September 14, 2022

Afternoon Update:

Christina Anderson & Isabella Kwai of the New York Times: "Sweden's right-wing parties combined to win a remarkable, if slim, election victory on Wednesday, buoyed by surging support for a far-right nationalist party, the Sweden Democrats, an electoral convulsion expected to shake national politics and likely end eight years of rule by the center-left. With over 99 percent of ballots counted, the Swedish Election Authority reported that the right-wing bloc had won 176 of the 349 seats in Parliament. The Swedish Social Democratic Party, the main party in the current governing coalition, grabbed the highest percentage votes as an individual party, but together with its allies, had secured 173 seats in Parliament, not enough to stay in power.... The new government is expected to be led by Ulf Kristersson, head of the Moderates, who would become prime minister in a minority administration."

Kylie Atlwood of CNN: "President Joe Biden plans to nominate Lynne Tracy, a career diplomat currently serving in Armenia, as the next US ambassador to Russia, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Tracy, who speaks Russian and was the No. 2 diplomat in Moscow from 2014 to 2017, would be the first female to serve in the role. She has been ambassador to Armenia since 2019."

Cindy Boren of the Washington Post: "Former Mississippi governor Phil Bryant helped Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre obtain welfare funds to help build a volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi, according to an investigative report by Mississippi Today.... The texts allegedly show Favre, New and Bryant conferring on how to divert at least $5 million for a volleyball stadium at Southern Miss, where Favre played college football and his daughter played volleyball at the time some texts were sent."

Katie Benner, et al., of the New York Times: John "Durham appears to be winding down his three-year inquiry without anything close to the [explosive] results [Donald] Trump was seeking. The grand jury that Mr. Durham has recently used to hear evidence has expired, and while he could convene another, there are currently no plans to do so, three people familiar with the matter said.... Over the course of his inquiry, Mr. Durham has developed cases against two people accused of lying to the F.B.I..., but he has not charged any conspiracy or put any high-level officials on trial.... After Mr. Durham's team completes its report [on the inquiry], it will be up to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to decide whether to make its findings public.... Mr. Durham and his team used a grand jury in Washington to indict Michael Sussmann, a prominent cybersecurity lawyer with ties to Hillary Clinton's campaign.... Mr. Sussmann was acquitted.... A grand jury based in the Eastern District of Virginia last year indicted a Russia analyst who had worked with Christopher Steele.... The analyst, Igor Danchenko, who is accused of lying to federal investigators, goes on trial next month.... In the third case, Mr. Durham's team negotiated a plea deal with an F.B.I. lawyer..., [which] resulted in no prison time." See today's Comments below.

Massachusetts. McKenna Oxenden of the New York Times: "A package exploded inside a campus building at Northeastern University on Tuesday night, injuring an employee and spreading fear among Boston's many college campuses, the police said. Officers were called just after 7:15 p.m. to Holmes Hall at 39 Leon Street, which houses the writing center on the private university's campus, for a suspicious package that had detonated, the authorities said. A further search revealed a second package, which was rendered safe by the Boston Police Department's bomb squad." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Local Boston TV news is reporting that the bomb may have been a hoax, perpetrated by the person who was injured.

New Hampshire Senate Race. Colby Itkowitz & DaveWeigel of the Washington Post: "Republican primary voters nominated Don Bolduc for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, selecting a far-right candidate over an establishment-backed rival to challenge Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in a key midterm battleground. Bolduc has echoed Donald Trump's false claims that the former president won the 2020 election; he has voiced openness to abolishing the FBI; and he has accused party leaders of 'rigging' a 2020 primary that he narrowly lost. The retired U.S. Army brigadier general defeated state Senate President Chuck Morse -- an outcome that was a blow to Gov. Chris Sununu (R) and an outside group with ties to Senate Republican leadership, which sought to elevate the state Senate president."

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Zach Montague of the New York Times: "On Tuesday evening, President Biden voted. The process involved a hasty announcement to the press, multiple motorcades and two jet flights. In a last-minute move that demonstrated how the presidency complicates even the most mundane of tasks, Mr. Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, flew home from the White House to Wilmington, Del., arriving at the polls less than an hour before voting in the state's primary contests ended at 8 p.m. About an hour after they landed, they climbed back aboard Air Force One and jetted back to Washington. The trip had not been on the president's publicly released schedule.... The one contested primary for a statewide office in Delaware on Tuesday was for state auditor -- a race in which Lydia York, a lawyer, defeated Kathleen K. McGuiness, the scandal-plagued incumbent." The AP's report is here.

Bret Stephens of the New York Times: "... the staggering gains Ukrainian forces have made against Russia are a victory for Joe Biden, too." MB: You could knock me over with a feather, Bret.

