' he told reporters. 'I think background checks are important. I don't want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate. Sick people. I'm all in favor of it.' He indicated there would be little movement on legislation to ban high powered weapons like the one used in Dayton and other mass shootings. 'You have to have a political appetite within Congress and so far I haven't seen that,' Trump said." ...

... Anita Kumar of Politico: "... Donald Trump this week said his administration has done 'much more than most' to help curb mass shootings in the United States.... [But] his administration has actually eased gun restrictions over the past two and a half years. Federal agencies have implemented more than half a dozen policy changes -- primarily through little-noticed regulatory moves -- that expand access to guns by lifting firearms bans in certain locations and limiting the names on the national database designed to keep firearms away from dangerous people. The administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn New York City restrictions on transporting handguns outside homes. And it pushed to allow U.S. gunmakers to more easily sell firearms overseas, including the types used in mass shootings." In describing the minimal gun-control measures Trump did take in response to earlier mass murders, "William Vizzard, who spent nearly three decades at the ATF, described the restrictions as modest. 'On a scale of 1 to 100, they're about a 2,' he said."

Stephen Brown of the New York Daily News: "The founder of Students for Trump pleaded guilty Tuesday to running a $46,000 scam in which he posed as a lawyer and gave legal advice. John Lambert, 23, created a website for a fake law firm called Pope & Dunn and claimed to be Eric Pope a graduate of NYU Law School with a finance degree from the University of Pennsylvania and 15 years of experience in corporate and patent law, prosecutors said."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jill Colvin of the AP: "... Donald Trump is bringing a message aimed at national unity and healing to the sites of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton [today]. But the words he offers for a divided America will be complicated by his own incendiary, anti-immigrant rhetoric that mirrors language linked to one of the shooters. It is a highly unusual predicament for an American president to at once try to console a community and a nation at the same time he is being criticized as contributing to a combustible climate that can spawn violence.... Trump, who often seems most comfortable on rally stages with deeply partisan crowds, has not excelled at projecting empathy, mixing what can sound like perfunctory expressions of grief with awkward offhand remarks.... In ... El Paso, some residents and local Democratic lawmakers said Trump was not welcome and urged him to stay away.... In Dayton, Mayor Nan Whaley said she would be meeting with Trump on Wednesday, but she told reporters she was disappointed with his scripted remarks Monday responding to the shootings." ...

... Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump may face a cool reception Wednesday from local leaders in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, when he travels to each city in the wake of back-to-back mass shootings. Democrats in both cities have indicated they're not crazy about the president visiting, particularly in El Paso, where the suspected gunman allegedly published an anti-immigrant manifesto that echoed some of Trump's own language. Mayors of both cities said they intend to greet Trump out of respect for his office, but appeared less than enthusiastic about welcoming him.... 'He is the president of the United States,' El Paso Mayor Dee Margo (R) told reporters on Monday. 'In that capacity I will fulfill my obligations as mayor of El Paso to meet with the president and discuss whatever our needs are in this community.' Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley (D) struck a similar tone Tuesday, telling reporters she will greet Trump in her official capacity as mayor and offering a biting response when asked if the president was visiting too soon. 'He's the& president of the United States,' she said. 'He does his calendar, I do mine.'" ...

... Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas on Tuesday said she declined an invitation to join ... Donald Trump on his upcoming visit to El Paso, Texas, as the city recovers from a mass shooting. 'I declined the invitation because I refuse to be an accessory to his visit, said Escobar, who represents El Paso. 'I refuse to join without a dialogue about the pain his racist and hateful words & actions have caused our community and country.'... Escobar, who told MSNBC Monday that Trump wasn't welcome in her community, tweeted that she requested a phone call with the President to 'share what I have now heard from many constituents' but was told he was 'too busy.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: "Too busy"? Why, just the day before Trump had promised his "unfailing support" for the people of El Paso & Dayton/Toledo. That executive time sure keeps Trump "busy." ...

