The Conversation -- September 22, 2023

** Benjamin Weiser, et al., of the New York Times: "Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has been charged in a sweeping federal corruption indictment, the authorities said on Friday. The three-count indictment, which also charges the senator's wife and three New Jersey businessmen, accuses him of using his official position in a wide range of corrupt schemes at home and abroad. In one, he sought to benefit the government of Egypt, including secretly providing it with sensitive U.S. government information, while in two others, he aimed to influence criminal investigations of two New Jersey businessmen, one of whom was a longtime fund-raiser for Mr. Menendez.... In exchange for all those actions, the indictment said, the senator and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes, including cash, gold bars, payments toward a home mortgage, a luxury vehicle and other valuable things....

"The businessmen named in the indictment, which was unsealed in Manhattan federal court, are Fred Daibes, a prominent New Jersey real estate developer and fund-raiser for Mr. Menendez; Wael Hana, a longtime friend of Ms. Menendez's who founded a halal meat certification business and Jose Uribe, who works in the trucking and insurance business.... The 39-page indictment charges the senator, his wife and the businessmen with conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. It also charges Mr. Menendez and his wife with conspiracy to commit extortion under the color of official right, meaning using his official position to force someone to give them something of value." ~~~

     ~~~ Erica Orden & Matt Friedman of Politico: "During a search of the Menendezes' New Jersey home in June 2022, federal agents probing the alleged scheme found 'over $480,000 in cash -- much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe' along with $70,000 in Nadine Menendez's safe-deposit box, the indictment says.... Menendez has survived two previous federal investigations."

     ~~~ The indictment, via Politico, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Congrats to Bob Menendez for extending & enhancing New Jersey's long tradition of (allegedly!) crooked Democratic pols! And he made it a family affair. Lovely. Which brings us to ~~~

~~~ Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "James E. McGreevey, a former [Democratic] New Jersey governor who resigned two decades ago in scandal..., is making plans to do what he had said he would not: re-enter politics. Over the past several months, Mr. McGreevey has begun cobbling together support for an expected run for mayor of Jersey City, the state's second-largest city, where he has lived for eight years.... He expects to make a final decision before Thanksgiving.... The current mayor, Steven Fulop, who is running for governor, does not intend to run for re-election. But the contest is not until November 2025...."

Thankfully, Clarence Thomas continues to do his bit for (alleged!) GOP corruption: ~~~

     ~~~ Joshua Kaplan, et al., of ProPublica: "On Jan. 25, 2018..., some of the richest people in the country were arriving for the annual winter donor summit of the Koch network, the political organization founded by libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch. A long weekend of strategizing, relaxation in the California sun and high-dollar fundraising lay ahead. Just after 6 p.m., a Gulfstream G200 jet touched down on the tarmac. One of the Koch network's most powerful allies was on board: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.... The justice was brought in to speak, staffers said, in the hopes that such access would encourage donors to continue giving. That puts Thomas in the extraordinary position of having served as a fundraising draw for a network that has brought cases before the Supreme Court, including one of the most closely watched of the upcoming term. Thomas never reported the 2018 flight to Palm Springs on his annual financial disclosure form, an apparent violation of federal law requiring justices to report most gifts....

"Thomas' involvement in the events is part of a yearslong, personal relationship with the Koch brothers that has remained almost entirely out of public view. It developed over years of trips to the Bohemian Grove, a secretive all-men's retreat in Northern California. Thomas has been a regular at the Grove for two decades, where he stayed in a small camp with real estate billionaire Harlan Crow and the Kochs, according to records and people who've spent time with him there.... The dinners' purpose was 'giving donors access and giving them a reason to come or to continue to come in the future,' a former Koch network executive told ProPublica." Thanks to RAS for the link.

Neal Boudette of the New York Times: "The United Automobile Workers union on Friday significantly raised the pressure on General Motors and Stellantis, the parent of Jeep and Ram, by expanding its strike against the companies to include all the spare parts distribution centers of the two companies. Shawn Fain, the union's president, said Friday that workers at 38 distribution centers, which provide parts to dealerships for repairs, at the two companies would walk off the job at noon. He said talks with two companies had not progressed significantly, contrasting them with Ford Motor, which he said had done more to meet the union's demands.... The union said it was not striking more facilities at Ford because of the gains it had achieved in talks with that company, including on cost-of-living adjustments, the right to strike if the company decides to close plants and two years of pay and health care benefits for workers who are laid off indefinitely.... Mr. Fain also invited President Biden to join workers on the picket line."

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Groundhog Day All Over Again. Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Right-wing House Republicans dealt another stunning rebuke to Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday morning, blocking a Pentagon funding bill for the second time this week in a vivid display of G.O.P. disunity on federal spending that threatens to lead to a government shutdown in nine days. Just hours after Mr. McCarthy signaled he had won over some of the holdouts and was ready to move forward, a handful of Republicans broke with their party to oppose the routine measure that would allow the military appropriations bill to come to the House floor for debate, joining with Democrats to defeat it. It was a major black eye for Mr. McCarthy, who has on multiple occasions admonished his members in private for taking the rare step of bringing down such votes, known as rules, proposed by their own party -- a previously unheard-of tactic.... 'This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down,' Mr. McCarthy said on Thursday." The NBC News report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yo, Kevin, "burning the whole place down" has been a GOP tactic at least since the Gingrich era, and you've lit a few matches yourself. So don't act all shocked when the mob nails you to the stake. ~~~

     ~~~ House Nihilists Take a Long Weekend. Here's an update to the NYT story: "By Thursday afternoon, lawmakers were flying home for the weekend, scrapping plans to stay in session to pass spending legislation after a week in which they were unable to make any progress toward resolving their impasse." ~~~

     ~~~ The NBC News story linked above, by Scott Wong & others:, "'We are very dysfunctional right now,' Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said, adding that the failure proves that GOP leaders 'obviously can't count' votes, unlike Democrats.... 'Speaker Pelosi, love her or hate her, she put something out there and they'd rally around it.'... Moderate Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who faces a tough re-election bid next year, has described the GOP dysfunction as a 'clown show' and warned that pragmatists would work with Democrats to keep the government funded. 'For my colleagues, they have to come to a realization: If they are unable or unwilling to govern, others will. And in a divided government where you have Democrats controlling the Senate, a Democrat controlling the White House, there needs to be a realization that you're not going to get everything you want,' he said. 'And just throwing a temper tantrum and stomping your feet, frankly not only is it wrong -- it's pathetic,' he added." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In fairness to House Republicans, they need to go home to boast to constituents that they're showing their unwavering support for the Great Pretender. Reuters: "... Donald Trump has urged fellow Republicans in Congress to shut down the government to thwart the federal prosecutions against him, although any funding lapse was unlikely to stop the cases from being pursued.... 'Republicans in Congress can and must defund all aspects of Crooked Joe Biden's weaponized Government,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social media site late on Wednesday, calling it 'the last chance to defund these political prosecutions against me and other Patriots.' The U.S. Justice Department has previously said activities funded by 'permanent indefinite appropriations" would continue during any funding lapse." ~~~

     ~~~ MEANWHILE, a Tweet of His Own. Ed Mazza of the Huffington Post: "President Joe Biden ... fired off a tweet reminding lawmakers that the last shutdown led to some 800,000 government workers ― more than a third of the federal workforce ― being furloughed without pay. 'But enjoy your weekend,' he added sarcastically[.]... The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019 cost the economy about $3 billion, according to Reuters." MB: The 2018-2019 shutdown was a wholly owned-and-operated GOP production: Donald Trump was president*, and Republicans controlled (well, maybe "controlled" isn't the best word here) both the Senate and House. ~~~

     ~~~ Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "White House officials have begun preparing for a government shutdown that they are confident the public will blame on the GOP.... With less than two weeks until federal funding lapses, Biden aides are in communication with congressional leaders in the House and Senate about the best path forward to extend the Sept. 30 deadline. But congressional aides and experts on both sides of the aisle say a shutdown is likely to redound to the White House's political benefit, particularly as the GOP House is consumed in a fierce internal battle. The result is that while Biden aides do not want the government to close down, the White House isn't working as urgently to avert one as it did earlier this year to head off a breach of the U.S. debt ceiling." ~~~

     ~~~ AND. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "... Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday set up a path for the Senate to move first on a bill to fund the government beyond Sept. 30. Schumer filed cloture on a motion to proceed to H.R. 3935, the House-passed bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which could serve as a legislative vehicle to pass a continuing resolution to fund government through the Senate.... Traditionally, the House moves first on spending and revenue bills but senators feel they must make the first move to keep the government funded because Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has not been able to round up 218 Republican votes in the House to move a stopgap funding measure.... The Senate will hold a pro-forma session Friday and not reconvene until 3 pm on Tuesday in observance of Yom Kippur, which ends at sundown Monday."

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly confirmed Gen. Randy George of the Army and Gen. Eric Smith of the Marines as the chiefs of staff of their respective services, circumventing a single senator's blockade against senior military promotions but leaving hundreds more still in limbo. The action followed the confirmation on Wednesday night of Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The three moved forward after Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, steered around a longstanding roadblock by Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, who has halted military promotions in protest of a Pentagon policy on abortion access. But Mr. Tuberville made it clear that he had no intention of lifting his blockade.... The Alabama senator said the only way to get around his obstruction would be for Mr. Schumer to continue to consider the promotions one by one, a time-consuming process that Democrats and many Republicans agree is untenable." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: While Sen. Potato Head deserves all the criticism he is receivng and then some, the stupid part nobody mentions is retaining a Senate rule that allows a single senator to impose a sweeping hold on routine Senate actions like wholesale approval of noncontroversial military promotions by voice vote. While changing standing rules normally takes a 2/3rds vote, a single senator can invoke the "nuclear option," which -- if supported by a simple majority -- overrides the standing ruling. In view of Tuberville's six-month-old hold on all military officers' promotions & nominations, I can't understand why Senate Democrats won't go that route. Unless Manchin. ~~~