If we take back the House and Senate, I can assure you that we'll have a vote on our bill. -- Lindsey Graham on his proposed abortion-ban bill, Tuesday ~~~

~~~ Amy Wang & Caroline Kitchener of the Washington Post: "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday introduced a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, the most prominent effort by Republicans to restrict the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.... The White House criticized the bill, saying it is 'wildly out of step with what Americans believe.'... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the bill the 'latest, clearest signal of extreme MAGA Republicans' intent to criminalize women's health freedom in all 50 states and arrest doctors for providing basic care.'... The timing of Graham's announcement is curious -- two months before the midterm elections, after abortion has already shown to be a galvanizing issue for some Democratic voters." Politico's report is here. MB: Maybe Lindsey wants to help Democrats win the midterms, which is very bipartisan of him. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Thanks, Lindsey! Christopher Cadelago & Jonathan Lemire of Politico: "So obvious was the apparent ill-timing of the bill's introduction that one White House aide said a Republican lobbyist friend joked that Graham appeared to be working for the Biden administration.... 'Dems might need to send gift baskets and champagne to Graham and other Republicans for their selfless act of service today,' another Democratic official told Politico.... There was widespread anticipation that the Graham bill would quickly find its way into Democratic fundraising solicitations.... The immediate response to Graham's legislation, which would not just establish a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy but also allow states to keep and pass more restrictive laws, was a microcosm of the way abortion politics has wholly upended the midterm sprint." ~~~

     ~~~ Lisa Lerer & Elizabeth Dias of the New York Times: "... when Senator Lindsey Graham came ahead on Tuesday with a proposed 15-week national abortion ban intended to unite his party, the result was only more division. Mr. Graham's Senate allies swiftly distanced themselves from the plan, reflecting a lack of consensus in the party, as well as deep resistance to being drawn into any debates over abortion while economic issues hold more sway with swing voters. The rapid rejection of Mr. Graham's gambit was the latest misfire in the party's struggle to unite behind a clear strategy on an issue that has reshaped campaigns across the country. Despite decades of Republican efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade, when the Supreme Court ultimately took that step in June, the G.O.P. was caught flat-footed, with no unified national abortion strategy ready to put into place.... When pressed on the details of Mr. Graham's bill, [minority leader Mitch] McConnell sought to distance himself, saying, 'You'll have to ask him about it.'... [Sen. McConnell] told reporters on Tuesday that he thought the issue should be left up to the states and that most members of his conference agreed."

Kate Kelly, et al., of the New York Times: Ninety-seven "current senators or representatives ... reported trades by themselves or immediate family members in stocks or other financial assets that intersected with the work of committees on which they serve, according to an extensive analysis of trades from the years 2019 to 2021 by The New York Times. The potential for conflicts in stock trading by members of Congress -- and their choice so far not to impose stricter limits on themselves -- has long drawn criticism, especially when particularly blatant cases emerge. But the Times analysis demonstrates the scale of the issue: Over the three-year period, more than 3,700 trades reported by lawmakers from both parties posed potential conflicts between their public responsibilities and private finances.... Both the House and the Senate have been trying to develop legislation to tighten the rules, but whether a bill will be passed by both chambers and make it to President Biden's desk this year remains in doubt, despite rare bipartisan support." (Also linked yesterday.)

Tierney Sneed, et al., of CNN: "Justice Department criminal prosecutors are now examining nearly every aspect of ... Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election -- including the fraudulent electors plot, efforts to push baseless election fraud claims and how money flowed to support these various efforts -- according to sources and copies of new subpoenas obtained by CNN. The investigation is also stretching into cogs of the sprawling Trump legal machine that boosted his efforts to challenge his electoral loss -- with many of the recipients of 30-plus subpoenas that were issued in recent days being asked to turn over communications with several Trump attorneys.... The Justice Department previously obtained grand jury testimony, conducted searches and nabbed extensive documents about rally organization and fundraising, about efforts in and around the White House to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to block certification of the election results, and about the fake electors. This new round of subpoenas drills down with more specific requests about the baseless claims of mass election fraud that were being peddled to legislators, law enforcement and others." ~~~

~~~ Katie Benner & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "From outside the walls of the Justice Department, the sprawling investigation into efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election seems only to be accelerating, with prosecutors last week subpoenaing about 40 associates of ... Donald J. Trump and seizing phones from at least two of his aides. But that flurry of activity should not be mistaken for a signal that Mr. Trump will imminently be prosecuted for his attempts to remain in office or the impact that those actions had on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to two people familiar with the investigation. They noted that prosecutors are still going through evidence and are far from determining whether any charges could be brought against the former president.... The department could consider potential charges against Mr. Trump much sooner in the documents case than in the Jan. 6 investigation, the people familiar with the inquiries said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I see no reason why investigation of Trump, other high-level schemers & organizers of efforts to overturn the election results was not started at least a year ago. It's as if the DOJ brass never read the newspapers, had no idea what-all was going on & finally got a vague clue from watching the January 6 special committee hearings. The "bottom-up" theory of investigative techniques is not an excuse. With a few exceptions, the dopes who stormed the Capitol had no idea of the general plot orchestrated by Trump & Co., and therefore could not reveal it or flip during their interrogations.