... Toluse Olorunnipa, et al., of the Washington Post: "The grief and sorrow in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso have begun to give way to anger and frustration in advance of President Trump's planned visits Wednesday, with local leaders and residents increasingly vocal in their assertions that presidential condolences, thoughts and prayers will not be enough. People are signing petitions, planning protests and, in Dayton, organizing a demonstration featuring an inflated 'Baby Trump' to express their discontent with a president whose anti-immigrant rhetoric was echoed by a gunman who killed 22 people in El Paso.... The open repudiation of a visiting president in the aftermath of a mass tragedy was striking Tuesday as a growing chorus of critics made clear that Trump would not be universally welcome during a pair of condolence visits that will take Air Force One from the Rust Belt to the southern order." ...

... The Unwelcome, Deadbeat Visitor from Hell. Matthew Adams & Robert Garrett of the Dallas Morning News: "Ahead of a Wednesday visit to El Paso..., Donald Trump still owes the city more than $500,000 for his expenses related to his February rally. Trump is scheduled to visit El Paso in the wake of the Aug. 3 shooting that left at least 22 people dead. The Federal Aviation Administration advised pilots of a presidential visit later this week to El Paso and Dayton, Ohio.... The Center for Public Integrity ... reports that the total with late fees is now $569,204, according to a July 18 invoice to the Trump campaign. 'It's ridiculous and unconscionable. The city of El Paso is an economically challenged community,' El Paso County Commissioner Dave Stout said of the Trump camp's failure to pay.... 'He's going to be throwing salt into the wound -- a very, very deep wound. And this community needs healing, not Donald Trump, Stout said.... Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat who represents El Paso [and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke], also said Trump isn't welcome." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

Mitch Smith, et al., of the New York Times: "The gunman who killed three people and injured 13 in Gilroy, Calif., had a 'target list' of religious institutions, Democratic and Republican political organizations, and federal buildings, the F.B.I. said Tuesday, announcing that it had opened a domestic terrorism investigation. The suspect had been exploring several 'competing' violent ideologies, said John F. Bennett, the F.B.I. special agent in charge in San Francisco, at a news conference. Mr. Bennett said investigators had not yet uncovered a motive and were trying to determine which ideology, if any, the gunman had ultimately subscribed to, and if anyone had helped him prepare for the shooting. The list also included courthouses and the garlic festival, Mr. Bennett said.... The gunman, Santino William Legan, 19, fired 39 rounds in the shooting at the garlic festival on July 28, Scot Smithee, the Gilroy police chief, said Tuesday. Police found a 75-round drum magazine and five 40-round magazines near the gunman, who killed himself after being shot multiple times by the police, Chief Smithee said." This linked article is a liveblog also containing updates on the El Paso & Dayton massacres. ...

     ... Dayton: "Todd Wickerham, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.'s Cincinnati field office, told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the investigation into the mass shooting in Dayton on Sunday had 'uncovered evidence that the shooter was exploring violent ideologies.' He added that no evidence had been found suggesting a racial motivation for the shooting." Mrs. McC: I heard on a news broadcast that six of the Dayton victims were black.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.

Lloyd Grove of the Daily Beast: "New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet acknowledged Tuesday that his newspaper messed up with a front-page headline over its lead story on ... Donald Trump's Monday televised address.... 'TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM,' blazoned the four-column headline at the top-right of the front page of the Times' first edition -- a strangely credulous framing of an appropriately skeptical story by Michael Crowley and Maggie Haberman.... Trump, who spent the weekend offering 'thoughts and prayers' and tweeting attacks on 'fake news' among other perceived enemies from his New Jersey golf club, gave his stiffly delivered speech on TelePrompTer in the aftermath of two mass shootings that have left 31 dead in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio -- to which the 45th president mistakenly referred as 'Toledo' at one point in his remarks.... [The headline] was a mistake that immediately prompted widespread criticism from high-profile Trump detractors once images of the paper's front page surfaced online Monday night; it also provoked attacks on the Times'; political coverage generally, and even vows to cancel subscriptions.... A Times spokesperson emailed: 'The original print headline was clearly flawed and was changed for all editions after the first' -- the earliest edition of the ink-on-paper Times that is distributed out of state and nationally." The story contains remarks from several prominent opinionators. ...