~~~ Speaking of Manchin, he's addressing serious Senate matters: ~~~

     ~~~ Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is circulating a proposal to reestablish the Senate's dress code, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) loosened over the weekend to allow senators to wear whatever they want on the Senate floor, according to senators familiar with the proposal.... Schumer's decision appeared aimed at catering to first-term Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), whose hoodie was a signature look on the campaign trail in 2022 and who wore a dark short-sleeved collared shirt and dark shorts to work Thursday. But the decision to loosen the dress code is getting bipartisan pushback, including from Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), who says the Senate should have standards." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Personally, I think Fetterman looks ridiculous wearing shorts & a hoodie on the Senate floor. But I also think that senators are supposed to be smart enough to know how to dress appropriately without being required to conform to a dress code. Those who aren't, like Fetterman & Krysten Sinema, may or may not pay a price at the ballot box for sloppy or outlandish attire. Besides, there may be times a dress code is itself ridiculous; for instance, should a senator have to wear a necktie when appearing for a 2:00 am vote? I don't think so.

In His Unrelenting Search for Impeachable Offenses, Comer Uncovers Evidence That Some Women Find Joe Biden Sexy. Heidi Przybyla of Politico: :House Oversight Chair James Comer, who is investigating President Joe Biden for what Republicans call potentially impeachable offenses, was given unrestricted access Thursday to a batch of his emails from his time as vice president, according to two sources familiar with them. Comer has made gaining access to redacted portions of Biden&'s emails a major target as he tries to build a case that the former vice president sought to dictate U.S. policy on Ukraine to benefit the business interests of his son, Hunter. But the new emails do not provide any evidence that Joe Biden personally benefited from his son's business dealings.... They include schedules with ordinary family get-togethers.... And then there are the private musings of multiple Georgian [the country, not the U.S. state] women saying they found Joe Biden 'sexy' during a 2009 trip that also included a stop in Ukraine."

Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: "A Biden administration rule that allows employee retirement plans to consider environmental, social and governance issues in investment decisions survived a legal challenge by 26 states on Thursday. Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, said in a 14-page opinion that he would not block the rule, part of the so-called E.S.G. investment trend that places emphasis on companies' records on labor issues, social justice and environmental factors." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is kind of amazing inasmuch as the states clearly chose Kacsmaryk's lonely Amarillo court because the Trump appointee has been a reliable rubber stamp for far-out right-wing causes.

Luke Barr & Jack Date of ABC News: "The Justice Department has arrested and charged an IT contractor with two counts of espionage for allegedly taking secret and top-secret information from the State Department and sending it to a foreign country. Abraham Teklu Lemma, a foreign national with U.S. citizenship, was working as an evening help desk technician assigned to the Bureau of Intelligence and Research with the U.S. Department of State when he is alleged to have copied large amounts of classified information, including documents, photographs, notes, maps and satellite imagery, and transmitted it to a foreign country using an encrypted messaging application.... The Justice Department alleges Lemma was paid over $100,000 in exchange for the information.... In addition to his work at the State Department, he is currently employed during the day as a contract management analyst at the Justice Department, according to court records." ~~~

     ~~~ Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "The New York Times revealed this month that [Lemma] had been arrested in August and charged with spying for Ethiopia, a country that is a significant recipient of aid from the United States, but little else was known. While the complaint does not disclose what country Mr. Lemma was working for, U.S. officials identified it as Ethiopia and described the suspected spying as narrow in focus." Lemma is of Ethiopian descent.

Marie: If you have a subscription to the Atlantic, editor Jeffrey Goldberg has written an article on outgoing Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, which details how Milley dealt with irrational President* Donald Trump. The Atlantic article is here. Tatyana Tandanpolie of Salon summarizes a couple of the highlights of Goldberg's report. Another reminder that when Trump calls special counsel Jack Smith "deranged," Trump is projecting; that is, talking about himself.