Kelly Weill & Zachary Petrizzo of the Independent, republished by Yahoo! News: "MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told The Daily Beast on Tuesday night that the FBI seized his cellphone while he was at a Hardee's restaurant. Lindell also posted on social media a grand jury subpoena from a federal prosecutor in Colorado and what appears to be a search warrant. 'They took my phone,' Lindell told The Daily Beast on Tuesday evening via phone. 'The FBI did!'... Lindell also expounded on his legal situation in a Tuesday night video. 'The FBI came after me and took my phone,' he said on Facebook. 'They surrounded me in a Hardee's and took my phone that I run all my business, everything with. What they've done is weaponize -- the FBI, it's disgusting. I don't have a computer. Everything I do [is] off that phone. Everything was on there. And they told me not to tell anybody. Here's an order: "Don't tell anybody!" "OK, I won't!" Well, I am.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Charles Homans, et al., of the New York Times: "Mike Lindell, a prominent promoter of 2020 election misinformation, was served with a search warrant, and his cellphone was seized, by F.B.I. agents who questioned him about his ties to a Colorado county clerk who is accused of tampering with voting machines, Mr. Lindell said. Tina Peters, the county clerk in Mesa County, Colo., is under indictment on state charges related to a scheme to download data from election equipment after the 2020 presidential contest. Ms. Peters has pleaded not guilty to the charges.... It is not clear if Mr. Lindell is a target of the investigation.... A letter handed to Mr. Lindell by the F.B.I. asked that he not tell anyone about the investigation, but he displayed a copy of the letter and the search warrant on his online TV show Tuesday evening, reading portions of it aloud." According to Lindell, FBI agents surrounded him in several vehicles at the drive-through windows at a Hardee's in Mankato, Minnesota, as Lindell was returning from a duck-hunting trip to Iowa.

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The National Archives has informed congressional aides that it is still unsure whether ... Donald J. Trump has surrendered all of the presidential records he removed from the White House as required, even after months of negotiations, a subpoena and a search of his Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, according to the House Oversight Committee. The archives staff 'recently informed the committee that the agency is not certain whether all presidential records are in its custody,' Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York and the chairwoman of the committee, wrote in a letter on Tuesday to Debra Steidel Wall, the acting national archivist.... In her letter, Ms. Maloney requested a formal assessment from the archives of what presidential records, if any, removed from the White House by Mr. Trump remain unaccounted for and whether the archives believes they are potentially still in his possession." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know he hasn't returned them all, because I saw his staff moving the papers around this past Sunday. (Okay, a slight exaggeration.) See note attached to Independent story linked yesterday.

Rachel Weiner & Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "Four men were convicted Tuesday of assaulting or impeding police officers in some of the most violent attacks in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol, including a case in which one D.C. officer was pinned to a door and another in which an officer was dragged down steps and beaten with poles and sticks. Three of the men were convicted at a bench trial in front of U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden but had other counts against them dropped, making McFadden the first federal judge in Washington to acquit members of the mob of felony charges. He found that while all three battled police, only one was clearly intending to obstruct Congress as it met to confirm President Biden's election victory. In a separate case, a fourth man pleaded guilty to assault.... The judge ... directed blame at political leaders as well as the rioters, opining that the trial showed 'the chaos and violence that can occur when senior government leaders fail to support law enforcement officers,' and suggesting that police should have been more aggressive and had more support on Jan. 6." MB: McFadden is a Trump appointee.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Ken Starr, the independent counsel whose investigation uncovered a White House sex scandal that riveted the nation and led to President Bill Clinton's impeachment for lying under oath and obstructing justice, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Houston. He was 76." The AP's Starr obituary is here.

Beyond the Beltway

Iowa. Is This Justice??? Margery Beck of the AP: "A teenage human trafficking victim who was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her accused rapist to death was sentenced Tuesday in an Iowa court to five years of closely supervised probation and ordered to pay $150,000 restitution to the man's family." The story leaves the details somewhat hazy, but the girl claimed the man she stabbed to death had raped her several times. Prosecutors argued that killing the man meant "leaving his kids without a father." Well, yes.

New Hampshire & Delaware. The New York Times' live updates of primary election results in these states are here.

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo filed a lengthy state ethics complaint on Tuesday against Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, accusing her of deliberately mishandling the investigation that found he sexually harassed multiple former and current government employees. Mr. Cuomo, who resigned in August 2021 shortly after Ms. James unveiled the investigation's findings, filed the complaint with a committee in the state's court system tasked with disciplining lawyers found to have violated professional conduct rules. The committee could dismiss the complaint because of insufficient evidence, move to investigate the charges or even initiate disciplinary proceedings. Disciplinary actions could range from a confidential or public letter of admonishment to censure, disbarment or suspension from practicing law." (Also linked yesterday.)

New York Election Fraud. Grace Ashford of the New York Times: "A Rensselaer County elections official was arraigned on Tuesday, accused by federal authorities of fraudulently obtaining absentee ballots last year, using personal information of voters without their consent. The indictment of Jason Schofield, a Republican elections commissioner, emerged from a lengthy federal inquiry into potential ballot fraud across Rensselaer County, just east of Albany. The indictment accused Mr. Schofield or an employee acting at his direction of using an online portal to apply for absentee ballots on behalf of at least eight people in 2021, when county elections were being held for Rensselaer county executive, clerk and legislature, as well as for the mayor of the City of Rensselaer and the Troy City Council. The charging papers contain details on four of those absentee ballots prosecutors say Mr. Schofield obtained. Mr. Schofield did not 'ask or permit' the voters to weigh in, other than to have them sign the back of the ballots -- which would have allowed him to fill them out himself. The ballots were then delivered back to the Rensselaer County Board of Elections for processing." Schofield's alleged fraudulent activities came to light when he allegedly helped another Republican, a former Troy city councilwoman, cast three absentee ballots in other people's names.