... Amanda Marcotte of Salon: "No one actually believes Donald Trump opposes racism. Not his critics. Not his supporters. Not anyone who tries to live in the zone of 'objectivity.' Trump's racism is a immoveable fact of life.... And yet, somehow, the media continues to struggle to accurately convey to American audiences this reality, which is that when Trump, a racist and a liar, says anti-racist things, he's just a racist who is currently lying. This problem was illustrated Monday, when the New York Times previewed a headline about Trump's response to two recent mass shootings that read, 'Trump Urges Unity Vs. Racism', causing an explosion of outrage in response, and causing the newspaper of record to scramble, changing it to 'Assailing Hate But Not Guns' in the second print edition and the much more accurate 'Shootings Spur Debate on Extremism and Guns, With Trump on Defense' for the online edition.... It wasn't just the New York Times. CBS, NBC, ABC, and the Washington Post all ran headlines saying Trump condemned racism without noting that he didn't really mean it.... One exception that points the way for other outlets was the CNN headline that read, 'Trump condemns "racist hate" and white supremacy but does not acknowledge his own rhetoric.'" ...

... "Members of the Press, What the Fuck?" ...

     ... Brandon Conradis of the Hill: "President Trump late Tuesday night responded to criticism from former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), who has repeatedly assailed the president in the wake of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. 'Beto (phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage) O'Rourke, who is embarrassed by my last visit to the Great State of Texas, where I trounced him, and is now even more embarrassed by polling at 1% in the Democrat Primary, should respect the victims & law enforcement - & be quiet!' Trump tweeted.... The president's remarks come shortly after O'Rourke, a 2020 presidential contender, announced he would be attending an event on Wednesday to pay tribute to the shooting victims and counter Trump's visit to the city.... In response to Trump's tweet, O'Rourke said, '22 people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will I.'" Mrs. McC: Beto has had his "phony name" since his parents gave it to him when he was an infant. Here's Beto pretending to be Hispanic ca. 1974:

A vast swath of Democratic voters are pretty angry at the media. They see a racist liar in the White House and a media too afraid to call him a racist or a liar. They see a media obsessed with Trump voters who like his rhetoric and little interest in those targeted by his rhetoric. I think Beto's comments spoke to a feeling that media as currently constructed is not up to the moment we are living in. -- Dan Pfeiffer, former Obama advisor ...

... Charles Pierce: "There was a loud banging on pots and pans all over the electric Twitter machine last night when The New York Times front page coverage of Monday's presidential* address popped up with the headline: Trump Urges Unity Against Racism[.] For reasons that are plainly obvious -- and for people who are plainly oblivious -- this headline is dangerously unmoored from our present reality.... I wasn't worried because I knew the president* and the rest of the folks down at Camp Runamuck quickly would squander the free ride given to them by the Times. Sure enough, the president checked in with his favorite morning show, Three Dolts On A Divan, and retweeted some wisdom from Dolt No. 3." Thanks to MAG for the link. ...

... Here's What Brassilocks & the Three Dolts Were Complaining About. Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday attacked former President Barack Obama over the latter's statement on the weekend's mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, tweeting edited quotes from Fox News hosts to make his point and again claiming he is 'the least racist person' in the world. '"Did George Bush ever condemn President Obama after Sandy Hook. President Obama had 32 mass shootings during his reign. Not many people said Obama is out of Control,"' Trump wrote online. '"Mass shootings were happening before the President even thought about running for Pres." @kilmeade @foxandfriends'." Mrs. McC: Uh, Donnie, I think you & your Fox Friends missed the point: President Obama never stoked white nationalist wet dreams. Also, Obama didn't name you; you & your Friends clearly decided the shoe fits. For once you-all were right about something. See also Akhilleus' commentary in yesterday's Comments thread. (Also linked yesterday.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: As for the Toledo speech itself, Akhilleus had the best characterization yet of Trump's delivery: "He read like he was trying to translate an eye chart.... The whole thing looked like a hostage video." See Akhilleus' full comment in yesterday's Comments. ...

... Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "Three days after a Texas man allegedly killed 22 people in El Paso after apparently posting a manifesto complaining of a 'Hispanic invasion,' Fox News host Tucker Carlson said white supremacy is not a problem in the United States and is actually a 'hoax' and a 'conspiracy theory.' Carlson, who regularly spouts the same anti-immigrant 'invasion' rhetoric the El Paso shooter is believed to have espoused in a racist manifesto, hit back against those who say President Trump's rhetoric on immigration may have emboldened the suspected shooter.... The FBI said last month that the majority of domestic terrorism cases they've recently investigated are versions of white supremacist violence." ...

     ... Sabrina Tavernise, et al., of the New York Times: "Law enforcement officials have sounded the alarm for months: Homegrown terrorism, including by white supremacists, is now as big a threat as terrorism from abroad. But the mass shooting in El Paso last weekend, the largest domestic terrorist attack against Hispanics in modern history, has made it glaringly clear how poorly prepared the country is to fight it.... Even before the shootings [last weekend], which left at least 31 people dead, officials said that preventing attacks from white supremacists and nationalists would require adopting the same type of broad and aggressive approach used to battle international extremism. 'We need to catch them and incarcerate them before they act on their plans,' Rod Rosenstein, the former deputy attorney general, said in an email interview. 'We need to be proactive by identifying and disrupting potential terrorists before they strike, and we can accomplish that by monitoring terrorist propaganda and communications.' Under current federal law, that is difficult." Mrs. McC: Sorry, Tucker. ...

     ... Quint Forgey of Politico: "The FBI Agents Association on Tuesday demanded that members of Congress codify domestic terrorism as a federal crime, warning it poses 'a threat to the American people and our democracy.'... The statement from the association, which represents more than 14,000 active and former FBI special agents, follows the Justice Department's announcement Sunday that it is treating the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, as a case of domestic terrorism.... In a televised address Monday..., Donald Trump said the administration has 'asked the FBI to identify all further resources they need to investigate and disrupt hate crimes and domestic terrorism.'" Mrs. McC: Sorry, Tucker.

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Congressional Republicans, under intense pressure to respond to this weekend's massacres, are coalescing around legislation to help law enforcement take guns from those who pose an imminent danger -- a measure that, if signed into law, would be the most significant gun control legislation enacted in 20 years.... The House, under Democratic control, passed far more ambitious bills in February that would require background checks for all gun purchasers, including those on the internet or at gun shows, and extend waiting limits for would-be gun buyers flagged by the instant check system. But those bills have run into a blockade that Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, has erected for House bills he opposes." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: A "red flag" law (which Lindsey Graham is already trying to water down to ineffectual state grants) is basically a "mental health" law. It might not be a bad idea, but there's no reason to think such a law would have prevented the most recent mass murders, much less those that are inevitably in our future. Let's face it; most elected Republicans condone mass murder with assault weapons. Their "thoughts & prayers" are really centered on their hopes that the NRA will give them an "A" rating & a big campaign contribution. If you read Stolberg's full report, you'll discover another masterpiece of both-siderism. She treats Republicans' fake efforts to put a band-aid someplace on a bullet-ridden body as a perfectly legitimate way to address a domestic terrorism crisis. ...

... Andy Borowitz of the New Yorker: "There is a 'significant link' between gun violence and cowardly politicians, a new study from the University of Minnesota asserts. The study, which is raising eyebrows with its startling conclusions, finds that the most reliable predictor of gun violence is the 'prevalence of quiveringly fearful politicians in positions of power.'" ...

... A Tiny Crack in the Red Line. Jackie Borchardt of the Cincinnati Enquirer: "The Republican congressman who represents Dayton is calling for several gun control measures after nine were killed in a mass shooting there Sunday. Rep. Mike Turner said Tuesday he backs a ban on sales of military-style guns, magazine limits and 'red flag' legislation to identify dangerous individuals and remove their firearms. Turner has an 'A' rating from the National Rifle Association and last year earned the organization's support for opposing a ban on semi-automatic firearms, commonly called 'assault weapons.'... Turner's daughter and a family friend were at a bar across the street when the shooting unfolded." Mrs. McC: As is usual with Republicans, something bad has to happen to him or to a friend or family member before he moves to help others. ...