Marie: For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name Jude Wanniski -- as I was -- I commend to you an illuminating article by Thom Hartmann, which RAS linked in yesterday's Comments. Wanniski, according to Hartmann, "literally transformed American politics with a plan that the American mainstream media, astonishingly, continues to ignore.... Wanniski's 'Two Santas' strategy dictates, when Republicans control the White House they must spend money like a drunken Santa and cut taxes on the rich, all to intentionally run up the US debt as far and as fast as possible. They started this during the Reagan presidency and tripled down on it during the presidencies of Bush and Trump with massive tax cuts for billionaires and increases in spending across-the-board.... Then ... when a Democrat is in the White House, Republicans must scream about the national debt as loudly and frantically as possible, freaking out about how 'our children will have to pay for it!' and 'you must cut spending to solve the crisis!' The 'debt crisis,' that is, that they themselves created with their massive tax cuts and wild spending." ~~~

~~~ Presidential Race 2024. Here, BTW, is Nikki Haley, criticizing her old pal Trump for "spending a lot of money" and predicting "we're all paying for it." Funny she doesn't mention the massive Trump tax cut for the rich. You can bet that, should she become president*, Haley would be advocating for reducing taxes on the rich & spending on GOP pet projects. Because that's the job of a Republican president*.

Joel Cappelletti & Michelle Price of the AP: "When ... Donald Trump visits Detroit next week, he'll be looking to blunt criticisms from a United Auto Workers union leadership that has said a second term for him would be a 'disaster' for workers. Trump will bypass the second Republican presidential debate on Sept. 27 to instead visit striking autoworkers in Michigan, where he has looked to position himself as an ally of blue-collar workers by promising to raise wages and protect jobs if elected to a second term.... A Trump campaign radio ad released Tuesday in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, praised auto workers and said the former president has 'always had their back.'... But ... Union leaders have said his first term was far from worker-friendly, citing unfavorable rulings from the nation's top labor board and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as unfulfilled promises of automotive jobs. While the United Auto Workers union has withheld an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race, its leadership has repeatedly rebuffed Trump." ~~~

     ~~~ Olivia Olander, et al., of Politico report on Trump's anti-labor policies and his false boasts about supporting labor when his slapdash efforts to preserve or create jobs failed.

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Another Dr. Frankenstein Horrified by His Own Monster. Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "It's nice to know that Fox News, which has so deranged America while making Rupert Murdoch ungodly sums of money, has in the end made Murdoch miserable, at least if the journalist Michael Wolff is to be believed. But the consolation is a small one. Murdoch's unhappiness and befuddlement is the throughline of Wolff's amusingly vicious and very well-timed book, 'The Fall: The End of Fox News,' which is to hit shelves next week, days after Murdoch, 92, announced his retirement from the Fox Corporation and News Corporation boards. Wolff paints Fox's owner as embarrassed by the channel's vulgarity and horrified by its ultimate political creation, Donald Trump.... Few people bear more responsibility for Trump than Murdoch.... The electorate that Fox helped shape, and the politicians it indulges, have made this country ungovernable. An unbound Trump may well become president again, bringing liberal democracy in America to a grotesque end." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yes, isn't it gut-wrenching when a billionaire has a sad when he doesn't get his way?

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New York. Hurubie Meko of the New York Times: "Days after a 1-year-old died and three children exposed to drugs at a Bronx day care site were hospitalized, investigators uncovered a trap door under a play area that was concealing fentanyl, other narcotics and drug paraphernalia. The police had already discovered a kilogram of fentanyl near nap mats at Divino Niño on Morris Avenue, but the new search was triggered by a tip that more drugs had been hidden, Lieutenant John Russo said on Thursday. A neighbor had said last week that the owners of the facility had spent months sprucing it up -- including laying down new floors. On Saturday, the day care program's operator, Grei Mendez, and a tenant, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, who lived in the apartment, were both arrested and charged with murder in the death of the toddler, Nicholas Feliz Dominici, as well as criminal possession of drugs and other related charges. In addition to the kilogram, the police had already recovered two so-called kilo presses used by drug dealers to package large quantities of drugs."

South Carolina. Ben Brasch of the Washington Post: "Alex Murdaugh pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to financial crimes that factored heavily in the trial earlier this year that led to his conviction on charges of murdering his wife and son. This is the first time Murdaugh has admitted legal guilt in a web of lies and violence that rocked the South Carolina Lowcountry and drew national attention. Murdaugh pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including money laundering and bank fraud, according to court documents. The former lawyer stole money from clients, including teenagers and a quadriplegic man, to fund the family's extravagant lifestyle and his addiction to opioid pills that forced him into a rehabilitative-care facility three times before the June 2021 slayings. Prosecutors argued that Murdaugh killed his wife and son to shift the focus away from himself and prevent his financial crimes from being uncovered. In all, Murdaugh is accused of swindling nearly $9 million."

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Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefings of developments in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Canada in a surprise visit after his trip to the United States, according to the office of Canadia Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Zelensky had just wrapped up a whirlwind day in Washington, where he visited the White House, the Pentagon and talked to congressional leaders, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), whose party includes lawmakers skeptical about sending additional aid to Kyiv. In a nightly address made to the Ukrainian people summarizing the day's events, Zelensky expressed thanks to President Biden for approving the latest tranche of U.S. military aid. 'Thank you, Mr. President Biden!' he said. The Ukrainian leader also thanked 'Congress -- both parties, both houses,' before saying that he had 'very frank, detailed conversations' with U.S. lawmakers.... Zelensky will spend Friday in Canada, Trudeau's office said. 'While in Ottawa, President [Zelensky] will deliver an address to Parliament,' it said. Trudeau and Zelensky 'will then travel to Toronto, where they will meet with Canadian business leaders to strengthen private sector investment in Ukraine';s future.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's main story, by Tyler Pager & others, on President Zelensky's visit to Washington, is here.

The Conversation -- September 21, 2023

Groundhog Day All Over Again. Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Right-wing House Republicans dealt another stunning rebuke to Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday morning, blocking a Pentagon funding bill for the second time this week in a vivid display of G.O.P. disunity on federal spending that threatens to lead to a government shutdown in nine days. Just hours after Mr. McCarthy signaled he had won over some of the holdouts and was ready to move forward, a handful of Republicans broke with their party to oppose the routine measure that would allow the military appropriations bill to come to the House floor for debate, joining with Democrats to defeat it. It was a major black eye for Mr. McCarthy, who has on multiple occasions admonished his members in private for taking the rare step of bringing down such votes, known as rules, proposed by their own party -- a previously unheard-of tactic.... 'This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down,' Mr. McCarthy said on Thursday." The NBC News report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yo, Kevin,"burning the whole place down" has been a GOP tactic at least since the Gingrich era, and you've lit a few matches yourself. So don't act all shocked when the mob nails you to the stake.

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The New York Times is including President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Capitol Hill and the White House in its regular daily Ukraine liveblog.

Succession. Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times: "Rupert Murdoch is retiring from the Fox and News Corporation boards, the company announced Thursday morning, making his son Lachlan the sole executive in charge of the global media empire he built from a small local newspaper concern in Australia starting 70 years ago. The elder Mr. Murdoch will become chairman emeritus of the two companies, the company said in a release. Mr. Murdoch, 92, had shown no intention to step down or even slow down -- even after he named Lachlan as the heir to his business empire in 2019, when he sold his vast entertainment holdings to the Walt Disney Company.Even now, in his emeritus status, he will continue to offer counsel, Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement." Here's the AP story.

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Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The Biden administration said late Wednesday that it would allow hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already in the United States to live and work legally in the country for 18 months. The decision followed intense advocacy by top New York Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and party leaders in Congress. It will affect about 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country before July 31, temporarily protecting them from removal and waiving a monthslong waiting period for them to seek employment authorization. In an unusual break with a president of their party, the New York Democrats had argued that the city's social safety net would tear under the weight of more than 110,000 recently arrived migrants unless they were allowed to work and support themselves more quickly. Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, said that he made the decision because conditions in Venezuela 'prevent their safe return' but stressed that immigrants who had entered the country since August were not protected and would be 'removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to stay.'" Politico's story is here.

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "Attorney General Merrick B. Garland offered a fiery defense of the Justice Department's investigation of Hunter Biden on Wednesday, telling a House committee he was 'not Congress's prosecutor' -- and would not reveal details of the inquiry no matter how much pressure lawmakers applied. During a grueling hearing before the House Judiciary Committee that foreshadowed a bruising impeachment fight ahead, Mr. Garland repeatedly refused to answer questions about internal deliberations or offer explanations for decision-making in the investigation, or the two federal indictments of ... Donald J. Trump.... Many of the claims and insinuations [Republicans] leveled against Mr. Garland -- that he is part of a coordinated Democratic effort to shield the Bidens and persecute Mr. Trump -- were not supported by fact. And much of the specific evidence presented, particularly the testimony of an investigator who questioned key decisions in the Hunter Biden investigation, was given without context or acknowledgment of contradictory information.... Countering their claims, [Mr. Garland] denounced escalating threats Trump supporters have directed against prosecutors, including the special counsel Jack Smith, and F.B.I. agents, prompting significant increases in security." ~~~

     ~~~ Farnoush Amiri & Lindsay Whitehurst of the AP: "House Republicans clashed with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday, accusing him and the Justice Department of the 'weaponization' of the department's work in favor of President Joe Biden's son Hunter.... Republicans on the committee -- led by chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio -- set the tone with accusations that the Justice Department is favoring the Biden family while targeting his likely 2024 opponent, [Donald] Trump.... Questioning in the Republicans' arsenal focused on allegations that the Justice Department interfered in the yearslong case into Hunter Biden and that the prosecutor in charge of that case [-- whom Trump appointed --] did not have the full authority he needed to bring necessary charges." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I listened to about a half-hour of the hearing until I couldn't stand it anymore. Jordan, as usual, was outrageous in his disrespect for Garland and his refusal to let Garland answer the "questions" (okay, accusations) he raised.

Today, in a hearing with the Attorney General of the United States, Jim Jordan boldly, and perhaps proudly, demonstrated just how astonishingly stupid he thinks Republican voters are. -- Lawrence O'Donnell, Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Eric Swawell (D-Calif.) strikes back at Jordan and "the law firm of Insurrection, LLP":

Carl Hulse & Annie Karni of the New York Times: "House Republicans inched closer on Wednesday to overcoming deep internal divisions and reaching an agreement that would allow them to advance stalled spending legislation, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy bowed to the demands of far-right lawmakers for steep spending cuts that stood little chance of surviving in the Senate. The emerging deal was unlikely to bring Congress closer to averting a shutdown in 10 days, and it remained unclear whether Republicans could even reach agreement among themselves on a purely symbolic measure that underscored Mr. McCarthy's precarious hold on his job." MB: IOW, McCarthy may or may not have the votes to pass pass spending bills that have no chance of passing the Senate. Congrats, My Kev. You're a real leader.

Sarah Ferris, et al., of Politico: "The long-shot idea that Democrats could bail out the beleaguered Speaker Kevin McCarthy is suddenly getting real. Small groups of centrist Democrats are holding secret talks with several of McCarthy's close GOP allies about a last-ditch deal to fund the government, according to more than a half-dozen people familiar with the discussions." MB: Is something really secret if it's published in Politico?

"The Tyranny of the Small Minority." Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "... the increasing accumulation of power by a small band of Republicans has left the House almost completely dysfunctional.... With a very narrow Republican majority, rules and tradition have been so contorted that as few as five members -- out of 435 districts -- are controlling the chamber and dictating outcomes.... In addition to threatening to block rule votes to sabotage legislation deemed insufficiently conservative, these few hard-right Republicans are also issuing threats to use even more obscure procedural motions to toss [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy out of his job. The most rational option for the speaker would normally be to negotiate with Democrats.... But McCarthy has badly damaged his ties to Democrats by, first, reneging on the debt-and-budget deal he cut with President Biden in May in an attempt to appease his hard-line faction.... Then, last week, McCarthy declared an impeachment inquiry centered on the business dealings of Biden's son, Hunter, though lawmakers have yet to produce direct evidence linking the president to those activities.... Democrats dealt with their own ideological flank in the last four years of the tenure of Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (Calif.) as speaker, but they never lost a procedural rule vote and she never faced a call to get expelled from her post. 'Because we didn't have any nihilists,' Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), who served as Pelosi's deputy for 20 years, said Wednesday."

Karoun Demirjian & Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "The Senate confirmed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. of the Air Force on Wednesday as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, circumventing Senator Tommy Tuberville's blockade of Pentagon promotions. The vote was 83 to 11, and was expected to be followed by confirmations of the Marine Corps and Army chiefs, which also have been held up for months by Mr. Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, over the Defense Department's abortion-access policies. General Brown is set to succeed Army Gen. Mark A. Milley when he steps down as Joint Chiefs chairman at the end of the month." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.)

Dareh Gregorian & Frank Thorp of NBC News: "Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., on Wednesday offered to 'save democracy by wearing a suit on the Senate floor next week' if House Republicans 'stop trying to shut our government down.' Fetterman issued the statement poking at congressional Republicans -- or as he put it, 'those jagoffs in the House' -- as he was presiding over the Senate in shorts, a short-sleeve button-down shirt, and no tie. His relaxed attire while presiding comes just days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., quietly changed the Senate's informal dress code to allow lawmakers to casual attire on the floor.... The loosened dress code has been ridiculed by Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who joked that she planned to wear a bikini instead." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, a decision that gives policymakers more time to assess whether they have raised interest rates enough over the past 18 months to fully wrestle inflation under control. But policymakers also released a fresh set of economic projections suggesting that they still expect to make another rate increase before the end of 2023 -- and that borrowing costs are likely to remain higher than officials had previously expected in 2024. In all, the Fed's decision and its outlook suggested that a resilient economy is keeping central bankers both optimistic about growth and firmly in inflation-fighting mode." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump is concerned enough by the criminal charges against him that he's been obsessively asking his lawyers and confidants about what jail would be like for him. The former president has one question in particular -- would authorities make him wear 'one of those jumpsuits' -- that he's been consumed with in recent months, sources close to Trump told Rolling Stone.... 'Would he be sent to a "club fed" style prison -- a place that's relatively comfortable, as far these things go -- or a "bad" prison?' the sources told Rolling Stone. 'Would he serve out a sentence in a plush home confinement? Would government officials try to strip him of his lifetime Secret Service protections? What would they make him wear, if his enemies actually did ever get him in a cell[?]'... 'What would happen -- including in the Fulton County, Georgia criminal case against him and various co-defendants -- if he were convicted and sentenced, but also re-elected?' the sources added." ~~~

~~~ One of the best YouTube parody songs ever:

Amy Gardner & Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for three [Georgia] electors who were charged in a sweeping indictment along with [Donald] Trump and 15 others made their first appearance in court Wednesday with ... [this] argument: that the electors were acting as federal officers, empowered by the U.S. Constitution and federal law -- and therefore immune from state-level prosecution. At the very least, the lawyers argued, the three are entitled to prosecution in federal, not state, court.... A key element of their defense Wednesday was that federal law -- as well as the Constitution -- expressly allows states to send more than one slate of electors in the event of a contested election. When they convened, voted and signed electoral certificates that were then sent to Washington, they were acting within the law to preserve Trump's legal remedies while a lawsuit contesting the Georgia election made its way through court, their lawyers said." An NBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Zachary Cohen of CNN: "Pro-Donald Trump lawyer Lin Wood is a 'witness for the state' in the Georgia election subversion case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis revealed Wednesday. The reference to Wood was buried in a new court filing by the DA's office that raised potential conflicts of interest for six defense attorneys because they previously represented witnesses or other defendants in related proceedings. Wood was previously subpoenaed by prosecutors in the Georgia probe but his status as a witness for the state was not previously known." (Also linked yesterday.)

Eewww! Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump aide turned crucial January 6 witness, says in a new book she was groped by Rudy Giuliani, who was 'like a wolf closing in on its prey', on the day of the attack on the Capitol. Describing meeting with Giuliani backstage at Donald Trump's speech near the White House before his supporters marched on Congress in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, Hutchinson says the former New York mayor turned Trump lawyer put his hand 'under my blazer, then my skirt'." (Also linked yesterday.)

Alan Feuer & Zach Montague of the New York Times: "Ray Epps, the Trump supporter who was swept up in one of the most persistent right-wing conspiracy theories connected to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a single misdemeanor charge for his role in the attack on the Capitol. The 20-minute plea hearing, conducted by video in Federal District Court in Washington, came one day after the Justice Department charged Mr. Epps with disrupting the orderly conduct of government business by entering a restricted area on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6.... Mr. ...Epps, who voted twice for Donald J. Trump, became the unlikely focus of a conspiracy theory promoted on Fox News and by right-wing commentators. It held that he had been a covert government asset who helped instigate the riot as a way of discrediting Trump supporters."

She Couldn't Stomach Bill Barr. Susan Haigh & Eric Tucker of the AP: "A former federal prosecutor who helped investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe said Wednesday she left the team because of concerns with then-Attorney General William Barr's public comments about the case and because she strongly disagreed with a draft of an interim report he considered releasing before the election. 'I simply couldn't be part of it. So I resigned,' Nora Dannehy told Connecticut state legislators during her confirmation hearing as a nominee to the state Supreme Court. It marked the first time Dannehy has spoken publicly about her sudden resignation from the probe overseen by former special counsel John Durham.... [Donald] Trump expected the investigation to expose what he and his supporters alleged was a 'deep state' conspiracy to undermine his campaign, but the slow pace of the probe -- and the lack of blockbuster findings -- contributed to a deep wedge between the president and Barr by the time the attorney general resigned in December 2020. The investigation concluded last May with underwhelming results...."

Elections 2024. A Blue Wave? Nathaniel Rakish of 538: "Democrats just scored a big win in an election on Tuesday: Democrat Hal Rafter defeated Republican James Guzofski 56 percent to 44 percent in a special election to fill a Republican-held seat in the New Hampshire state House.... It's also the latest example of Democrats outperforming in a special election, a trend that could be a harbinger of a very good year for Democrats in 2024.... Democrats have been posting special-election overperformances of that magnitude all year long, in all kinds of districts. And on average, they have won by margins 11 points higher than the weighted relative partisanship of their districts."

** Fenit Nirappil of the Washington Post: "Just as a summer covid wave shows signs of receding, the Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is reviving a program to mail free rapid coronavirus tests to Americans. Starting Sept. 25, people can request four free tests per household through covidtests.gov. Officials say the tests are able to detect the latest variants and are intended to be used through the end of the year. The return of the free testing program comes after Americans navigated the latest uptick in covid cases with free testing no longer widely available. The largest insurance companies stopped reimbursing the costs of retail at-home testing once the requirement to do so ended with the public health emergency in May. The Biden administration stopped mailing free tests in June." Access to this article is free to nonsubscribers.

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Marie: Everyone who has passed through childhood knows that a childish interest in genitalia is as normal as breathing. But the children of Texas -- almost all of whom no doubt have shared that interest -- are not to be schooled about it, lest, I suppose, any shame they may have attached to their curiosity be retained. ~~~

     ~~~ Texas. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "A Texas teacher has been fired after a middle school class was assigned to read a graphic novel adaptation of 'The Diary of Anne Frank' that officials say had not been approved by the school district. The Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District announced that a teacher had assigned an eighth-grade class to read a passage from 'Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation,' which includes passages Frank wrote about female and male genitalia, and a possible attraction to women. The unabridged version of Frank's diary has been removed from schools in Texas and Florida this year after complaints from parents over the book's sexual content." The Guardian's story is here.

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Ukraine, et al. Zelensky Proposes Putting Some Teeth in the U.N. Richard Pérez-Peña, et al., of the New York Times: "President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, denouncing Russia's 'unprovoked aggression,' told the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday that if it did not break the grip of Russian veto power, it would be powerless to resolve conflicts around the world, adding his voice to the rising calls to overhaul how the body works. 'Ukrainian soldiers are doing with their blood what the U.N. Security Council should do by its voting,' Mr. Zelensky said on Wednesday, arguing that 'veto power in the hands of the aggressor is what has pushed the U.N. into deadlock.'... Mr. Zelensky advocated changing U.N. rules to allow the General Assembly, which is made up of all member countries, to override a Security Council veto by a two-thirds vote. But that change would, itself, be subject to a veto, making it a nonstarter for the foreseeable future.... Many other countries have raised the issue of recasting the Security Council this week, calling for broader and more equitable representation for them, and at least limitations on veto power, if not its abolition.... Mr. Zelensky argued that the United Nations was wrong to allow the privileges of the Soviet Union, after it collapsed, to be inherited in the 1990s by Russia, 'which, for some reason, is still here among the permanent members of the Security Council.'" MB: Sounds reasonable to me.

News Lede

CNN: "A manhunt is underway for a suspect in a 2021 killing who was accidentally released from a detention center in Indianapolis last week, a sheriff's office said Tuesday, asking for the public's help finding him. Kevin Mason, 28, was 'mistakenly released' from an adult detention center in Marion County on September 13, two days after his arrest, 'due to a faulty records review' by staff, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.... Mason was arrested in Indiana on September 11, having been sought on three Minnesota warrants, including one asking he be held on suspicion of murder in connection with a 2021 shooting in Minneapolis, the sheriff's office said.... Two inmate records clerks involved in Martin's release have been fired, and an internal investigation is being conducted.... The sheriff's office waited six days to alert the public of Mason's accidental release because it wanted to maintain a 'tactical advantage,' [James] Martin [of the sheriff's office] told reporters." Emphasis added.

The Conversation -- September 20, 2023

Farnoush Amiri & Lindsay Whitehurst of the AP: "House Republicans clashed with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday, accusing him and the Justice Department of the 'weaponization' of the department's work in favor of President Joe Biden's son Hunter.... Republicans on the committee -- led by chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio -- set the tone with accusations that the Justice Department is favoring the Biden family while targeting his likely 2024 opponent, [Donald] Trump.... Questioning in the Republicans' arsenal focused on allegations that the Justice Department interfered in the yearslong case into Hunter Biden and that the prosecutor in charge of that case [-- whom Trump appointed --] did not have the full authority he needed to bring necessary charges." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I listened to about a half-hour of the hearing until I couldn't stand it anymore. Jordan, as usual, was outrageous in his disrespect for Garland and his refusal to let Garland answer the "questions" (okay, accusations) he raised.

Karoun Demirjian & Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "The Senate was expected on Wednesday to confirm three generals to serve on the president's top military advisory council, steering around a monthslong blockade of military promotions by Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, who has held up hundreds of nominees in protest of a Pentagon abortion access policy. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, moved on Wednesday to force votes on confirming Gen. Eric Smith of the Marine Corps and Gen. Randy George of the Army as the chiefs of staff for their respective services, and Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. of the Air Force as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the move left hundreds more military promotions in limbo, still stymied by Mr. Tuberville's objections. Mr. Schumer had been reluctant to force votes on individual nominees for fear of being seen as capitulating to Mr. Tuberville."

Dareh Gregorian & Frank Thorp of NBC News: "Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., on Wednesday offered to 'save democracy by wearing a suit on the Senate floor next week' if House Republicans 'stop trying to shut our government down.' Fetterman issued the statement poking at congressional Republicans -- or as he put it, 'those jagoffs in the House' -- as he was presiding over the Senate in shorts, a short-sleeve button-down shirt, and no tie. His relaxed attire while presiding comes just days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., quietly changed the Senate's informal dress code to allow lawmakers to casual attire on the floor.... The loosened dress code has been ridiculed by Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who joked that she planned to wear a bikini instead."

Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, a decision that gives policymakers more time to assess whether they have raised interest rates enough over the past 18 months to fully wrestle inflation under control. But policymakers also released a fresh set of economic projections suggesting that they still expect to make another rate increase before the end of 2023 -- and that borrowing costs are likely to remain higher than officials had previously expected in 2024. In all, the Fed's decision and its outlook suggested that a resilient economy is keeping central bankers both optimistic about growth and firmly in inflation-fighting mode." The AP's report is here.

Amy Gardner & Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for three [Georgia] electors who were charged in a sweeping indictment along with [Donald] Trump and 15 others made their first appearance in court Wednesday with ... [this] argument: that the electors were acting as federal officers, empowered by the U.S. Constitution and federal law -- and therefore immune from state-level prosecution. At the very least, the lawyers argued, the three are entitled to prosecution in federal, not state, court.... A key element of their defense Wednesday was that federal law -- as well as the Constitution -- expressly allows states to send more than one slate of electors in the event of a contested election. When they convened, voted and signed electoral certificates that were then sent to Washington, they were acting within the law to preserve Trump's legal remedies while a lawsuit contesting the Georgia election made its way through court, their lawyers said." An NBC News story is here.

Zachary Cohen of CNN: "Pro-Donald Trump lawyer Lin Wood is a 'witness for the state' in the Georgia election subversion case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis revealed Wednesday. The reference to Wood was buried in a new court filing by the DA's office that raised potential conflicts of interest for six defense attorneys because they previously represented witnesses or other defendants in related proceedings. Wood was previously subpoenaed by prosecutors in the Georgia probe but his status as a witness for the state was not previously known."

Eewww! Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump aide turned crucial January 6 witness, says in a new book she was groped by Rudy Giuliani, who was 'like a wolf closing in on its prey', on the day of the attack on the Capitol. Describing meeting with Giuliani backstage at Donald Trump's speech near the White House before his supporters marched on Congress in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, Hutchinson says the former New York mayor turned Trump lawyer put his hand 'under my blazer, then my skirt'."

Akhilleus is right: This is a super translation, and I'm sure the subtitles are 100% accurate:

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Tyler Pager, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden outlined his vision for tackling global challenges in his annual address to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, seeking to use the marquee speech to bolster cooperation from allies and partners amid signs of shifts and strains in the world's alliances. 'The United States seeks a more secure, more prosperous, more equitable world for all people because we know our future is bound to yours,' Biden said. 'And no nation can meet the challenges of today alone.'... Biden tried to catalyze world opinion behind continuing to supply Ukraine with arms and other aid. 'If we abandon the core principles of the [U.N. Charter] to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected?' he said. 'If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? I'd respectfully suggest the answer is no. We must stand up to this naked aggression today and deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow.'... Beyond Ukraine, Biden focused on a wide range of global development issues, such as climate change and infrastructure, that are particularly important to less-wealthy nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, regions that are often referred to as the Global South." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

For decades, it would have been unthinkable for an American president to stand in Hanoi alongside a Vietnamese leader and announce a mutual commitment to the highest level of countries partnership. But it's a powerful reminder that our history need not dictate our future. -- President Joe Biden, speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 19