West Virginia. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "The West Virginia legislature Tuesday passed a bill to prohibit nearly all abortions, making it the second state to pass a new ban since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June. The state Senate passed the bill 22-7, after a brief debate Tuesday. The state House concurred and passed the bill in a 78-17 vote. The ban will take effect 90 days after passage.... Abortion had been legal up to 20 weeks in West Virginia since July, when a state judge blocked a pre-Roe ban that dated back to the 19th century.... The bill they passed, which now goes to Republican Gov. Jim Justice's desk, bars abortion from implantation with narrow exceptions to save the pregnant person's life or in cases of rape or incest, so long as the victim reports the crime. Justice has indicated that he will sign a bill tightening state restrictions on abortion."

Way Beyond

Russia. Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "Russia has secretly funneled at least $300 million to foreign political parties and candidates in more than two dozen countries since 2014 in an attempt to shape political events beyond its borders, according to a new U.S. intelligence review. Moscow planned to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more as part of its covert campaign to weaken democratic systems and promote global political forces seen as aligned with Kremlin interests, according to the review, which the Biden administration commissioned this summer. A senior U.S. official ... said the administration decided to declassify some of the review's findings in an attempt to counter Russia's ability to sway political systems in countries in Europe, Africa and elsewhere." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll bet the still-secret part of the report implicates Trump & Co..

Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Wednesday are here: "The European Union will push ahead with emergency measures to tackle the energy crisis, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during the annual State of the European Union address Wednesday -- where Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska was a guest of honor.... Ukraine has made 'significant progress' in the war, according to President Biden but he cautioned, 'I think it's going to be a long haul.'... Around 8,000 square kilometers (over 3,000 square miles) of land has been 'liberated' in northeast Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly address -- nearly the size of Puerto Rico. He added that 'collaborators' were being detained and security restored in the areas."

United Kingdom

The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in events following Queen Elizabeth's death are here. The Guardian's live updates for Wednesday are here.

Megan Specia of the New York Times: "King Charles III continued his tour of the nations of the United Kingdom on Tuesday with a visit to Northern Ireland before a planned return to London in the evening to meet Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Buckingham Palace alongside other members of the royal family." (Also linked yesterday.)

"You're Fired!" Pippa Crerar & Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "Dozens of Clarence House staff have been given notice of their redundancy as the offices of King Charles and the Queen Consort move to Buckingham Palace after the death of the Queen, the Guardian has learned. Up to 100 employees at the King's former official residence, including some who have worked there for decades, received notification that they could lose their jobs just as they were working round the clock to smooth his elevation to the throne. Private secretaries, the finance office, the communications team and household staff are among those who received notice during the thanksgiving service for the Queen, at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday, that their posts were on the line." (Also linked yesterday.)

A Poem for Putin

Marie: President Zelensky sent this challenge to Vladimir Putin “after Russian troops, in retreat, struck Ukrainian power plants.” Copied from the Sydney Morning Herald & slightly abridged & punctuated. Rachel Maddow read Zelensky's message to Putin, and it struck me as poetic. Maddow said Zelensky sent it with video of a Ukraine power plant engulfed in flames. I'm not sure in what language the message went to Zelensky, but this tweet, which reproduces part of the message, indicates it has been published in English.

By Volodymyr Zelensky

Do you still think you can intimidate, break us?

Did you really not understand anything?
Didn’t you understand who we are?
What we stand for?
What we are talking about?

Read my lips:

Without gas or without you? Without you.
Without light or without you? Without you.
Without water or without you? Without you.
Without food or without you? Without you.

Cold, hunger, darkness and thirst,
For us are not as scary and deadly
As your ‘friendship and brotherhood.’

History will put everything in its place.
And we will exist with gas, lights, water and food,
And WITHOUT you!

You can comment under the September 13 entry.

September 13, 2022

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Amy Wang & Caroline Kitchener of the Washington Post: "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday introduced a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, the most prominent effort by Republicans to restrict the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.... The White House criticized the bill, saying it is 'wildly out of step with what Americans believe.'... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the bill the 'latest, clearest signal of extreme MAGA Republicans' intent to criminalize women's health freedom in all 50 states and arrest doctors for providing basic care.'... The timing of Graham's announcement is curious -- two months before the midterm elections, after abortion has already shown to be a galvanizing issue for some Democratic voters." Politico's report is here. MB: Maybe Lindsey wants to help Democrats win the midterms, which is very bipartisan of him.

Megan Specia of the New York Times: "King Charles III continued his tour of the nations of the United Kingdom on Tuesday with a visit to Northern Ireland before a planned return to London in the evening to meet Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Buckingham Palace alongside other members of the royal family."

"You're Fired!" Pippa Crerar & Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "Dozens of Clarence House staff have been given notice of their redundancy as the offices of King Charles and the Queen Consort move to Buckingham Palace after the death of the Queen, the Guardian has learned. Up to 100 employees at the King's former official residence, including some who have worked there for decades, received notification that they could lose their jobs just as they were working round the clock to smooth his elevation to the throne. Private secretaries, the finance office, the communications team and household staff are among those who received notice during the thanksgiving service for the Queen, at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday, that their posts were on the line."