... MEANWHILE... Betsy Woodruff of The Daily Beast: "Just days after mass shootings left at least 31 people dead, a bipartisan group of congressional staffers is set to go on an outing to shoot skeet alongside gun lobbyists. The event comes every year.... According to its website, the event is scheduled for August 6.... A source familiar with the event said the 'associated industry supporters' typically include members of the firearms industry, officials from the NRA, NRA lobbyists, and lobbyists working for gun companies.' They routinely attend the event to socialize with congressional staff. A second source familiar said NRA officials are not expected to attend this year." --s (Also linked yesterday.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: But will they use assault rifles? Okay, they might. Luckily, it's pretty hard to kill a clay pigeon. ...

... John Seewer of the AP: "Facing pressure to take action after the latest mass shooting in the U.S., Ohio's Republican governor urged the GOP-led state Legislature Tuesday to pass laws requiring background checks for nearly all gun sales and allowing courts to restrict firearms access for people perceived as threats. Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohio needs to do more while balancing people's rights to own firearms and have due process during a press conference Tuesday. He outlined a series of legislative actions he wants the Legislature to take up to address mental health and gun violence.... Protesters once again shouted 'do something' -- a refrain chanted during Sunday's vigil honoring the victims -- at DeWine at the start of his Tuesday announcement.... His calls for action could be an uphill battle for the Legislature, which has given little consideration this session to those and other gun-safety measures already introduced by Democrats. DeWine's Republican predecessor, John Kasich..., also unsuccessfully pushed for a so-called red flag law on restricting firearms for people considered threats." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Sophia Tesfaye of Salon: "The Nebraska Republican Party called for Republican state Sen. John McCollister to register as a Democrat after he wrote that the GOP is 'enabling white supremacy.' Ryan Hamilton, the head of the state Republican Party, called for McCollister to 'tell the truth about his partisan views and re-register as a Democrat' on Monday after he called out the party for being 'complicit' to 'obvious racist and immoral activity inside our party.'... Hamilton's statement came just months after he vowed to crack down on racism in the party after an aide to Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts was caught posting wildly racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic comments on a far-right YouTube page run by a far-right activist labeled a white nationalist. McCollister called out his own party after a shooter who published an anti-immigrant screed on the far-right hate repository 8chan killed 22 people and injured dozens of others at an El Paso Walmart in an attack he said was in response to the 'Hispanic invasion of Texas,' echoing the frequent rhetoric of President Trump and Fox News." ...

... ** Jeff Toobin of the New Yorker: "Though the Supreme Court has been cautious since 2008 in expanding gun rights, there is every likelihood that the new conservative majority will frustrate federal or state legislative efforts to insure gun safety. In other words, even if Congress or states manage to pass laws restricting gun rights -- including limits on assault weapons or even requiring universal background checks -- there is a real possibility that a majority of the Justices will overturn these laws as violations of the Second Amendment.... But even the Court usually bends with public and political opinion over time, and that change may yet happen on guns. The grim lesson of recent weeks is that the need for that transformation has never been greater." See also Patrick's comment in yesterday's thread & Ian Millhiser's post on Bart O'Kavanaugh, also linked a couple of days ago.

Brianna Sacks & others of BuzzFeed News report on El Paso Walmart employee Gilbert Serna who shepherded about 150 people to safe places while the mass murderer was still shooting.