     ~~~ A transcript of the President's speech, as delivered, is here (via the White House). Lawrence O'Donnell cited the section on Vietnam -- which begins the remarks -- as a sign we should not give up hope.

~~~ Richard Pérez-Peña, et al., of the New York Times: "The entire world has a vested interest in helping defeat the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine told the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, casting his appeal for more allies and aid as a matter of security -- even survival -- for many other nations. Delivering one of the most anticipated speeches of the annual gathering of world leaders, Mr. Zelensky painted Russia as a habitual aggressor, citing Moscow's military interventions in Moldova, Georgia and Syria, its increased control over Belarus and its threats against the Baltic States. 'The goal of the present war against Ukraine is to turn our land, our people, our lives, our resources, into a weapon against you, against the international rules-based order,' he said." ~~~

     ~~~ Wolf Blitzer of CNN interviewed President Zelensky yesterday. This was my favorite part: ~~~

Blitzer: ... former President Trump ... [said] -- if he were elected president again -- he would get you and Putin together and make what he called a fair deal. He said something could have been negotiated with Crimea and other parts of the country. What's your reaction....?

Zelensky: ... If he's got some smart ideas, he could share it with us, of course.... He can publicly share his idea now. Not waste time. Not to lose people.... Otherwise, he is not, I mean, presenting a global idea of peace. So the idea is how to take the part of our territory and to give Putin? That is not the peace formula.

Blitzer: So you're not ready to negotiate a territorial compromise with Putin?

Zelensky: We're not ready. But the question is to Trump..., what [is the] United States really ready to give to Putin from your territories?

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: "Attorney General Merrick B. Garland &-- a prime target for House Republicans seeking to push unproven claims that the Justice Department is protecting President Biden and his son Hunter Biden -- is set to defend himself at a high-stakes, high-volume hearing on Wednesday. Mr. Garland will appear before the House Judiciary Committee for a routine oversight hearing that, in years past, would center on policy, crime, law enforcement initiatives and civil rights. These days, it is a forum for lawmakers to air their grievances and to bolster an impeachment inquiry against the president grounded, thus far, in inconclusive evidence. 'I am not the president's lawyer,' Mr. Garland is expected to say, according to excerpts from his opening remarks released hours ahead of his testimony. 'I will also add that I am not Congress's prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people.'" CNN's report is here.

Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "Hardline conservatives in the House sank a procedural vote on a Pentagon funding bill Tuesday, a significant setback for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the rule for the appropriations bill, bringing the final vote to 212-214 -- short of the majority support needed." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Melanie Zanona, et al., of CNN: "Tensions are flaring inside the House Republican conference as it barrels toward a government shutdown, with the infighting spilling out into public view and growing increasingly nasty.... At the center of much of the drama: Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, attacking Speaker Kevin McCarthy in personal terms. But he's also engaged in social media spats with fellow hardline conservatives who helped broker a House GOP plan to fund the government first revealed on Sunday evening.... [Meanwhile,] moderate Republicans are privately discussing teaming up with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown if the House GOP plan to temporarily fund the government fails on the floor this week, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Stephen Collinson of CNN: "The Republican Party's war on itself has turned its inoperative House majority into a 'clown show' and a 'dysfunction caucus' and is handing wins to the Chinese Communist Party -- and that's just what some of its own members say about it. Days of recriminations between far-right hardliners, moderates, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his nihilistic tormentors reached a new peak on Tuesday in extraordinary scenes of inter-party infighting on the south side of the US Capitol.... In a sign that Democrats are considering their options, their leader Hakeem Jeffries will meet the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus on Wednesday. The group has a bipartisan plan to fund the government by temporarily extending current spending levels and include aid for recent domestic national disasters, Ukraine funding and some border security provisions.... Weighing on Republican moderates will be the risk they could cost the speaker his job. A bill that passed the House with Democratic votes could be the final straw for McCarthy's enemies and cause a vote to unseat him." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hey, here's something that would work: a half-dozen or so GOP House members who represent districts Biden won could switch parties, then vote with the new Majority Leader Jeffries. A win for everybody -- oh, except My Kevin, MTG, Matt Gaetz, et al.

Impeachment. Everything Is Going Very Smoothly. Annie Grayer & Jeremy Herb of CNN: "New testimony from a number of FBI and Internal Revenue Service officials casts doubt on key claims from an IRS whistleblower who alleges there was political interference in the federal criminal investigation of Hunter Biden's taxes. According to transcripts provided to CNN, several FBI and IRS officials brought in for closed-door testimony by House Republicans in recent days said they don't remember US Attorney David Weiss saying that he lacked the authority to decide whether to bring charges against the president's son, or that Weiss said he had been denied a request for special counsel status. Those twin claims, made by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, form the basis of Republican accusations that the Justice Department's investigation into Biden's taxes was tainted by political influence and that Weiss and Attorney General Merrick Garland tried to protect Hunter Biden in the investigation. The new testimony comes as House Republicans begin an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and his family, potentially undercutting one element of that effort." Shapely testified that Weiss made the comment in a meeting which five other agents attendants. Three of the five have testified now, and all three disputed Shapely's claim. Weiss, too, previously pushed back on Shapley's claim. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, House Republicans think it's a good idea to impeach Joe Biden based on a claim about the Hunter Biden case that four other officials have testified is false. But, undeterred ~~~

     ~~~ Spencer Kimball of CNBC: "The House Oversight Committee will hold the first hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Sept. 28, a committee spokesperson said Tuesday. 'The hearing will focus on constitutional and legal questions surrounding the President's involvement in corruption and abuse of public office,' the spokesperson said in a statement." (Also linked yesterday.)

Is It "Chutzpah" or "Hutzpah"? Al Weaver of the Hill: "Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told senators that he will attempt to force a one-off vote Wednesday to confirm Gen. Eric Smith to become the new commandant for the Marine Corps, while he maintains his blockade on more than 300 other military promotions. Tuberville told Senate Republicans on Tuesday during their weekly conference lunch that he will go to the floor and attempt to bring Smith's nomination up for consideration, which would tee up a cloture vote unless Senate Democrats object to his effort."

Marie: The other day I linked an ABC New report that said, "Sources said that after [Donald] Trump heard the FBI wanted to interview [aide Molly] Michael last year, Trump allegedly told her, 'You don't know anything about the boxes.' It's unclear exactly what he meant by that." This pretense of ignorance irritated me because it's perfectly clear that Trump was instructing Michael to lie to federal investigators. "t turns out that even the Gray Lady is familiar with mobspeak: ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "A former assistant to Donald J. Trump has informed investigators that the former president told her to say she did not know anything about the boxes containing classified documents that he had stashed at his private club in Florida after leaving the White House, according to a person briefed on her comments. The assistant, Molly Michael, who worked for Mr. Trump in the area outside the Oval Office and then in his post-presidential office, told the investigators about Mr. Trump's comments when she was interviewed as part of the inquiry into his handling of sensitive government documents. 'You don't know anything about the boxes,' Mr. Trump told Ms. Michael when he learned that federal officials wanted to talk to her in the case." MB: Michael knew plenty about the boxes, and was one of the people who took photographs of the boxes being stored around Mar-a-Lago. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There's another piece of the Haberman-Swan report that is of interest, and they drop the ball here. When the NYT reporters contacted Trump for a statement about their impending report, they got this: "'These illegal leaks are coming from sources which totally lack proper context and relevant information,' said Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Mr. Trump. 'The Department of Justice should investigate the criminal leaking, instead of perpetrating their baseless witch hunts.'" As Andrew Weissmann noted on-air on MSNBC, the report from Michael or someone associated with her is not a "leak," much less an "illegal leak" that warrants DOJ investigation. Under the law, witnesses are allowed to tell the public what their testimony was. ~~~

... Donald Trump told [Molly Michael] straight up, "You are to lie to investigators. You are to tell them you know nothing about boxes or documents," which was untrue.... That is textbook obstruction of justice. That is textbook witness tampering. Potentially, really devastating evidence [against Trump] here. -- Elie Honig, CNN legal analyst ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm not sure it's completely clear from either the ABC News report or NYT report precisely what Trump was doing with the classified documents Trump handed her. "... Molly Michael told investigators that -- more than once -- she received requests or taskings from [Donald] Trump that were written on the back of notecards, and she later recognized those notecards as sensitive White House materials -- with visible classification markings," ABC News reported. IOW, Trump was so cavalier with classified documents that he was jotting down to-do lists for his secretary on the backs of some classified docs that one supposes he didn't want to save to show off to various people who visited him. He must be too cheap to buy note paper.

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Ray Epps, a Jan. 6 participant whose removal from the FBI's Capitol Violence webpage sparked conspiracy theories that he was a federal informant, was charged in connection with the Capitol attack on Tuesday. Epps is charged with one misdemeanor count, disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds. He was charged by information, suggesting that he plans to enter a plea deal. Not long after he was charged, a virtual plea agreement hearing was set for Wednesday, Sept. 20 before Chief Judge James Boasberg." (Also linked yesterday.)

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) speaks (hypothetically!) on the Senate floor about "creepy billionaires" buying Supreme Court justices:

Kara Scannell of CNN: "President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, plans to plead not guilty to federal gun charges, he said in a court filing Tuesday. He is also asking for his initial court appearance to be held remotely. In a letter to Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke, attorney Abbe Lowell said Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to the three felony gun charges relating his possession of a revolver in 2018 whether the appearance is held over video or in person. 'Mr. Biden is not seeking any special treatment in making this request. He has attended and will attend any proceedings in which his physical appearance is required,' Lowell wrote Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday.)

Larry Neumeister of the AP: "A former U.S. congressman from Indiana was sentenced Tuesday to 22 months in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information while working as a consultant and lobbyist after he left office. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer, 64, a House Republican from 1993 to 2011, was also ordered to forfeit $354,027, representing the amount of illegal gains, and to pay a $10,000 fine. Buyer, a lawyer and Persian Gulf War veteran, once chaired the House Veterans' Affairs committee and was a House prosecutor at ex-President Bill Clinton's 1998 impeachment trial." MB: I don't recall Buyer at all, but I'll bet he was in high dudgeon over Bill Clinton's misdeeds. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jennifer Hansler of CNN: "Five Americans freed from Iranian detention this week returned to US soil early Tuesday following an initial stop in Doha, Qatar, two US officials told CNN. Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi, along with two Americans who have not been publicly named arrived at Fort Belvoir's Davison Army Airfield for an emotional reunion with their family members. The freed Americans, who were released Monday as part of a wider deal that includes the US unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds, will have the option to participate in a Department of Defense program known as PISA (Post Isolation Support Activities) to help them acclimate back to normal life now that they are back in the United States." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2024. Brian Slodysko, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden on Monday told a packed Broadway theater full o big-name stars hosting a fundraiser in his honor that he was running for reelection because Donald Trump was determined to destroy the nation. Democracy is at stake, he told the audience at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater. Hate groups have been emboldened, he said. Books are being banned. Children go to school fearing shootings. 'Let there be no question, Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy American democracy,' he said...."

Marie: Over the weekend, I linked a story which quoted a wacky portion of a speech by Donald Trump. In it, he talked about "people doubles." I thought maybe he was talking about "body doubles," though that didn't seem to make sense in context, if the random words surrounding "people doubles" qualify as context. Contributor Patrick, however, closely examined the text and decided -- correctly, I think -- that what Trump meant by "people doubles" was "using the same derogatory sobriquet for two different people," as in "crooked Hillary" and "crooked Biden." Well, now, thanks to Chris Hayes, I learn that a great swath of the GOP believes in "body doubles" conspiracies. During Trump's presidency, for instance, there was a popular conspiracy theory that a body double replaced Melania Trump for many or all appearances. Now, the right has popularized a theory that Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) uses a body double when he has to speak because he could not have so thoroughly recovered his speech and comprehension faculties after suffering a debilitating stroke last year: ~~~

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North Carolina. This Week's Winner of the Dumbest Criminal Prize. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "A North Carolina man charged with rape came up with what he thought was the perfect plan, reported The Daily Beast: fake his own death, then disappear with the authorities none the wiser. The only problem? He forgot he was still wearing an ankle monitor. Melvin Emde, age 41, was due in court in Brunswick County to answer charges of statutory rape of a child on August 7, when his son called deputies in Louisiana and told them his father had been lost overboard in a kayaking accident on the Mississippi River. Police, however, were still tracking his ankle monitor, and could tell he was at a Walmart buying two prepaid phones. Police decided to pretend to fall for the ruse to catch him off guard.... Meanwhile, Emde tried to cross the Georgia state line on a motorcycle with no plate, leading a Georgia state trooper on a chase that ended when he crashed the bike. He gave authorities a false name, but his fingerprints identified him."

Pennsylvania. David Chen of the New York Times: "Democrats kept control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Tuesday after winning an open seat in a special election in the Pittsburgh area. The state's lower chamber had been split 101-101 between Democrats and Republicans since July, when former Representative Sara Innamorato, a Democrat, stepped down from her seat representing the 21st House District to run for Allegheny County executive. And while Republicans had hoped for an upset in Ms. Innamorato's former district, which includes part of Pittsburgh and its northern suburbs, that did not happen: Lindsay Powell, a Democrat who has strong ties to party leaders in Washington -- including Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader -- easily defeated Erin Connolly Autenreith, a Republican who is the chairwoman of a local party committee. With 95 percent of the vote counted, Ms. Powell had 65 percent, and Ms. Autenreith 34 percent." An NBC News story is here.

Pennsylvania. Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that it has implemented automatic voter registration to ease the process of casting a ballot, joining 23 other states and the District of Columbia. Residents who are eligible to vote and who obtain or renew a driver's license or identification card at Pennsylvania's Department of Motor Vehicles now will be guided through the voter registration process by default. If they don't want to be added to the voter rolls, they have to actively opt out. The change fulfills a campaign promise for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), whose state is likely to be crucial to the 2024 presidential race. He promoted the new system Tuesday as a 'common sense' step to make elections more secure and less costly for taxpayers." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Gee whiz. Democratic-led states keep getting better as Republican-dominated states get worse.