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The National Archives has informed congressional aides that it is still unsure whether ... Donald J. Trump has surrendered all of the presidential records he removed from the White House as required, even after months of negotiations, a subpoena and a search of his Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, according to the House Oversight Committee. The archives staff 'recently informed the committee that the agency is not certain whether all presidential records are in its custody,' Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York and the chairwoman of the committee, wrote in a letter on Tuesday to Debra Steidel Wall, the acting national archivist.... In her letter, Ms. Maloney requested a formal assessment from the archives of what presidential records, if any, removed from the White House by Mr. Trump remain unaccounted for and whether the archives believes they are potentially still in his possession." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know he hasn't returned them all, because I saw his staff moving the papers around this past Sunday. (Okay, a slight exaggeration.) See note attached to Independent story linked below.

Kate Kelly, et al., of the New York Times: Ninety-seven "current senators or representatives ... reported trades by themselves or immediate family members in stocks or other financial assets that intersected with the work of committees on which they serve, according to an extensive analysis of trades from the years 2019 to 2021 by The New York Times. The potential for conflicts in stock trading by members of Congress -- and their choice so far not to impose stricter limits on themselves -- has long drawn criticism, especially when particularly blatant cases emerge. But the Times analysis demonstrates the scale of the issue: Over the three-year period, more than 3,700 trades reported by lawmakers from both parties posed potential conflicts between their public responsibilities and private finances.... Both the House and the Senate have been trying to develop legislation to tighten the rules, but whether a bill will be passed by both chambers and make it to President Biden's desk this year remains in doubt, despite rare bipartisan support."

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the New York Times: "Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo filed a lengthy state ethics complaint on Tuesday against Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, accusing her of deliberately mishandling the investigation that found he sexually harassed multiple former and current government employees. Mr. Cuomo, who resigned in August 2021 shortly after Ms. James unveiled the investigation's findings, filed the complaint with a committee in the state's court system tasked with disciplining lawyers found to have violated professional conduct rules. The committee could dismiss the complaint because of insufficient evidence, move to investigate the charges or even initiate disciplinary proceedings. Disciplinary actions could range from a confidential or public letter of admonishment to censure, disbarment or suspension from practicing law."

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Cleve Wootson, et al., of the Washington Post: "Leaning into the symbolism of President John F. Kennedy's aspirational effort to send a man to the moon, President Biden on Monday sought to give a renewed boost to his own 'cancer moonshot' initiative, aimed at cutting the U.S. death toll from the disease in half over the next 25 years. Biden delivered the speech on the 60th anniversary of Kennedy's moonshot speech, speaking from the late president's museum and library. It was a less-than-subtle effort to convince Americans that the goal of eradicating cancer is not hopelessly out of reach."

Gabby Orr, et al., of CNN: "Top officials from Donald Trump's political fundraising and former campaign operation are among dozens of people in the former President's orbit who received grand jury subpoenas in recent days -- as the Justice Department intensifies its criminal investigation into January 6, 2021, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Among them are former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien and Sean Dollman, who worked for Trump's 2020 presidential campaign as chief financial officer, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN." ~~~

     ~~~ ** Update. Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "Justice Department officials have seized the phones of two top advisers to ... Donald J. Trump and blanketed his aides with about 40 subpoenas in a substantial escalation of the investigation into his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, people familiar with the inquiry said on Monday. The seizure of the phones, coupled with a widening effort to obtain information from those around Mr. Trump after the 2020 election, represent some of the most aggressive steps the department has taken thus far in its criminal investigation into the actions that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.... Federal agents with court-authorized search warrants took phones last week from at least two people: Boris Epshteyn, an in-house counsel who helps coordinate Mr. Trump's legal efforts, and Mike Roman, a campaign strategist who was the director of Election Day operations for the Trump campaign in 2020.... Mr. Epshteyn and Mr. Roman have been linked to [the fake electors scheme].... The new subpoenas encompass a wide variety of those in Mr. Trump's orbit, from low-level aides to his most senior advisers." One of those subpoenaed was Rudy's felonious helper Bernie Kerik. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Among 40 people, some will be forthcoming & tell the truth to the grand jury. And some won't accidentally lose their emails & other communications. That's bad news for the Biggest Liar.

Alan Feuer & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Lawyers for ... Donald J. Trump asked a federal judge on Monday to deny the Justice Department's request to immediately restart a key part of its criminal investigation into his hoarding of sensitive government documents at his residence in Florida. Renewing their request for an expansive independent review of records seized from Mr. Trump, the former president's legal team argued that documents marked as classified should remain off limits to the F.B.I. and prosecutors. They asked the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, to maintain her order barring agents from using any of the materials taken from his estate until an outside arbiter, known as a special master, has vetted all of them. The 21-page filing was an aggressive rebuke of the Justice Department's broader inquiry into whether Mr. Trump or his aides illegally kept national security secrets at his property, Mar-a-Lago, or obstructed the government's repeated attempts to retrieve the materials. It played down the criminal inquiry as a 'storage dispute' and insinuated that officials might have leaked information about the contents of the files." Politico's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The Justice Department said on Monday that it was open to accepting one of ... Donald J. Trump's proposed candidates for the job of an independent arbiter to review thousands of documents seized last month by the F.B.I. from Mr. Trump's residence in Florida. In a brief court filing, prosecutors said they would not object if the judge presiding over the case appointed Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn as special master to oversee an evaluation of the trove of sensitive materials seized from Mr. Trump's estate, Mar-a-Lago. Mr. Trump's lawyers and lawyers for the Justice Department are also engaged in a separate court fight over how a potential special master should review the seized documents.... Judge Dearie, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, has also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court overseeing highly classified matters." The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Andrew Weissmann, on MSNBC, said that Judge Cannon, who has little judicial experience, would have a hard time overruling decisions by someone with Judge Dearie's extensive experience. I dunno; these Trumpists possess a lot more hubris than they do sense & good judgment. And Cannon clearly sees her job as helping Donald Trump, not as impartially administering the law.

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Monday rejected former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro's claim that he is the victim of a Biden administration political vendetta, denying his request to probe why he has been charged with criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Navarro asserted that he was selectively prosecuted compared to two other former high ranking Trump White House aides against whom the Justice Department declined to bring charges -- chief of staff Mark Meadows and deputy chief Dan Scavino. But U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta found that Navarro failed to make a plausible legal claim." Mehta noted significant difference between Navarro's case & those of Meadows & Scavino. MB: Apparently "Waaah! Everybody's picking on me" is not always a convincing argument.

Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "The Senate Judiciary Committee will investigate allegations that the Justice Department under ... Donald J. Trump sought to use the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan to support Mr. Trump politically and pursue his critics, the committee's chairman said on Monday. The allegations are in a new book by Geoffrey S. Berman, who was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2018 through June 2020, when he was fired by Mr. Trump. The chairman, Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, made the announcement in a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, which cited a New York Times report on Thursday detailing the book's allegations.... Mr. Durbin said in his letter, 'These reported claims indicate astonishing and unacceptable deviations from the department's mission to pursue impartial justice, which requires that its prosecutorial decisions be free from political influence.' He added that the allegations 'also compound the already serious concerns' raised by then-Attorney General William P. Barr's efforts in 2020 'to replace Mr. Berman with a Trump loyalist.'" CNN's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Rachel Maddow devoted several segments of her Monday night show to the allegations in Berman's book, culminating in an interview with Berman. She covered more incidents than those mentioned in the Times article from last Thursday, linked above. If you're an MSNBC cable subscriber, you can watch the segments on her Website; otherwise, people usually pirate the show & republish the video on YouTube. You can go to youtube.com, then use the You Tube search engine to call up "rachel maddow show," then use the "Filter" function & click on "Today." NBC may take down these pirated copies, but there's apt to be one up. I watched most of her show Monday, and it was time well-spent. As Maddow says, "something must be done about this so it doesn't happen again." We'll see if Congress does something. And DOJ should consider prosecuting Barr & some of his underlings who pressured Berman & his staff.

Gino Spocchia of the Independent, republished by Yahoo! News: "Donald Trump has insisted that an unannounced visit to Washington DC is a 'working trip' amid a mountain of online speculation about the reason for his visit to the US capital.... In an apparent bid to stamp out speculation about his activities, he said [on his own social media site]: 'Working today at Trump Washington DC on the Potomac River. What an incredible place!'" MB: Perhaps you are skeptical that Trump was working at his D.C. golf course, especially after some reports said he was seen golfing there yesterday. But if hiding stolen documents constitutes "working," I'm ready to buy it. While news reports yesterday indicated his aides were seen carrying suitcases at Dulles Airport, I saw a very brief clip that showed aides carrying large cardboard boxes from his plane -- boxes the right size to stuff with top-secret documents & perhaps some gifts from the Saudis.

A Bridge Too Far? Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Former President Trump's promise to grant pardons to the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is running into strong opposition from Senate Republicans. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump's closest allies, told The Hill that granting pardons to Jan. 6 protesters is 'a bad idea.' Other Republican senators are joining Graham in criticizing Trump's promise to pardon the Jan. 6 protesters as inappropriate."

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has joined the list of other right-wing justices (Samuel A. Alito Jr., Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas) whining about public criticism of the court.... He really doesn't get it. The degree to which this court is utterly and completely tone-deaf to its role in the destruction of its own integrity remains a powerful reason for court expansion or term limits.... Joyce White Vance, a former prosecutor..., told me, 'The Supreme Court has a proud history of defending our rights, not taking them away. The Roberts court will go down in history as the first one' to strip away people's rights.... ~~~

"Roberts would rather not address the root of the court's credibility crisis: its conservative members' blatant disregard of nearly 50 years of precedent, their misuse and abuse of facts and history, their penchant for delivering public screeds in political settings, their misleading answers in confirmation hearings, their improper use of the shadow docket, their prior placement on the shortlist of potential justices by right-wing dark-money groups attempting to transform the judiciary, their opposition to adhering to a mandatory code of judicial ethics -- and a refusal by Thomas to recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, despite the anti-democracy activism of his wife, Ginni. And let's not forget: The court got its 6-3 supermajority largely through GOP hypocrisy and Congress's refusal to take up the nomination of Merrick Garland in the last year of Barack Obama's presidency." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Phil Mattingly of CNN: "Top White House officials have been closely watching US freight rail labor negotiations, keenly aware that any strike would create significant economic and political risk for the Biden administration. For months, officials have sought avenues to forestall a strike that would threaten to cripple critical arteries of the US economy, but those efforts have grown more intense -- and elevated -- in recent days as the Friday deadline for an agreement looms. About 60,000 union members who work for the railroad are set to go on strike, including the engineers and conductors who make up the two-person crews on each train. Even though 45,000 other union members belong to unions that have reached tentative deals with the railroads, a strike by engineers and conductors would bring the freight rail system, which carries nearly 30% of the nation's freight, to a grinding halt." The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Myah Ward of Politico: "The looming possibility of a national rail strike is bad news for an already fragile economy. And it's especially bad for Democrats. Democrats have scored some wins as of late, but an economic shock like this one -- an industry estimate projects a railroad shutdown could cost $2 billion a day, threatening recovering U.S. supply chains -- could put a big damper on the party's rebounding November prospects. The Biden administration is well aware of this. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh have sprung into action to help avoid disaster, and President Joe Biden has been working the phones today, speaking directly with companies and unions."