"Ivanka Trump: Let's Focus On the Shootings My Dad Isn't Responsible For." Bess Levin of Vanity Fair: "So on Tuesday..., [Ivanka Trump], attempting to shift the focus from shootings for which her dad can be directly blamed, to ones for which she thinks he bares [sic. "bears"] zero responsibility. 'As we grieve over the evil mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, let us not overlook that Chicago experienced its deadliest weekend of the year,' Trump wrote on Twitter. 'With 7 dead and 52 wounded near a playground in the Windy City- and little national outrage or media coverage- we mustn't become numb to the violence faced by inner city communities every day.'... The first daughter's concern might've seemed at least slightly sincere had she expressed it at any other time than while her father is taking heat for whipping racists into a frenzy and creating an environment in which they believe it's okay to go on killing sprees if their targets are of the nonwhite variety. (Her previous mentions of the Windy City mostly center around promoting spa treatments and cocktails at the Trump Hotel Chicago, plus a photo op with the new mayor.) It would also carry a bit more weight if her father's comments about 'inner city communities' weren't filled with dog whistles, or if he actually had a plan to reduce the number of gun-related deaths in Chicago by restricting access to firearms, which of course he does not. ...

     ... [Oh. Wait:] "... Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago fact-checked Ivanka's tweets ('It wasn't a playground, it was a park. It wasn't seven dead. It wasn't 52 wounded in one incident, which is what this suggests'.)..." Mrs. McC: According to the Chicago Sun-Times, seven people were wounded in the drive-by shooting, not shot dead as Ivanka claims. I suppose Lightfoot & I look silly suggesting any member of the Trump Family Liars get her facts straight before Twitter-whining about something that didn't happen. The violence in Chicago is horrible, and I linked to a news story on the Chicago park shooting this weekend, but it is understandable that mass shootings with multiple fatalities receive more attention than has the Chicago drive-by.

Trump Negotiates Another Great Deal. Surprise! He Lied. You Lose. Ellen Ioanes of Business Insider: "According to Air Force Magazine..., Donald Trump's new Air Force One fleet will cost a total of $5.2 billion, up from the 2016 estimate of $3.2 billion. Two Boeing 747-8s are being converted into VC-25s.... They will serve as the 'flying White House' starting in 2024, although Trump requested that they be ready for use in 2021. Trump had boasted that he struck a deal with Boeing to lower the cost of renovating the jets, which were originally built for a now defunct Russian airline, by $1 billion. Boeing will be paid $3.9 billion to build the jets for the White House. The additional $1.3 billion comes from associated costs, like building hangars for the new jets."

Joshua Goodman & Deb Reichmann of the AP: "The Trump administration froze all Venezuelan government assets in a dramatic escalation of tensions with Nicolás Maduro that places his socialist administration alongside a short list of adversaries from Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Iran that have been targeted by such aggressive U.S. actions. The ban, blocking American companies and individuals from doing business with Maduro's government and its top supporters, took effect immediately Monday and is the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere in more than three decades, following an asset freeze against Gen. Manuel Noriega's government in Panama and a trade embargo on the Sandinista leadership in Nicaragua in the 1980s." (Also linked yesterday.)

Vanessa Grioriadis of New York has a long bio on Ivanka Trump. Some highlights: "In her 20s, she said her favorite book was Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and she had modeled herself on its capitalist heroine, Dagny Taggart.... [T]he No. 1 thing friends from her past say about her: She isn't a 'mean person' or a 'bad person' but is simply afflicted with the same disease of narcissism as her father.... In 2003, when Paris Hilton's sex tape was leaked on the internet, Donald wouldn't stop talking about it, saying, 'Paris is laughing all the way to the bank, she's got the last laugh, she's marvelous.' Ivanka could not believe her father was not only idolizing an airhead heiress caught blowing a guy on a night-vision video but encouraging her to follow Paris's lead.... [According to a friend] 'She really has no idea she's privileged. She genuinely thinks she's earned everything she has. She goes on and on all the time about how hard she works.'" --s (Also linked yesterday.) See commentary in yesterday's thread.

Eric Tucker of the AP: "A veteran FBI agent who wrote derogatory text messages about Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Tuesday charging that the bureau caved to' unrelenting pressure' from the president when it fired him. The suit from Peter Strzok also alleges he was unfairly punished for expressing his political opinions, and that the Justice Department violated his privacy when it shared hundreds of his text messages with reporters."

Fred Imbert & Silvia Amaro of CNBC: "Stocks rebounded on Tuesday from their worst day of the year after China's central bank indicated it plans to keep its currency at a level stronger than some investors had first feared, easing tensions about the nation using the yuan as a weapon in the trade war. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 311.78 points higher at 26,029.52. The S&P 500 rose 1.3% to 2,881.77, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed nearly 1.4% to 7,833.27. Tuesday's gains helped the Dow snap a five-day losing streak, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose for the first time in seven sessions."

E. A. Crunden of ThinkProgress: "A government climate scientist who says the Trump administration buried a groundbreaking report he authored has left the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in protest over the 'political views' top officials allegedly imposed on his work. Politico reported Monday that Lewis Ziska, a plant physiologist who worked at USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for more than 20 years, quit due to an increasingly political atmosphere at the agency.... USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue has similarly dismissed global warming as 'weather patterns.'... Ziska told Politico that the reason the study was buried is down to political ideology and the administration's unwillingness to embrace established climate science." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2020

Michael Brice-Saddler & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "The 44 names Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) tweeted late Monday ... [are] all constituents in his district, and they all donated the maximum amount to President Trump's campaign this year. The congressman and brother of presidential hopeful Julián Castro said the people listed -- including retirees, business owners and other individuals whose names are public record -- were 'fueling a campaign of hate.'... Castro, who also serves as chairman for his brother's presidential campaign, spent much of Tuesday deflecting intense criticism from GOP lawmakers and others. They contended that Castro was 'targeting' the listed donors by tweeting their names to his thousands of followers, a serious accusation in the aftermath of two weekend mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, that left 31 people dead and many more wounded.... In several tweets Tuesday, [Joaquin] Castro said the names he posted were publicly accessible and that his tweet was not a 'call to action.'" A Politico story is here.

Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "Two signs promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory are visible in a video from Donald Trump's presidential campaign, marking the latest link between the president and followers of the fringe movement that the FBI recently described as a potential source of domestic terror. The signs, which were first noticed by Vox reporter Aaron Rupar, appear in a close-up shot in a 'Women for Trump' video posted by Trump's campaign late in July. Around halfway into the video, the first sign appears, with Trump's 'Keep America Great' slogan and a 'Q' taped onto it. Another shows 'Q''s replacing the O's on a 'Women for Trump' sign.... The campaign video will ... be likely interpreted by the Q community as a cryptic acknowledgement by Trump that their beliefs are real." Mrs. McC: Look for KKK hoods in the next round of Trump campaign ads.

Ariane de Vogue of CNN: "... Donald Trump sued California Tuesday challenging a state law that requires candidates for president to disclose income tax returns before they can appear on the state's primary ballot. The federal lawsuit from Trump and his campaign is the latest move by the President to resist efforts to turn over his tax returns.... A second similar lawsuit was also filed Tuesday by Republican voters along with the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of California who argue that this a political maneuver that takes voting rights away from Trump's supporters.... Legal expert Rick Hasen of the University of California, Irvine, said the state law is of 'uncertain constitutionality.'"

Presidential Race or Senate Race or Something. Jeff Zeleny & Alex Rogers of CNN: "John Hickenlooper, who has struggled to break through the crowded Democratic presidential field, spoke to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer late last week about running for the Senate from Colorado, a race he has resisted joining but is keeping an open mind about, a top aide tells CNN. 'He is still in the race for president, but he hasn't closed the door to anything,' said Peter Cunningham, the communications director for the former Colorado governor.... Schumer wants [Hickenlooper] to challenge Sen. Cory Gardner, who is among the potentially vulnerable Republicans in 2020."

Congressional Races 2020

Team Mitch on How to "Get Involved with Republican Politics." Shira Feder of the Daily Beast: "After Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) slammed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for a photo posted on Facebook of a group of young men wearing 'Team Mitch' shirts shown choking and groping a cardboard cutout of the Democratic congresswoman, the Senate majority leader's campaig manager initially responded by saying, in essence, boys will be boys. The campaign ultimately ended up condemning the image as 'demeaning.' In a statement, Kevin Golden said the media is using the image to 'demonize, stereotype, and publicly castigate every young person who dares to get involved with Republican politics,' adding that 'these young men are not campaign staff, they are high schoolers.'" Mrs. McC: So "choking and groping a Congresswoman" = "getting involved with Republican politics." Good to know.