About Those College Rankings. Anemona Hartocollis of the New York Times: "U.S. News & World Report likes to say that it is performing a consumer service when it puts out its annual college rankings. But on Monday, those ratings were again called into question after the publication demoted Columbia University to No. 18 from No. 2 in its newest annual list, after a monthslong controversy over whether the school had fudged its numbers. The drop suggests that the highly influential rankings -- which have been criticized for having an outsize influence on parents and college admissions -- can be easily manipulated, since they rely heavily on data submitted by the universities that directly benefit from them. Columbia's No. 2 status was not questioned until one of its own math professors, Michael Thaddeus, in a February blog post, accused the school of submitting statistics that were 'inaccurate, dubious or highly misleading.' Last week, the university said in a statement that it had miscalculated some data. Columbia's public humiliation raises questions for many parents and educational policymakers: Can the quality of a college be ranked by a single number, the way critics rate movies with stars? And should students choose where to go to college based on what has become a proxy for prestige?"

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that Michael Flynn..., Donald Trump's short-lived first National Security Adviser and notorious conspiracy theorist, was just elected to a local GOP leadership position in Sarasota, Florida. 'On Thursday evening, Flynn was one of several dozen new members of the local Republican executive committee elected by voice vote at the Morgan Family Community Center in North Port, Florida,' reported Michael Daly. 'As if that were not scary enough, they also elected James Hoel, a local leader of the Proud Boys.... Hoel and fellow Proud Boy Nicholas Radovich were active in the Aug. 23 Sarasota County School Board election that saw a longstanding 3-2 liberal majority become a 4-1 conspiracy minority,' noted the report. 'Radovich showed up at the victory party in a Proud Boys hat and T-shirt and flashed a white power sign during a group picture....' Flynn ... will also get to work as a poll watcher in upcoming elections...." The Daily Beast story, which here, is firewalled.

Way Beyond

Italy. Chico Harlan & Stefano Pitrelli of the Washington Post: "In a matter of weeks, if all goes as expected, Giorgia Meloni stands to become Italy's first female leader. She's also set a benchmark for a far-right politician in Western Europe, earning a level of power that's been out of reach for her counterparts in Germany and France, and doing so even after the forces propelling nationalism on the continent -- a migration backlash and Euroskepticism -- have waned.... Meloni takes shots at the 'LGBT lobby' and the 'globalist' left. She highlights anecdotes about immigrant crime. She has said that 'everything we stand for is under attack' -- Christian values, gender norms."

Ukraine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Tuesday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Tuesday are here: "Ukraine's counteroffensive in Kharkiv could mark a turning point in the war, Western officials said, while Moscow described its pullback as a 'regroup.' The lightning advance in the Kharkiv region could raise pressure on Moscow to call up more forces. 'The question will be how the Russians will react, but their weaknesses have been exposed and they don't have great manpower reserves or equipment reserves,' a U.S. official told The Washington Post.... Fighting is still raging in Kharkiv as Ukrainian forces advance, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar told Reuters on Tuesday.... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces recaptured more than 2,300 square miles in the country's south and east this month. Ukraine's military said Monday it took 20 more towns and villages in 24 hours. The claims could not be independently verified.... Oleksandr Shapoval, a renowned dancer at Ukraine's National Opera ballet, was killed in combat in eastern Ukraine.... Kyiv and Moscow appear interested in an agreement on a safety zone around Europe's largest nuclear plant, according to Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog."

Isabelle Khurshudyan, et al., of the Washington Post: "Blue-and-yellow flags were raised in more liberated towns and villages in northeast Ukraine on Monday, as the stunning counteroffensive that pushed Russia into a messy retreat boosted optimism at home and abroad over a potential turning point in the war, and renewed international calls to send Ukraine more weapons in hopes of hastening Russia's defeat. The lightning push by Ukrainian forces, in which they recaptured in a matter of days nearly all of the Kharkiv region occupied since the early days of the war last winter, left Moscow reeling. Despite the setback, the Kremlin and its proxies insisted that the war would go on until ... Vladimir Putin's goals are achieved, and they blamed NATO and the United States for Ukraine's refusal to surrender."

Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "More than 40 local elected officials across Russia signed a two-sentence petition on Monday that ended with: 'We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the post of president of the Russian Federation!' The petition, pushed by opponents of the Ukraine invasion, had no practical impact, and it was roundly ignored in Russia's state-controlled media. But it was striking in its very existence, showing that despite the Kremlin's extraordinary crackdown on dissent, Ukraine's counteroffensive successes have left opponents of President Vladimir V. Putin newly emboldened -- and his supporters looking for someone else to blame.... On Russian state television, where criticism of the Kremlin is rare, supporters of the war are increasingly pointing fingers over what they cast as a disorganized and insufficiently concerted invasion; others are raising the idea of suing for peace. With anger spreading over the embarrassing withdrawal of Russian troops from more than a thousand square miles of northeastern Ukraine, one senior lawmaker said in an interview that an 'urgent adjustment' to the war effort was needed." ~~~

~~~ Mary Ilyushina of the Washington Post: "A group of district council members in St. Petersburg..., Vladimir Putin's hometown, called for the Russian leader to be charged with treason and removed from office in a rare but brazen protest against the war in Ukraine.... A day after the resolution against Putin was made public, a local police station told the lawmakers they were facing legal charges 'due to actions aimed at discrediting the current Russian government.' The district council's statement came in the form of a request to the Russian parliament, the State Duma, and asserted that Putin's decision to invade Ukraine on Feb. 24 led to a massive loss of life, turned countless Russian men into disabled veterans, hindered the national economy, and fast-tracked NATO's eastward expansion." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

United Kingdom

Severin Carrell of the Guardian: "King Charles III has pledged he will 'seek always the welfare of our country' as he addressed Scotland's nationalist-led parliament for the first time as monarch.... His appearance was part of an intensely emotional day for the King, which began at Westminster with an address to MPs and peers with a similar pledge of 'selfless duty'. In Edinburgh several hours later, he had walked more than a kilometre through the medieval old town behind the Queen's hearse, from the royal family's official home in Scotland, the palace of Holyroodhouse, to a service at St Giles' Cathedral. The queen's coffin will lie at rest in the cathedral overnight until late on Tuesday afternoon, to allow mourners and well-wishers to pay their respects." Includes video. MB: Charles is a surprisingly good speaker, and his speechwriters are to be commended for hitting the right notes. He's a quick-change artist, as well: he had changed to a kilt for the the Scottish ceremonies. As Ken W. points out in today's Comments, Charles can afford good speechwriters; see NYT story, linked below.

Charles Keyton, et al., of the AP: "As Queen Elizabeth II's four children walked silently behind, a hearse carried her flag-draped coffin along a crowd-lined street in the Scottish capital Monday to a cathedral, where a service of thanksgiving hailed the late monarch as a 'constant in all of our lives for over 70 years.'... A military bagpiper played as her oak coffin, draped in the red-and-yellow Royal Standard of Scotland, was borne from the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.... King Charles III, dressed in army uniform, and Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward walked behind as the hearse traveled to St. Giles' Cathedral, flanked by a bearer party of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and a detachment of the Royal Company of Archers, the king's ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jane Bradley & Euan Ward of the New York Times: "Charles, who formally acceded to the British throne on Saturday, spent half a century turning his royal estate into a billion-dollar portfolio and one of the most lucrative moneymakers in the royal family business.... Over the past decade, he has assembled a large team of professional managers who increased his portfolio's value and profits by about 50 percent.... [His] 130,000-acre real estate portfolio [-- centered on the Duchy of Cornwall --] is nearly the size of Chicago and generates millions of dollars a year in rental income. The conglomerate's holdings are valued at roughly $1.4 billion, compared with around $949 million in the late queen's private portfolio. These two estates represent a small fraction of the royal family's estimated $28 billion fortune. On top of that, the family has personal wealth that remains a closely guarded secret. As king, Charles will take over his mother's portfolio and inherit a share of this untold personal fortune. While British citizens normally pay around 40 percent inheritance tax, King Charles gets this tax free. And he will pass control of his duchy to his elder son, William, to develop further without having to pay corporate taxes."

News Ledes

CNBC: “Inflation rose more than expected in August as rising shelter and food costs offset a drop in gas prices, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. The consumer price index, which tracks a broad swath of goods and services, increased 0.1% for the month and 8.3% over the past year. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, CPI rose 0.6% from July and 6.3% from the same month in 2021." ~~~

~~~ CNBC: “Stocks fell sharply on Tuesday after a key August inflation report came in hotter than expected, hurting investor optimism for cooling prices and a less aggressive Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 1,276.37 points, or 3.94%, to close at 31,104.97. The S&P 500 dropped 4.32% to 3,932.69, and the Nasdaq Composite sank 5.16% to end the day at 11,633.57."

New York Times: "Jean-Luc Godard, the daringly innovative director and provocateur whose unconventional camera work, disjointed narrative style and penchant for radical politics changed the course of filmmaking in the 1960s, leaving a lasting influence on it, has died. He was 91. President Emmanuel Macron of France confirmed Mr. Godard's death in a statement on social media on Tuesday, calling him the 'most iconoclastic' of New Wave filmmakers."

New York Times: "An uncrewed New Shepard rocket launched by Blue Origin -- the company started by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon -- malfunctioned on Monday, causing the rocket booster to crash. An emergency escape system took the capsule, which carried three dozen experiments, to safety. The flight, lifting off from Blue Origin's launch site in West Texas, did not have any people aboard. The rocket was the same design as New Shepard vehicles that have taken celebrities ... to the edge of space."