Top GOP Congressman Says Rich Jews Bought Congress. Marcy Oster of the Forward: "A letter sent by National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer to party members identified three 'left-wing radicals' that he says 'bought control of Congress for the Democrats.' They are all Jewish. Emmer represents Minnesota’s Sixth District in the U.S. House. The Minneapolis-based American Jewish World newspaper first saw the letter, which is said appears to have been circulated in March, in July and reported on it Friday. The letter on Emmer's letterhead says 'the news of impactful, real progress on turning our nation around was undercut by biased media and hundreds of millions of dollars of anti-Republican propaganda put out by liberal special interests, funded by deep-pocketed far-left billionaires George Soros, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg. ... These left-wing radicals essentially BOUGHT control of Congress for the Democrats.'... The letter employs the anti-Semitic trope that rich Jews use their money for power and control."

Gubernatorial Race 2020. Thomas Burr of the Salt Lake Tribune: "U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman is returning home to Utah, where he is reportedly weighing another run for governor. Huntsman sent ... Donald Trump a resignation letter Tuesday and plans to move back to the Beehive State in October.... The resignation is effective Oct. 3, Huntsman said."

... Un Magnifique Chateau pour LaPierre. Carol Leonnig & Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post: "Documents indicate that the National Rifle Association planned to purchase a luxury mansion in the Dallas area last year for the use of chief executive Wayne LaPierre, according to two people familiar with the records. The discussions about the roughly $6 million purchase, which was not completed, are now under scrutiny by New York investigators. The transaction was slated to be made through a corporate entity that received a wire of tens of thousands of dollars from the NRA in 2018, according to the people.... The New York attorney general's office is now examining the plan for an NRA-financed mansion as part of its ongoing investigation into the gun lobby's tax-exempt status, in which it has subpoenaed the group's financial records, the people said....

Via Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post.

... "One property that was considered, according to a person familiar with the plans, was a 10,000-square-foot French country estate with lakefront and golf course views. The four-bedroom, nine-bath home in a gated golf course community northwest of Dallas resembles a French chateau, with a stately boxwood-lined drive, a formal courtyard, vaulted ceilings and an antique marble fireplace, according to its online real estate listing." The Week has a story here. ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Meanwhile, some of the dues-paying NRA members who would pay for the mansion probably live in shacks & trailers.

Way Beyond the Beltway

North Korea. Reuters: "North Korea has fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea from South Hwanghae province, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.... The [North Korean] foreign ministry said the [U.S./South Korean] military drills were violations of diplomatic agreements and added that North Korea had remained unchanged in its commitment to resolve the issues through dialogue, but 'will be compelled to seek a new road as we have already indicated,' if South Korea and the United States continue with hostile military moves." --s (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Kim Tong-Hyung of the AP: "North Korea said Wednesday leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire demonstration of newly developed, short-range ballistic missiles intended to send a warning to the United States and South Korea over their joint military exercises."

Poland. Vanessa Gera of the AP: "Claims that Russia orchestrated a political scandal that helped bring Poland's right-wing government to power are getting revisited as the country prepares for another election. Five years ago, unflattering recordings of Polish politicians secretly made at two Warsaw restaurants were leaked to newspapers. The resulting 'Waitergate' scandal helped topple a pro-EU government in 2015. An investigative Polish journalist and a formerly fugitive multimillionaire have recently provided fresh fuel for the idea that Waitergate was a prelude to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Reporter Grzegorz Rzeczkowski argues in a new book that Russian intelligence services bugged the restaurants on behalf of the Kremlin." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Vivian Wang of the New York Times: "The pitched six-week battle for the Democratic nomination for Queens district attorney finally ended on Tuesday, when Tiffany Cabán, whose bid galvanized progressive activists nationwide and exposed deep rifts within the left, conceded to Melinda Katz, the favorite of the state party's establishment. The result was a vindication for the Queens Democratic Party, which was left reeling last year after the defeat of former Representative Joseph Crowley by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez."