The Conversation -- August 22, 2024

Presidential Race

As Stephen Colbert says, "This is what locker-room talk is supposed to sound like": ~~~

~~~ Matt Viser & Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz formally accepted the Democratic vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday, in a night that was designed to introduce him to the country as a teacher and a football coach, a father and a husband, a former congressman and current governor who now could be the nation's No. 2.... He ticked through his biography: growing up in small-town Nebraska ('I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale'), joining the Army National Guard, and finding an occupation ('I fell in love with teaching'). He mentioned his run for political office, and the fertility treatments he and his wife relied upon.... The third day of the Democratic National Convention featured reproductive rights as a top issue..., and later in the evening included boisterous speeches from former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), former president Bill Clinton and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) -- and a surprise appearance from Oprah Winfrey. They used GOP nominee and former president Donald Trump's age against him, and they spoke more pointedly of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. They fixed their attention on GOP vice-presidential nominee JD Vance."

The full transcript of Walz's acceptance speech, as delivered, via the New York Times, is here. Axios has an as-delivered transcript here.

New York Times reporters live-updated the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night. Here are some of their entries & partial entries: ~~~

Katie Glueck: "One month ago today, President Biden dropped out of the presidential race, setting off a stunning chapter in American politics that is still being written."

Maggie Astor: "The proceedings are underway. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is speaking, starting his remarks with a tribute to Representative Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, who died today.... Mini Timmaraju, the president of the advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All -- previously NARAL -- notes the recent news that Arizona and Montana will have abortion-rights referendums on ballots this November."

Jazmine Ulloa: "'Here is a fact: When Latinos vote, Democrats win -- now everyone believes it so I brought receipts,' María Teresa Kumar, founding president and chief executive of Voto Latino, shouts as she takes the stage, pointing to wins in western states like Nevada and Colorado since 2008.... Representative Tom Suozzi of New York has offered one of the most sweeping speeches on immigration we have heard at the D.N.C., where the issue has been almost invisible. He acknowledged the contributions of immigrants, as well as the challenges that come with building an inclusive nation that welcomes people from all walks of life and ethnicities."

Astor: "Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who gave an energetic speech focused in large part on economic policies, has the potential to join a small group of Black woman who have served in the Senate."

Nicholas Fandos: "Representative Grace Meng of New York got bumped from Monday night's speaking slate when Democrats ran too far behind schedule. As one of the House's top Asian American Democrats, Meng has been an influential voice pushing her party to court fast-growing immigrant groups. But she focused her brief remarks on abortion rights...."

Maya King: "Remarks by Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida focused on the themes Democrats have underlined this week to contrast their record with Republicans: reproductive rights and the Project 2025 policy plan proposed by Trump allies. After criticizing changes to Florida's school curriculum that call for middle schoolers to be instructed on the so-called benefits of enslavement, she said it was an example of the Project 2025 proposal in action."

Mitch Smith: "The Minneota attorney general, Keith Ellison, said Gov. Tim Walz had shared his horror after seeing footage of a Minneapolis police officer murdering George Floyd in 2020. Walz appointed Ellison to lead the prosecution of the officer who killed Floyd." ~~~

~~~ Chris Cameron: Ellison's "son, Jeremiah Ellison, is a member of the Minneapolis City Council and an uncommitted delegate for Minnesota. 'There are people watching tonight,' Ellison said. 'And maybe even here tonight who are not sure yet about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. If you want to know where they stand on some of the most urgent issues facing our country and the world, let me assure you: Kamala and Tim hear you. They listen. They care.'"

Nick Corasaniti: "Dana Nessel, the attorney general of Michigan, offered an extensive endorsement of Harris, referring to their battles to protect abortion rights in their respective states, and issued a threat to the Supreme Court: 'You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand.'"

Nicholas Nehamas: "Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg -- the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American hostage in Hamas captivity -- received a sustained standing ovation as they took the stage. 'Bring them home,' the crowd chanted.... 'In a competition of pain, there are no winners,' Polin says about the loss of life among both Israelis and Palestinians. He calls for the release of the remaining hostages and an end to the 'suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza.'"

Ulloa: "Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas, speaking now, has been a close ally of President Biden's and is expected to chair the convention on Thursday.... As a congresswoman from a border state, she has also been a key voice on immigration, perhaps Democrats' most significant political vulnerability as they head into November.... Representative Pete Aguilar, a Democrat from California..., argues only Harris and Walz will fight for the American dream -- it's a powerful message for Latinos...."

Catie Edmondson: "Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is telling the story of how an improbable deal on a sweeping immigration reform bill, which would have effectively mandated that the border be shut down to migrants altogether when numbers reach unmanageable levels, was scuttled earlier this year after Trump demanded the bipartisan effort be killed. 'It would have had unanimous support if it weren't for Donald Trump,' Murphy says."

Jonathan Weisman: "Javier Salazar, the sheriff of Bexar County, Texas [-- San Antonio --], just finished attesting to his faith in Kamala Harris on the issue of the U.S.-Mexico border."

Ken Bensinger: "Carlos Eduardo Espina, an influencer who is speaking now..., [is] calling Donald Trump's policies on immigration 'downright un-American.' He cites Ronald Reagan to say that 'welcoming immigrants isn't a Democratic or Republican value, it's an American value.'"

Astor: Olivia Troye, a one-time adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, says, "'You aren't voting for a Democrat; you're voting for democracy.... You aren't betraying our party; you're standing up for our country.'"

Corasaniti: Geoff Duncan [R], the former lieutenant governor of Georgia, "received perhaps the loudest ovation I've heard so far tonight. His line directed at Republicans who don't vote for Trump -- 'You're not a Democrat. You're a patriot.' -- sent the arena into a frenzy."

Weisman: "A shocking, violent Jan. 6 video ended with the words 'If elected, he will never be held accountable.' The crowd broke into a chant of 'Lock him up.'"

King: "Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who led the congressional proceedings investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, tied the day's violence to the racial violence his father experienced as a Black man in the Deep South."

Edmondson: Aquilino Gonell, a Capitol police officer who was severely injured on January 6, said, "'I was assaulted with a pole attached to the American flag.... President Trump summoned our attackers, incited them. He betrayed us.'... Representative Andy Kim of New Jersey, who in the wee hours of Jan. 7 was captured in a photo kneeling alone in the Capitol Rotunda, picking up trash left behind by rioters who had stormed the building..., [says,] 'What I learned on Jan. 6 is that all of us are caretakers for our great republic.'"

Bensinger: "Olivia Julianna is the second social media influencer -- or content creator, as the D.N.C. is calling them -- to speak tonight.... A reproductive rights activist from Texas with a big social media following, she encourages those in Gen-Z to vote to make their voices heard, saying, 'If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.'"

Corasaniti: "Stevie Wonder called on the delegates to reject 'hate and division' to get to a 'higher ground,' a nod to one of his biggest hits, 'Higher Ground.' He then walked over to the keys for a performance of the song."

Astor: "Every night, the Democrats have sent at least one person out with an oversize replica of the Heritage Foundation's 'Project 2025' blueprint for a Republican presidential administration. Tonight, the comedian Kenan Thompson is taking a turn. 'You ever seen a document that can kill a small animal and end democracy at the same time?' he says. 'Here it is.'" ~~~

~~~ Corasaniti: "He likened Project 2025 to a lengthy 'terms and conditions' contract when downloading a new app...." [MB: It isn't easy to present a 900+ page in a way that will retain the attention of thousands of partygoers, but Democrats figured out how to do it. IMO, Thompson's bit -- in which he cited chapter and verse of the right-wing manifesto to a few individual Americans who would suffer from the consequences -- was quite funny.]

Jess Bidgood: "Mindy Kaling is onstage, where she jokes that she is the woman who 'courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian' in an online cooking video." ~~~

~~~ Alyce McFadden: "Kaling described a cooking video she made in 2019 with Kamala Harris, which has been watched more than 6.5 million times.... She said, Harris 'made sure that my daughter heard how good of a cook I am. She was complimenting me every step of the way." [MB: You can watch the video here.]

Bidgood: "There is a big cheer in the United Center as [House Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries almost (but not quite!) quotes Taylor Swift. 'There is no reason for us to ever get back together,' he says of Donald Trump."

Maggie Haberman: "Bill Clinton takes the stage, basking in the applause in the hall."

Bidgood: "'Let's cut to the chase. I am too old to gild the lily. Two days ago, I turned 78,' Bill Clinton says -- before pointing out that he is still younger than Donald Trump. It's a big applause line in here."

Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear I checked this three times. Even I couldn't believe it. What's the score? Democrats 50, Republicans one. -- President Bill Clinton ~~~

~~~ Reid Epstein: "We can see the teleprompter from the press seats in the upper deck, and Bill Clinton does not appear to be sticking to the prepared remarks.... Clinton's extended riff that since the end of the Cold War, Democratic presidents have created 50 million new jobs while Republicans have created one million is a testament to just how many jobs were lost during the financial crisis that hit in the last year of George W. Bush's presidency and the pandemic that crushed the economy in Trump's last year."

Haberman: "If the delegates are upset with [Nancy] Pelosi's role in pushing [President] Biden to leave the race, they had a funny way of showing it: She was greeted by intense applause."

Weisman: "Anyone who watched the Herculean efforts of Nancy Pelosi to shepherd Biden's legislative achievements through Congress understands the humility involved in her giving the president credit for those laws."

Corasaniti: "Pelosi focused heavily on the Jan. 6 riot. Rioters that day sought to break into her office, threateningly shouting her name in the halls. The third night at the convention has focused heavily on Jan. 6, foreshadowing what will be common footage in attack ads this fall." [MB: Pelosi cited the national anthem in describing how Democrats saved the nation from Trump's insurrection & held the roll call certification early in the morning of January 7, giving "proof through the night that our flag was still there." The lyrics, as you know, come from a poem by Francis Scott Key, which he wrote after witnessing the British bomb Fort McHenry (in Baltimore) during the War of 1812. Pelosi's reference to an anthem commemorating the successful defense against a U.S. enemy puts Trump's treason in stark relief.]

Edmondson: "Lateefah Simon, who is speaking now, is the choice of the House Democratic leadership to replace Representative Barbara Lee, the veteran progressive lawmaker from the Bay Area."

Rogers: "Tony West, Kamala Harris's brother-in-law..., is also a key adviser to Harris."

Carl Hulse: "Catherine Cortez Masto, the Nevada senator now speaking, is a close ally of Harris from their time when both served as attorney general in their adjoining states."

Nehamas: "Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who was nearly picked by Vice President Kamala Harris to join her ticket, just belatedly took the stage."

Bidgood: "Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate, has begun speaking. She is set to deliver a new poem called 'The Sacred Scene.'"

Weisman: "A big Chicago roar for the city's own Oprah Winfrey." ~~~

~~~ Michael Grynbaum: "This surprise appearance by Winfrey was carefully kept under wraps by convention organizers (even as word began to leak out earlier this afternoon). For her rehearsal in the United Center, Winfrey wore a hat, sunglasses and a face mask, according to her friend Gayle King, who relayed the story on CBS. When she said hello to Nancy Pelosi, the congresswoman did not know who she was." ~~~

~~~ Bidgood: "Winfrey, one of the most famous women in America, made an explicit appeal to independent voters. [Winfrey said she was a registered independent.] This is an attempt to reach well beyond the Democrats who are gathered here, or who would show up at a Harris rally."

Bidgood: "Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland just stepped to the lectern. Moore, who was elected in 2022, is a devoted and energetic Harris campaign surrogate who is seen as a rising figure in his party."

Epstein: "Pete Buttigieg is introduced in the hall as 'former South Bend, Ind., mayor,' and not his current designation, the secretary of transportation."

Bidgood: "Wes Moore drew on his military service repeatedly during his speech -- he is an Army combat veteran who was deployed in Afghanistan. Now Pete Buttigieg has mentioned his deployment to Afghanistan. Both men are highlighting their military service at a time when Gov. Tim Walz, who is set to speak soon, has been attacked by Republicans over his own record of service in the National Guard."

Haberman: Sen. Amy "Klobuchar is extolling Walz's virtues, including his military service. This is a topic that the Trump team has spent weeks on, despite the fact that Walz is not at the top of the ticket." ~~~

~~~ Bidgood: "A hunter in a deer stand. A dad in plaid. Senator Amy Klobuchar's descriptions of Walz are a reminder of how Democrats are using him to try to offer an alternative to the hypermasculinity of Hulk Hogan and Dana White that was on display at the Republican convention."

Lisa Lerer: "Walz's football team just walked out to the high school fight song. They are now middle-aged men."

Corasaniti: "If there was any lingering doubt about the desire to promote Walz's rural roots, his walk-up song was 'Small Town' by John Mellancamp."

Haberman: "Walz is also underscoring why Harris felt confident in her choice. Shapiro's speech, with his Obama-esque affect, sounded very polished. Walz is folksy and compelling."

Rogers: "'I haven't given a lot of big speeches like this, but I have given a lot of pep talks,' Walz says..., throwing in multiple football references. 'It's our job to get in the trenches and do the blocking and tackling.'" ~~~

~~~ Weisman: "Walz adds a bit of realism to the joy, trying to tamp down overconfidence that sometimes feels as if it's running rampant in the United Center. 'It's the fourth quarter. We're down a field goal,' he said, 'but we're on offense.'"

⭐Boomerang! Michael Bender, in a post from the NYT liveblog: "... Donald J. Trump's campaign saw an opportunity on Wednesday to further question Gov. Tim Walz's military record. But the attack backfired when a campaign letter contained some of the same types of blunders that it accused the Democrat of making. The Trump campaign released a letter on Wednesday morning signed by 50 Republican members of Congress, all of whom have served in the military, attacking Mr. Walz ... as unfit for office because of misstatements he has made about his service record.... VoteVets, a veteran group that typically supports Democrats, quickly pointed out that more than half of the 50 Republican members of Congress who signed the letter as retired service members had not actually served long enough to qualify for that designation. Military rules require 20 years of service or a medical exception to formally retire or otherwise be known as a former service member. The letter also included a higher rank for one lawmaker than the military recognizes, an error that even more closely aligns to Mr. Walz's misstatements. Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas was demoted postretirement to captain by the Navy after a Pentagon investigation found he had committed misconduct on the job, but the letter identified him as a retired rear admiral." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "... Trump's campaign reissued the letter hours later after a Democratic veterans group raised issues with how it characterized the military experience of many of the lawmakers. [Besides more than half of the letter's signators falsely claiming to be military retirees,] the letter also included at least two GOP congressmen -- Reps. Ronny Jackson and Troy E. Nehls, both from Texas -- who have faced scrutiny over their own military records, including how they have portrayed their service. The revised letter removed the veterans' titles and all references to retirement.... Nehls has drawn criticism, including from fellow Republicans, for his use of a military badge that the Army revoked from his record last year. Nehls has denied accusations of stolen valor and said he disagrees with the revocation...."

Julie Bosman & Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "The Chicago police arrested at least 55 people, including three journalists, at a protest outside the city's Israeli consulate on Tuesday night, officials said on Wednesday as they prepared for a fourth day of demonstrations surrounding the Democrati National Convention. Police officials described the pro-Palestinian protest on Tuesday as violent and a threat to the city, and said officers tried to de-escalate the situation before making arrests. Several dozen demonstrators angry over the war in Gaza chanted, made speeches and scuffled with police officers in front of a downtown office tower that houses the consulate. The consulate was never breached."

Eat Your Heart (Assuming You Have One) Out, Donald. Katie Campione of Deadline: "The second night of the Democratic National Convention saw just a slight lift in viewership as 20.8M people tuned in across 12 networks, according to Nielsen. That's about half a million more than the first night, once again besting the audience for the Republican National Convention, which suffered from a steep decline to just 14.8M viewers in its second night."

Simon Levien & Michael Gold of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump returned to form on Wednesday with an outdoor speech in North Carolina, where he insisted that he would not giveup persona attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris and continued to sow doubts about the integrity of the election in November.... He called former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 'crazy,' labeled Ms. Harris both 'stupid' and a 'Marxist or a communist' and said former President Barack Obama was 'nasty.'... As he insisted that he could end the war in Ukraine just by being elected, Mr. Trump portrayed his victory as a forgone conclusion that could be stymied only by electoral fraud.... 'Kamala and Biden have marched us to the brink of World War III,' Mr. Trump said.... Mr. Trump insisted that he would rid the military of 'woke' leadership and that he would demand the resignations of 'every single senior military official' involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal, in which 13 American service members were killed.... Mr. Trump, who while president banned transgender people from serving in the military, mocked transgender troops as unfit to serve." The reporters outline new security measures in place at the rally. The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Looks like a crowd of hundreds, Donald.

Isaac Arnsdorf, et al. of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump introduced a new premise for doubting the election results in advance on Wednesday, turning routine professional revisions of government economic statistics into a baseless allegation of political manipulation.... Without presenting any evidence, he accused the Biden-Harris administration of 'manipulating job statistics' and trying to prevent the disclosure of the updated figures until after the election.... 'There's never been any revision like this,' Trump said incorrectly, during a speech here that his campaign intended to focus on national security. 'They wanted it to come out after the election, but somehow it got leaked.'" Related stories on the revision linked in yesterday's News Ledes & below.

This Is Rich. Irie Sentner of Politico: "... Donald Trump responded Wednesday to the Obamas' heated criticism of him at the Democratic National Convention, casting their 'personal' attacks as reason to justify his own behavior. 'Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night taking little shots? He was taking shots at your president and so was Michelle,' Trump said at a campaign rally in Asheboro, North Carolina. 'You know, they always say, "Sir, please stick to policy, don't get personal," but they're getting personal all night, these people.'... Trump was responding to former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama';s speeches Tuesday night at the DNC, where they abandoned their 2016 call for their party to 'go high' above inflammatory insults and animated the convention with a venomous rebuke of the former president.... That's been a growing trend among Democrats, who started to stray from their political politesse after Trump won in 2016 and appear to have deserted it entirely this cycle as the Harris campaign issues snarky press releases, digs against its 'weird' competitors and couch jokes aimed at taunting Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance."

Trump v. Harris = Hate v. Hope. Marc Caputo of the Bulwark: "'This is just the way I am. I hate my opponent. I hate my opponents,' Trump told a confidant who advised the former president to consider backing away from calling the vice president 'stupid' or 'dumb' at their high-profile standoff in a few weeks, which he has done repeatedly. Trump explained to the confidant that he's treating [Vice President] Harris the same way he did Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. 'Hillary, Joe, Kamala. It doesn't matter. I just hate them.'"

Tatiana Tenreyro of the Hollywood Reporter: "Donald Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung seemed to take a shot at the Republican's Democratic rival in the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris, by using her campaign song, Beyoncé's 'Freedom,' in a social media post.... Despite concerns raised in the comments about potential copyright infringement, the video remained online until Tuesday night when The Hollywood Reporter noticed the post had been removed from the platform. Earlier on Wednesday, Rolling Stone had reported that Beyoncé's team threatened to send a cease-and-desist to the Trump campaign over the use of the song, which they reportedly did not receive permission for.... This incident comes days after the former president and Republican nominee was called out by Celine Dion and Isaac Hayes' estate for unauthorized use of their music."

Kristen Holmes, et al., of CNN: "Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to suspend his campaign on Friday at an event in Arizona, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN. There are current talks between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's team and Kennedy's orbit for the independent candidate to endorse the former president and appear at Trump's Phoenix-area rally that same night, the source said.... Kennedy's campaign announced earlier Wednesday that he will make a speech in Phoenix, saying he would 'address the nation' Friday morning, but it did not share details of what he will be speaking about. Kennedy's speech will come days after his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said in a podcast interview on Tuesday that the campaign is considering whether to 'join forces' with Trump to prevent the 'risk' of Vice President Kamala Harris winning the election." The New York Times story is here.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. As the Worms Turn. Ann Laurie of Balloon Juice: "Having spent the last many years gleefully attacking Democrats and rewarding Republicans, Our Very Serious Mainstream Media cannot believe that the people in charge of the Democratic National Convention are treating them as a caste somewhere between Nuisance and Adversary[.]" It seems the DNC had reduced the number of seats for credentialed media AND the electrical connections were not to the New York Times staff's standards. Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ The article by Max Tani, writing for Semafor is here. It is titled, "A friendly media grows grumbly in Chicago." MB: Frankly, I think this is a story with two sides, and the MSM may not be entirely wrong here. What seems to be upsetting them most is that "media access" now includes social media influencers, and these non-journos are taking up butt-space formerly allocated to the bona fide lords of the press and reliable interpreters of all they observe.

Ben Casselman & Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "A number of Wall Street investment firms obtained details about [a revised Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs] report -- which showed a large downward revision to job growth in 2023 and early 2024 -- at least 15 minutes before the information was posted on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. That head start could, at least in theory, have given in-the-know investors an opportunity to profit on the information before the public at large.... The episode was the latest in a series of incidents in which the agency provided information to investors that wasn't available to the general public.... In an email statement late Wednesday, Cody Parkinson, a Bureau of Labor Statistics spokesman, said the agency had notified the Labor Department's inspector general of the incident. He said the delayed release had been 'unintended,' but he did not explain the cause or how some people had received the data sooner." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Not sure how an employee could "accidentally" send a report to a few of his favorite friends.

Jessica Ogilvie & Perry Stein of the Washington Post: “Lawyers for Hunter Biden sparred with prosecutors in federal court [in Los Angeles] Wednesday over what evidence should be allowed in his tax trial next month, giving a glimpse into what sordid details could be revealed about the lavish spending and sex life of the president's son while he was addicted to drugs.The trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Sept. 5 and opening statements on Sept. 9, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi said. Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they expect the trial to take up to eight days in court, plus two days for jury selection." MB: Luckily for Hunter, the trial will probably not garner the breathless coverage it would have received had his father still been a candidate for re-election.

And now we turn to the latest news about criminals & alleged traitors connected to Donald Trump & his crime organization: ~~~

     ~~~ There's This. Steven Myers & Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "The Department of Justice has begun a broad criminal investigation into Americans who have worked with Russia's state television networks, signaling an aggressive effort to combat the Kremlin's influence operations leading up to the presidential election in November, according to American officials briefed on the inquiry. This month, F.B.I. agents searched the homes of two prominent figures with connections to Russian state media: Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector and critic of American foreign policy, and Dimitri K. Simes, an adviser to ... Donald J. Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016. Prosecutors have not announced charges against either of the men. More searches are expected soon, some of the officials said...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So an advisor to Donald Trump might be a Russian pro-Russia influencer. I'm so surprised. ~~~

     ~~~ And This. Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Ever since Donald J. Trump issued a series of pardons and commutations as he left office, he and his allies have defended his administration's vetting of clemency candidates.... But the case of one of those convicts -- a New York drug dealer and predatory lender named Jonathan Braun, who had a history of violence and faced an array of other legal problems -- has stood out and raised doubts about how rigorous the vetting was. On Tuesday, the police on Long Island arrested Mr. Braun after he allegedly punched his 75-year-old father-in-law in the head. Mr. Braun struck his father-in-law twice as he tried to protect his daughter from Mr. Braun..., according to the Nassau County District Attorney's office. Mr. Braun's wife, according to court documents, told police that Mr. Braun had assaulted her twice in the past five weeks.... Mr. Braun was among a parade of convicts who used connections, money and influence to seek pardons from Mr. Trump, who ran an often ad hoc process for considering clemency requests, largely bypassing an established Justice Department system." Read on; the guy is a one-man crime spree. Oh, and that nice Jared Kushner was behind the commutation of his sentence. ~~~

     ~~~ And This. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The former lawyer for the Oath Keepers militia pleaded guilty on Wednesday to advising members of the far-right group to illegally delete their text messages after the violent mob attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. At a hearing in Federal District Court in Washington, the lawyer, Kellye SoRelle, admitted to charges that included tampering with evidence and illegally entering and remaining in a restricted area of the Capitol grounds. After Donald J. Trump lost the 2020 election, Ms. SoRelle, who is based in Texas, had close ties to the 'Stop the Steal' movement, which claimed that Mr. Trump had been cheated out of a victory in his run against Joseph R. Biden Jr. She also served as the general counsel of the Oath Keepers and had a romantic relationship with the militia's leader and founder, Stewart Rhodes, who was found guilty at a trial in Washington of seditious conspiracy for his role in the attack and sentenced to 18 years in prison." ~~~

     ~~~ And Finally a Bit of Attention to This. Carl Gibson of AlterNet: "... Donald Trump may have called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss a potential ceasefire deal with Hamas that President Joe Biden's administration is currently negotiating. Now, experts are saying Trump may have committed a felony. Newsweek reported that two anonymous 'U.S. sources who were briefed on the call' confirmed to Axios that Trump spoke with Netanyahu. And according to the New Republic and PBS, the former president reportedly urged Netanyahu to reject the deal currently on the table. The Israeli prime minister's office has denied reports that Trump spoke with him, and the Trump campaign hasn't publicly commented on whether the call actually took place. A private citizen engaging in diplomatic conversations with foreign governments is a violation of the Logan Act of 1799.... However, no one has been successfully prosecuted under the Logan Act...."

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Florida Election Results. Andrew Atterbury of Politico: "Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempt to elect conservative-leaning school board members across Florida hit a snag Tuesday, as candidates backed by the Republican governor fell in several key races. DeSantis, who has made reshaping Florida's education system a top priority, endorsed 23 candidates ahead of Tuesday's election. And as of late Tuesday night, at least 11 appear to have lost. That is a notable downturn from 2022, when DeSantis saw a runaway success: Of the 30 he endorsed two years ago, just five lost."

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times is live-updating developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war.

⭐Vivian Yee & Bilal Shbair of the New York Times: "The war in Gaza is taking children from parents and parents from children, undoing the natural order of things, rupturing the basic unit of Gazan life. It is making so many orphans in such chaos that no agency or aid group can count them. Medical staff say children are left to roam hospital hallways and fend for themselves after being rushed there bloodied and alone -- 'wounded child, no surviving family,' some hospitals label them. Neonatal units house babies whom no one has come to claim.... Using a statistical method drawn from analyzing other wars, United Nations experts estimate that at least 19,000 children are now surviving apart from their parents...."

News Lede

Washington Post: "The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered from the wreckage of a sunken yacht off Sicily's coast, an Italian government official said Thursday, speaking on the condition of anonymity in keeping with protocol. The British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members roughly half a mile from the Sicilian fishing village of Porticello when it encountered what authorities called a 'violent storm' about 4 a.m. Monday. Fifteen people were rescued shortly after the sinking and the body of the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered during initial search efforts."

The Conversation -- August 21, 2024

Say, Donald, you know those 15,000 Democrats who gathered to see Kamala & Tim rally in Milwaukee? And those 23,000 Democrats who cheered on Kamala & Tim at the convention in Chicago? Well, there were another several thousand at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, and they are laughing in your fat face: ~~~

As the Worms Turn. Ann Laurie of Balloon Juice: "Having spent the last many years gleefully attacking Democrats and rewarding Republicans, Our Very Serious Mainstream Media cannot believe that the people in charge of the Democratic National Convention are treating them as a caste somewhere between Nuisance and Adversary[.]" It seems the DNC had reduced the number of seats for credentialed media AND the electrical connections were not to the New York Times staff's standards. Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ The article by Max Tani, writing for Semafor is here. It is titled, "A friendly media grows grumbly in Chicago." MB: Frankly, I think this is a story with two sides, and the MSM may not be entirely wrong here. What seems to be upsetting them most is that "media access" now includes social media influencers, and these non-journos are taking up butt-space formerly allocated to the bona fide lords of the press and reliable interpreters of all they observe.

Florida Election Results. Andrew Atterbury of Politico: "Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempt to elect conservative-leaning school board members across Florida hit a snag Tuesday, as candidates backed by the Republican governor fell in several key races. DeSantis, who has made reshaping Florida's education system a top priority, endorsed 23 candidates ahead of Tuesday's election. And as of late Tuesday night, at least 11 appear to have lost. That is a notable downturn from 2022, when DeSantis saw a runaway success: Of the 30 he endorsed two years ago, just five lost."

The New York Times is live-updating developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war.

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "The his-and-hers marquee convention speeches by the 45th president of the United States and the former first lady fired up the partisan crowd. Speaking back- to-back over the course of an hour, the Obamas reminded Democrats of a past era of hope and change while electrifying a convention after a ceremonial roll call nominated Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota for vice president." MB: Might be worth reading just because this is one time Baker doesn't "both-sides" his subjects. For once, there's not a "but" in his analysis. See Akhilleus's comments below. ~~~

Nicholas Nehamas & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Democrats managed to be in two places at once on Tuesday night, holding a ceremonial roll-call vote at their Chicago convention to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris as their party's nominee, while she herself rallied supporters roughly 80 miles north in Milwaukee. Ms. Harris's choice to appear in Milwaukee, the largest city in a crucial battleground state, was intentional and pointed: She stood onstage in the same arena where ... Donald J. Trump accepted the Republican nomination last month. For much of the evening in Milwaukee, the Harris campaign used the arena's Jumbotron to pipe in the events taking place in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention. But after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California announced his state's votes for Ms. Harris, ending the roll call of 57 states and territories, Ms. Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, marched onto the stage in Milwaukee.... The Milwaukee rally was just the latest event at which the Harris campaign filled a major arena with Democrats.... The campaign said about 15,000 people attended the rally in Milwaukee, and the 23,500-person convention hall in Chicago was packed."

The New York Times' live updates of events Tuesday in the Democratic National Convention are here: A few entries & partial entries follow: ~~~

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs & Julie Bosman: "Chicago was preparing for more protests on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, including a demonstration expected on Tuesday evening outside of the Consulate of Israel. A large protest march on Monday drew thousands of people, but fewer than organizers had expected. City officials said on Tuesday that they had made 13 arrests since the demonstrations began, including a small group of people who tried to breach a security gate not far from the United Center where the convention is being held."

Maggie Astor: "Malcolm Kenyatta, a state representative in Pennsylvania, is filling the role that State Senator Mallory McMorrow of Michigan filled last night: taking to the stage with an oversize prop version of the Heritage Foundation's 'Project 2025' and highlighting proposals within it."

Chris Cameron: "Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary for Donald Trump, is now speaking on the main convention stage. The audience appeared to give her a tepid welcome as she approached the lectern, with some polite applause and scattered boos.... Nabela Noor, a social media influencer selected to speak at the convention, is sharing her story of fertility issues and her use of IVF."

Carl Hulse: "Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, chairman of the Democratic Party's Senate campaign arm, brought dozens of Teamsters on stage to underscore the party's commitment to protecting union benefits." ~~~

~~~ Cameron: "Senator Gary Peters ... has the crowd fired up with his pro-union message and warnings of a second Trump administration. 'If they win, working people like my friends from the Teamsters will pay the price,' Peters said." ~~~

~~~ Astor: "Ken Stribling, a retired member of the Teamsters union, credited the Biden-Harris administration with saving his pension through the pandemic relief bill President Biden signed in 2021. There has been some dissent within the union lately: Its president spoke at the Republican National Convention, and it hasn't issued an endorsement, but its National Black Caucus endorsed Kamala Harris last week."

Jonathan Weisman: "The torch has definitely been passed, with the grandsons of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy addressing the delegates about past and future...."

Adam Nagourney: "'Today, J.F.K.'s call for action is now ours to answer,' said Jack Schlossberg, 31. He is the only grandson of Mr. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. 'Because once again, the torch has been passed to a new generation.' Jason Carter, a 49-year-old lawyer and politician, said that his grandfather, who is 99 and in hospice care, 'can't wait to vote for Kamala Harris.... Kamala Harris carries my grandfather's legacy, 'he said. She knows what is right, and she fights for it.'"

Nicholas Nehamas: "Vice President Kamala Harris has touched down in Milwaukee for her rally tonight, but many of Wisconsin's most prominent Democrats are staying in Chicago for the Democratic convention.... In Milwaukee, a Harris campaign staff member just told the crowd here that Harris's speech would be broadcast at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.... Here in Milwaukee, there are thousands of people in this basketball arena dancing out of their seats to hip-hop, Taylor Swift remixes and Latin pop. Attendees were given electronic wristbands that flash red, white and blue, creating a pulsating rhythm of color in the stands as they wave their arms.... It is still striking how different the atmosphere is from President Biden's small, low-energy events."

Cameron: "The Democratic convention is now starting a ceremonial roll call vote of the convention delegates. The crowd is roaring its approval with every state that casts a vote to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris.... Music is infusing the whole roll-call ceremony with a concert-like energy. It has been a mix of many different genres and types of artists, celebrating the diversity of America's people and its culture."

Astor: "A reminder that while these convention roll call votes normally have concrete significance -- formalizing the presidential and vice-presidential nominations -- this one is entirely ceremonial. The official vote happened virtually earlier this month to avoid any possibility of legal trouble with Ohio's ballot access deadline."

Astor: "The primaries produced some uncommitted delegates related to pro-Palestinian campaigns against President Biden's support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Those votes are being announced as 'present' in an unassuming way before the presenter for each state quickly moves on to announcing the larger number of delegate votes for Kamala Harris.... The uncommitted delegates come from some voters who chose, essentially, a 'none of the above' option in the Democratic primaries as a protest vote."

Maya King: "If there was any question that Georgia Democrats lacked enthusiasm -- or a taste for the spotlight -- the rapper Lil Jon offered the state's roll-call response, complete with a performance of 'Turn Down for What.'" ~~~

~~~ Cameron: "Lil Jon is now making a surprise performance on the convention floor.... 'We're not going back,' Lil Jon sings, prompting a chant and raucous cheers from the crowd."

Nehamas: "Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota just took the stage here at the Harris rally in Milwaukee, after the feed from the convention in Chicago abruptly cut off in the middle of the ceremonial roll call.... Walz reminds the crowd that the Republican convention took place at this very arena in Milwaukee four weeks ago, prompting loud boos. 'They were feeling good,' Walz said of Republicans. 'This thing was over. Well, trust me, Milwaukee, a hell of a lot can change in four weeks!'... Gov. Tim Walz is taunting Donald Trump and the Republicans now here in Milwaukee. 'Not only do we have massive energy at our convention, we've got a hell of a lot more energy at where they had their convention!'"

Nehamas: "Kamala Harris is joined on the stage by her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, as her campaign anthem, 'Freedom' by Beyoncé, blares across the arena."

Reid Epstein: "Kamala Harris, in Milwaukee, announced the completion of the roll call in Chicago. 'We are so honored to be your nominees,' she said. 'Together we will chart a new way forward.'"

Astor: "Back in Chicago, Ana Navarro has taken the stage. She is known as a Republican strategist, but she broke from the party over Donald Trump and has become a vocal Trump critic. Her appearance at the Democratic convention is part of a continuing emphasis on Republican supporters of Harris.... Navarro is hitting back at Trump's descriptions of Harris's proposed policies as 'communist.' She notes that she was born in Nicaragua and that she is familiar with communist dictators, and she says it is Trump -- with, for example, his refusal to accept his election loss -- who reminds her of them."

Hulse: "Senator Chuck Schumer dances onto the stage to make his pitch for the vice president."

Cameron: "There is intense applause as Senator Bernie Sanders takes the stage.... Sanders just drew the loudest applause line of his speech as he called for an end to the war in Gaza. 'We must end this horrific war in Gaza,' Sanders said. 'Bring home the hostages and demand an immediate cease-fire.'"

Astor: "Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois denounces Republicans for calling Black and Latino people 'D.E.I. hires,' a line some have used against Kamala Harris, implying that she got where she is only because of her race. Americans 'want to get promoted at work without being derided as a D.E.I. hire for the sin of being successful while not white,' he says."

Theodore Schleiffer: "Ken Chenault, the former chief executive of American Express..., is making the case that the pro-business argument for Harris is not about pecuniary interests like the capital gains rate, but about the rule of law."

Astor: Gov. "Lujan Grisham [N.M.] is talking about health care, after a short video that highlighted various times Donald Trump called for repealing the Affordable Care Act."

Hulse: "Angela Alsobrooks [-- Maryland's Democratic candidate for U.S. senator --] is empha[si]zing her working-class roots and talking about how she was inspired by Kamala Harris, whom she met 14 years ago while running for prosecutor in the Maryland suburbs of Washington."

Astor: "As a lifelong Republican, 'I feel a little out of place tonight, but I feel more at home here than in today's Republican Party,' Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Ariz., says, calling the Republican Party a cult dedicated to Donald Trump."

Bosman: "Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a military veteran who relied on I.V.F. to conceive her two daughters, is attacking Donald Trump on both of those fronts, calling him a 'five-time draft-dodging coward' who is on an 'anti-woman crusade.'... A big applause line for Duckworth: 'Send a message to old Cadet Bone Spurs: Stay out of our doctors' offices, and, while you're at it, out of the Oval Office, too.'"

Rogers: "The video introducing Doug Emhoff, narrated by his son, Cole, is filled with highlights from his life and the sort of light ribbing only a son can provide.... 'We might not look like other families in the White House, but we are ready to represent all families in America,' Cole Emhoff concludes."

Astor: "Doug Emhoff is poking fun at the bumbling voicemail he left for Kamala Harris the first time he called her -- which, he says, Harris saved and makes him listen to every anniversary."

Nagourney: "Doug Emhoff credits Kamala Harris for making him pick up the battle against antisemitism. He talked about taking the bus to Hebrew school, the plastic on his grandmother's living room furniture in Brooklyn, and Harris cooking brisket for Passover. These are all touchstones for Jewish viewers."

Weisman: "One of Doug Emhoff's tasks tonight was to lean into his Judaism and to make clear that Donald Trump's attacks on Harris as somehow hating Jews would have no power. He did that, saying both he and his wife have fought antisemitism, that Harris joins him at synagogue on the High Holy Days and that he accompanies her to church on Easter."

Rogers: "Michelle Obama, one of the biggest superstars in her party, takes the stage to Stevie Wonder and thunderous applause.... She is in mourning, framing her remarks in the context of reaching for hope through despair. She begins by giving a tribute to her mother, Marian Robinson, who died in May.... 'The last time I was here in my hometown,' she says, 'was to memorialize my mother, the woman who showed me the meaning of hard work and humility and decency, the woman who set my moral compass high and showed me the power of my own voice.'... 'No one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American -- no one,' Michelle Obama says, her voice strong and clear.... 'She [Harris] understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward.... The affirmative action of generational wealth.... If we see a mountain in front of us, we don't expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top.'... 'Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those "Black jobs"?' Michelle Obama asks of Donald Trump, turning one of his lines back on him."

Haberman: "Michelle Obama is giving a sharp, focused speech extolling the background of Kamala Harris. It's one of the best-delivered speeches of this convention so far."

Nagourney: "Michelle Obama;s speech might be remembered as the most effective takedown we've heard of Donald Trump yet here."

Astor: "That speech from Michelle Obama is going to be a tough act to follow, which Barack Obama alludes to self-deprecatingly, calling himself 'the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama.'"

Haberman: Barack "Obama lays it bare: 'Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends.' He describes him as trying to help himself and his 'rich friends.'"

Browning: "Obama played up his signature piece of health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act, which Donald Trump tried to tear up early in his presidency. 'I've noticed, by the way, that since it has become popular, they don't call it Obamacare no more,' he joked."

Simon Levien: "Obama encouraged people to have empathy for a grandparent who might have old-school values not in line with a society that's 'moving fast.' He is delivering a powerful unity message, explicitly asking the audience to reach across generations and ideological divides."

Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Among the more eyebrow-raising speakers Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention was a former Trump administration official: Stephanie Grisham, who previously served as press secretary to Donald Trump as well as chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump.... She wasn't just a supporter of the former president, she said, but 'a true believer' and one of his closest advisers.... Grisham claimed that, behind closed doors, Trump mocked his supporters as 'basement dwellers' and once, on a hospital visit, he was upset that cameras were focused on intensive care unit patients rather than on him.... 'On Jan. 6, I asked Melania if we could at least tweet that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, there's no place for lawlessness and violence. She replied with one word: 'No,' Grisham said. Behind her, an image of the alleged text conversation flashed on a screen." The NBC News story is here.

Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday night at the same basketball arena where ... Donald J. Trump accepted the Republican nomination just a month ago, at a time when his party believed he was coasting to victory against a hapless President Biden. Ms. Harris's choice of venue is the latest in a series of aggressive moves that seem designed to get under Mr. Trump's notoriously thin skin." (Also linked yesterday.)

Maeve Reston & Clara Morse of the Washington Post: "Kamala Harris's campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised three times as much as Donald Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee in July, and ended the month with a cash advantage that positions the newly minted Democratic presidential nominee to air more ads and maintain a larger payroll than her Republican opponent in the final months of the race for the White House. Those results, which are based on federal filings released Tuesday and Wednesday, do not capture the full fundraising picture because several committees that support the candidates will not report their quarterly tallies until October."

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: :Vice President Kamala Harris;s proposal last week to ban price gouging in certain sectors has spurred backlash from some Democratic economists, provoked consternation among business groups and emerged quickly as a focus of Donald Trump's on the campaign trail. Harris's allies, however, are arguing both publicly and privately that her plans have been taken out of context, and that the idea is a targeted expansion of existing state powers rather than new government 'price controls' that would transform the U.S. economy.... Harris and several Democratic lawmakers ... have stressed that most states already have rules that make price hikes illegal in certain contexts, such as in the aftermath of a natural disaster or other calamity. They pointed out that Trump had used the Defense Production Act during the pandemic to crack down on price gouging of critical medical supplies, and that Harris, as California's attorney general, had already pursued charges against prescription drug companies and firms that had conspired to keep the prices of electronics high."

Marie: I didn't know this was a thing till RAS pointed it out in yesterday's Comments. It turns out it's a thing: ~~~

~~~ Vanessa Friedman of the New York Times: "When Kamala Harris ... popped up to speak ... [at the Democratic convention, she was] wearing a tan suit. A tan suit!... The last time a tan suit made political waves, it was also late August, and the person wearing it was President Barack Obama. The occasion was a news conference on Iraq and Syria, but the response from a large swath of the watching public was shock! horror! at the outfit." Friedman then goes into a number of possible symbolic meanings&" Harris may have meant to impart by her wardrobe choice. MB: It turns out, according to Friedman, Harris's suit -- which looks like a plain prêt-à-porter pants suit to me -- is a designer thing which "came from the French label Chloé, designed by Chemena Kamali." My personal feeling is that the clothing you wear should be as forgettable, as simple and as comfortable as possible (within the vague parameters of suitability to the occasion), and at the top of that list of forgettable, simple comfy clothing would be a boring, loosely-fitted tan pants suit. (Also linked yesterday.)

Several reporters and commentators have noted that Donald Trump must be very upset by the huge number of people who showed up for the DNC in Chicago and the concurrent Harris rally in Milwaukee. So how do you suppose the ratings-obsessed Trump will take this? ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Marcus of the Independent: "The first night of the ongoing Democratic National Convention in Chicago had significantly better ratings than the opening of the Republican National Convention last month, according to overnight data. The DNC had 11.4 percent of sampled households watching in 44 major metro areas across seven networks on Monday, compared with the RNC's 9.4 percent rating, a difference of over 20 percent, according to TV analyst Michael Mulvihill, president of insights and analytics at FOX Sports, FOX Entertainment, and Tubi."

What with all the famous, distinguished beloved people speaking at the Democratic convention, maybe you're wondering why such speakers didn't appear at the RNC. But wait! You're forgetting this guy, featured on the Thursday night of the convention in the run-up to Trump's acceptance speech: ~~~

     ~~~ Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "During an event in Medina, Ohio to promote his new Real American Beer, [wrestler Hulk] Hogan called out to the crowd, 'You want me to body slam somebody? You want me to body-slam Kamala Harris? I said, do you want me to body slam Kamala Harris?! You want me to drop the leg on Kamala?' He continued, 'Is Kamala a chameleon? Is she Indian?' before raising his left hand and saying, 'How,' in imitation of a stereotypical native American, or 'American Indian.' 'I'm gonna get heat for that one, brother,' added Hogan, who was fired from the WWE in 2015 after he was caught on tape using the N-word." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary below.

Helen Coster & Nathan Layne of Reuters: "... Donald Trump will visit a Michigan town on Tuesday one month after white supremacists rallied there.... Trump is scheduled to talk about 'crime and safety' at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell, a town of some 10,000 people northwest of Detroit.... The town has historical links to the KKK: In the 1970s, Grand Dragon Robert Miles had a Howell mailing address and held meetings on a nearby farm. About a dozen white supremacists chanted 'Heil Hitler' and carried signs reading 'White Lives Matter' during a march through downtown Howell last month. According to local media, another group of demonstrators shouted, 'We love Hitler, we love Trump' from a highway overpass just outside Howell. The Harris campaign has criticized Trump for planning the event in Howell while failing to condemn what it called a 'blatant display of racism and antisemitism in his name.' In an interview with Reuters after a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday, Trump did not directly respond to a question about that criticism." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ So here's what happened: ~~~

~~~ Hannah Knowles & Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday falsely depicted Vice President Kamala Harris's path to the Democratic nomination as violent and distorted her record on crime, even as he defended his supporters who attacked police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump, whose lies about theft of the 2020 election inspired his supporters to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, falsely accused Harris of orchestrating a 'vicious, violent overthrow' by replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.... He went on to defend the Jan. 6 rioters by falsely claiming 'nobody was killed,' as he compared that day to the protests that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd. Four people died in the mob on Jan. 6, three from medical problems and one shot by a police officer. One officer who fought the mob died of a stroke the next day, and four more officers committed suicide in the days and months that followed.... Asked about the Democrats' criticism over Howell's historic association with the Ku Klux Klan, Trump responded that [President] Biden had visited here in 2021. His campaign has said the location was chosen for being in the Detroit media market." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It is true that President Biden visited Howell in 2021 to promote his infrastructure bill at the International Union of Operating Engineers Construction Career Center. Protesters along the route to the center greeted Biden's motorcade by waving "Fuck Biden" signs.

Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "The Livingston County Sheriff and his deputies stood behind Trump in uniform to support the ex-president's plan to reduce crime. While Trump didn't outline his strategy, he cited a number of crimes he heard about -- including the dangers of buying bread. 'You can't walk across the street to get a loaf of bread, you get shot, and you get mugged, you get raped, whatever it may be. You've seen it. I've seen it,' Trump said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Let's posit, for a moment, that Trump's view of street crime is true. Is the best messenger someone who (1) said he could shoot somebody in broad daylight and people would still support him; (2) promised that if re-elected, "no one will lay a finger on your firearms" & he would roll back President Biden's gun control measures; or (3) is an adjudicated rapist?

Lauren Sforza of the Hill: "A spokesperson for former President Trump's campaign [Steven Cheung] used Beyoncé's song 'Freedom' in a video posted to social media featuring the former president.... CNN and The Associated Press reported that Beyoncé gave the Harris campaign permission to use her song 'Freedom' throughout her presidential campaign. Harris used the song in several campaign events and featured it in her first ad, with which she launched her bid for the White House last month.... Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 and previously headlined a preelection concert for then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in Cleveland alongside her husband, Jay-Z." MB: Gosh, why do I suspect the Trump campaign pirated the song?

Rebecca O'Brien of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate [Nicole Shanahan] said in a podcast interview that they were considering dropping their struggling independent presidential bid and endorsing Republican Donald J. Trump, blaming the Democratic Party for what she said was a 'sabotage' of their campaign.... She accused the Democratic Party of 'planting insiders into our campaign to disrupt it and create actual legal issues for us.' A spokeswoman for the Democrats dismissed those allegations." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Eric Bradner of CNN: "Donald Trump said Tuesday he would 'certainly' be open to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. playing a role in his administration if the independent candidate drops out of the 2024 race and endorses the former president. 'I like him, and I respect him,' Trump told CNN's Kristen Holmes in an interview after a campaign stop in Michigan. 'He's a brilliant guy. He's a very smart guy. I've known him for a very long time,' the Republican presidential nominee said. 'I didn't know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I'd be open to it.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the link. See also his comment below.

David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan for the United States that, for the first time, reorients America's deterrent strategy to focus on China's rapid expansion in its nuclear arsenal. The shift comes as the Pentagon believes China's stockpiles will rival the size and diversity of the United States' and Russia's over the next decade. The White House never announced that Mr. Biden had approved the revised strategy, called the 'Nuclear Employment Guidance,' which also newly seeks to prepare the United States for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia and North Korea. The document, updated every four years or so, is so highly classified that there are no electronic copies, only a small number of hard copies distributed to a few national security officials and Pentagon commanders."

Marie: Donald Trump and his Congressional friends' tax cuts for rich people & corporations have substantially raised my taxes every year since the GOP imposed them. This was not an unintended consequence of the "cuts"; Republicans meant to raise my taxes. Trump's tax cut, among other things, was punishment for human decency. Now hear this: ~~~

     ~~~ Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Tuesday that he will not allow the Trump-era cap on state and local tax deductions to continue after its scheduled expiration at the end of next year. Former President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress inserted a provision in the 2017 tax reform bill to cap state and local tax deductions at $10,000. That provision hit residents of expensive blue states such as New York, New Jersey and California with higher state and local taxes especially hard, but it raised a lot of revenue to offset the cost of Trump's other proposals, such as cutting the corporate tax rate from 28 percent to 21 percent.... 'We Democrats, as long as I'm leader, when state and local deductibility expires, it will be gone,' [Schumer] declared." (Also linked yesterday.)

Danielle Kaye of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Tuesday upheld a challenge to the Federal Trade Commission's ban on noncompete agreements, blocking it from taking effect in September as scheduled. Judge Ada Brown of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that the antitrust agency lacked authority to issue substantive rules related to unfair methods of competition, including the noncompete rule, which would have prohibited companies from restricting their employees' ability to work for rivals. The push to adopt the rule is part of the Biden administration's effort to crack down on practices that regulators argue are anticompetitive, unfairly constraining workers. Judge Brown had temporarily blocked the ban in July. Her decision on Tuesday renders that injunction permanent, and nationwide in scope." See Ken W.'s comment below.

You Can Embarrass Mickey Mouse. Claire Fahy of the New York Times: "Disney withdrew its request to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit out of court on Monday, clearing the way for the case of a woman who died from a severe allergic reaction to food she ate at a Disney World restaurant to be heard in front of a jury. The woman, Kanokporn Tangsuan ... was severely allergic to nuts and dairy. She died in October after eating dishes her server assured her were allergen-free, according to a lawsuit filed by her husband against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Disney's request was met with swift backlash last week, after news outlets reported on the company's claim that Dr. Tangsuan's husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, had agreed to arbitration when he signed up for a free trial of the streaming service Disney+ and was therefore not eligible to sue.... Initially, Disney argued in legal filings that the matter should be settled by an outside arbitrator, because Mr. Piccolo had agreed to settle any disputes out of court when he signed up for a free trial of its streaming service on his PlayStation and again when he purchased tickets to Epcot through the MyDisney website."

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Florida Senate Race. Patricia Mazzei of the Washington Post: "Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former one-term congresswoman from Miami, won the Democratic nomination in the race for U.S. Senate in Florida on Tuesday, setting up a challenge against Rick Scott, the Republican incumbent. Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, 53, who led in fund-raising and had President Biden's support, easily defeated three other Democrats. Mr. Scott, 71, who is seeking his second Senate term, also won, after facing nominal opposition in his party's primary."

Florida Congressional Race. Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Tuesday defeated a primary challenger backed by former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as part of his push to unseat the handful of Republicans who helped oust him last year. Gaetz, who led the effort to remove McCarthy, defeated retired Navy officer Aaron Dimmock, according to the Associated Press, who was endorsed by the former speaker."

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⭐Israel/Palestine, et al.

Robert Jimison, et al., of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken pressed on Tuesday for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, but officials familiar with the latest U.S.-backed proposal said it left major disagreements between Hamas and Israel unresolved. After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Monday, Mr. Blinken said that Israel had accepted the U.S. proposal -- the details of which have not been made public -- and that the onus was now on Hamas to agree to it as well. But Israeli and Hamas officials have downplayed the idea that a deal could be imminent, saying that mediators' efforts -- and the latest American proposal aimed at bridging gaps between the two sides -- have failed to resolve some of the most substantive disputes in the talks."

digby: "Judy Woodruff [of NPR] reports that as the administration is trying hard to get a cease fire and hostage release in Gaza, Donald Trump is on the phone exhorting his buddy Netanyahu not to do it. How can this be ok? More importantly how have we come to the point where it's just a passing comment instead of front page news? I realize that the Logan Act is pretty much a joke. And there are certainly previous examples of Republicans doing this for political gain during an election (I'm looking at you Nixon and Reagan.) But it's still not right, especially now what with Trump being a convicted criminal and a fascist and all. The media should never treat this as normal but they especially shouldn't be doing it now." Thanks to Patrick for the link. Patrick remarks that "We used to call this treason." Others, commenting near the end of yesterday's thread, are in agreement. Me, too.

News Lede

CNBC: "The U.S. economy created 818,000 fewer jobs than originally reported in the 12-month period through March 2024, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. As part of its preliminary annual benchmark revisions to the nonfarm payroll numbers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the actual job growth was nearly 30% less than the initially reported 2.9 million from April 2023 through March of the following year. The revision of the total payrolls level of -0.5% is the largest since 2009. Wall Street had been watching the numbers closely, with many economists expecting a sizeable reduction in the originally reported numbers. Even with the revisions, job creation during the period stood at more than 2 million, but the report could be seen as indication that the labor market is not as strong as the previous BLS reporting had made it out to be." The New York Times report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Say what? How could the Labor Department be this far off? I know Jay Dee gets his statistics from the movies, but I would have thought the Labor Department would have slightly more reliable sources. ~~~

     ~~~ In a related story, Senator JD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice president, telephoned the New York Police Department Tuesday night to inform them that a gigantic gorilla had climbed the Empire State Building and was holding a "pretty blonde woman" in his huge paw.

The Conversation -- August 20, 2024

Marie: Donald Trump and his Congressional friends' tax cuts for rich people & corporations have substantially raised my taxes every year since the GOP imposed them. This was not an unintended consequence of the "cuts"; Republicans meant to raise my taxes. Trump's tax cut, among other things, was punishment for human decency. Now hear this: ~~~

     ~~~ Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Tuesday that he will not allow the Trump-era cap on state and local tax deductions to continue after its scheduled expiration at the end of next year. Former President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress inserted a provision in the 2017 tax reform bill to cap state and local tax deductions at $10,000. That provision hit residents of expensive blue states ... with higher state and local taxes especially hard, but it raised a lot of revenue to offset the cost of Trump's other proposals, such as cutting the corporate tax rate from 28 percent to 21 percent.... 'We Democrats, as long as I'm leader, when state and local deductibility expires, it will be gone,' [Schumer] declared."

Marie: I didn't know this was a thing till RAS pointed it out in today's Comments. It turns out it's a thing: ~~~

~~~ Vanessa Friedman of the New York Times: "When Kamala Harris ... popped up to speak ... [at the Democratic convention, she was] wearing a tan suit. A tan suit!... The last time a tan suit made political waves, it was also late August, and the person wearing it was President strong>Barack Obama. The occasion was a news conference on Iraq and Syria, but the response from a large swath of the watching public was shock! horror! at the outfit." Friedman then goes into a number of possible symbolic "meanings" Harris may have meant to impart by her wardrobe choice. It turns out, according to Friedman, Harris's suit -- which looks like a plain prêt-à-porter pants suit to me -- is a designer thing which "came from the French label Chloé, designed by Chemena Kamali." MB: My personal feeling is that the clothing you wear should be as forgettable, as simple and as comfortable as possible (within the vague parameters of suitability to the occasion), and at the top of that list of forgettable, simple comfy clothing would be a boring, loosely-fitted tan pants suit.

Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday night at the same basketball arena where ... Donald J. Trump accepted the Republican nomination just a month ago, at a time when his party believed he was coasting to victory against a hapless President Biden. Ms. Harris's choice of venue is the latest in a series of aggressive moves that seem designed to get under Mr. Trump's notoriously thin skin."

Helen Coster & Nathan Layne of Reuters: "... Donald Trump will visit a Michigan town on Tuesday one month after white supremacists rallied there.... Trump is scheduled to talk about 'crime and safety' at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell, a town of some 10,000 people northwest of Detroit.... The town has historical links to the KKK: In the 1970s, Grand Dragon Robert Miles had a Howell mailing address and held meetings on a nearby farm. About a dozen white supremacists chanted 'Heil Hitler' and carried signs reading 'White Lives Matter' during a march through downtown Howell last month. According to local media, another group of demonstrators shouted, 'We love Hitler, we love Trump' from a highway overpass just outside Howell. The Harris campaign has criticized Trump for planning the event in Howell while failing to condemn what it called a 'blatant display of racism and antisemitism in his name.' In an interview with Reuters after a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday, Trump did not directly respond to a question about that criticism."

Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: "Among the ... attractions [at Monday's Democratic convention] was a two-minute spoof of the long-running cop show Law & Order.... 'He lies. He rips off workers. He sexually abuses women/// He cheats in business. He cheated on his wife with a porn star and paid her off so the American people wouldn't find out during an election,' the video's narrator said, with quick-cut video elements suggestive of the TV show. In addition to that, Trump was featured in a biographical package on Vice President Kamala Harris that contrasted Harris and Trump -- and which flashed a widely-shared clip of Trump and [Jeffrey] Epstein smiling with each other at a party[.]" ~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden used his valedictory address at the Democratic National Convention on Monday to deliver a lengthy defense of his own record aimed at cementing a 50-year legacy of public service, even as he passed the reins to Vice President Kamala Harris as the new face of the party he led until just weeks ago.... 'I've given my heart and soul to our nation, and I've been blessed a million times in return,' the president said as he made the case that Ms. Harris is the best person to lead the country now that he is no longer in the race. 'She's tough. She's experienced. And she has enormous integrity,' Mr. Biden said. Selecting Ms. Harris as his vice president, he added, 'was the best decision I made my whole career.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Video of the full speech is here. Here's Time magazine's highlights video: ~~~

Washington Post Editors: "In retrospect, [President] Biden should not have sought reelection. The June 27 debate was worse than just a bad night, as the president maintained afterward. The 81-year-old had showed signs of slipping for a long time, but his inner circle worked to conceal his decline.... It is Mr. Biden's willingness to surrender power, albeit via internal machination rather than the ballot box, that deserves special recognition. It creates a powerful and, for Mr. Biden, favorable contrast with Mr. Trump -- who refused to acknowledge defeat in 2020 and instead stirred up a mob in Washington.... The last weeks have shown how Mr. Biden's act created a pathway for a new generation of Democratic leaders.... His worthiest moments in politics ... were those in which he modeled empathy, moderation and statesmanship. That includes perhaps the toughest call he had to make in his decades in politics: his decision to step aside."

The New York Times live-updated news of the Democratic convention's opening day. Following are some of the updates that began at about 6:45 pm ET Monday, when DNC chair Jaime Harrison & convention chair Minyon Moore gaveled the convention to order. For copies of some earlier items, see yesterday's Conversation. MB: If possible for you, it's better to read the reporters' words in the original Timesese.~~~

Julie Bosman: Chicago Mayor Brandon "Johnson welcomed delegates to Chicago in his usual style -- ebullient, dramatic and with huge praise for his city, the greatest one in the world, as he said tonight."

Jennifer Medina: "Representative Maxine Waters called Fannie Lou Hamer one of [Vice President] Harris's heroes, referring to her time at the Democratic National Convention in 1964, when she arrived with a group of black delegates from Mississippi and asked that they be seated in place of the all white delegation. 'She asked the country a simple but profound question: "Is this America?"' Waters recounted. When Harris receives the nomination later this week, she added: [We can ask ourselves, is this America? And we will be able to say loudly and proudly, you're damn right it is!'"

Bosman: "In a tribute that brought people in the crowd to tears, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., the civil rights icon, took the stage with his family. Jackson, 82, who uses a wheelchair and has Parkinson's disease, is no longer able to speak clearly."

Nicholas Nehamas: "In an overwhelming voice vote, delegates just ceremonially confirmed Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as the Democratic nominee for vice president before breaking into chants of 'U.S.A.!'... Delegates just approved the Democratic Party's platform for the 2024 election, a document stocked with political comfort food for liberals that had been written before President Biden dropped out and still contained many references to his second term."

Kellen Browning: "Peggy Flanagan, the lieutenant governor of Minnesota, who will become the state's first female governor if Tim Walz is elected vice president, said her brother was one of the first people to die of Covid in Tennessee at the beginning of the pandemic. 'Our communities were suffering; our economy was struggling; and Donald Trump was playing games,' she said. Her comments set up a video clip contrasting Trump's statements downplaying the pandemic with the Biden administration's handling of it."

Erica Green: "The homages to civil rights leaders embedded in the programming illustrates the significance of having two Black chairs at the helm of convention planning.... In a video montage, the Rev. Al Sharpton referenced Hamer and Chisholm and said there was a 'direct line​' from ​1964 to today​."

Ken Bensinger: "Union support has always been a bulwark of Democratic support. As the heads of six major unions -- the AFSCME, SEIU, LIUNA, IBEW and AFL-CIO -- took the stage a moment ago, the arena audience, to underscore that point, began chanting 'union yes! union yes!' One by one, the labor leaders praised Kamala Harris's accomplishments for the working class."

Medina: "Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles spoke of her decades-long relationship with Harris and was one of the only speakers, so far, to explicitly mention the historic nature of her campaign. 'When I asked her to swear me in -- the first woman vice president, swearing in the first woman mayor of Los Angeles -- we knew we were sending a message to young girls everywhere that they, too, can lead,' Bass said to wild applause."

Green: "Senator Laphonza Butler, the lone Black woman serving in the United States Senate from California and a longtime and close friend of Harris's, just outlined how Harris's background has prepared her for this moment."

Maggie Haberman: "Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is speaking. She's gotten big cheers from her home state delegation. She's also in a unique position to attack Trump."

Medina: "Gina Raimondo, the secretary of commerce, turned the focus to the economy, promising tax cuts and new housing for the middle class as a 'defining goal of her presidency.'"

Nick Corasaniti: "The Harris campaign video that introduced the surprise appearance by the vice president got a much louder reception in the arena than almost any speaker tonight. And when she entered, the place erupted." ~~~

~~~ Katie Rogers: "That Harris appearance was ostensibly to prop up President Biden and thank him for his 'historic leadership,' as she said, but the attention and excitement was very much trained on her and illustrated what her candidacy now represents for the Democrats: an energy boost."

Browning: "Steve Kerr, the coach of the N.B.A.'s Golden State Warriors, fresh off a gold medal in Paris, just got the largest non-Harris ovation so far tonight. He came out to a video highlight of his time playing for the Chicago Bulls."

Rogers: "Shawn Fain, the president of the powerful United Auto Workers union, just got the crowd in the hall to break into a chant: 'Trump's a scab!'"

Nicholas Fandos: "The decision to give Representative Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez ... a prime-time speaking slot underscores the evolution of the Democratic Party and the congresswoman.... Ocasio-Cortez has been one of her party's biggest critics of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, accusing the nation of genocide and demanding the United States cut off military aid. But tonight, even as pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered in Chicago, she conspicuously credits Harris with 'working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bring hostages home.'" ~~~

~~~ Reid Epstein: "That was quite the moment inside the hall as Ocasio-Cortez took the stage to raucous chants of 'A.O.C.'"

Rebecca O'Brien: "The crowd is on its feet and roaring for [Hillary] Clinton." ~~~

~~~ Haberman: The crowd for Hillary Clinton was so loud and so extensive in its applause that she had to urge them to sit."

Lisa Lerer: "Clinton is positioning Harris in a line that stretches from the suffragettes to her own failed 2016 bid. It's an embrace of gender that was central to Clinton's 2016 run but that Harris hasn't made quite as explicitly in her own campaign.... Clinton is also breaking from Harris's underdog message, saying that Harris 'has them on the run now.'"

Browning: "Some women on the floor have tears in their eyes as they listen to Clinton say that they are 'so close' to breaking through the 'highest, hardest glass ceiling.'"

Browning: "The South Carolina delegation is on its feet chanting 'Clyburn! Clyburn!' Representative James Clyburn has taken the stage."

Ulloa: "Lively applause and chants of 'Jamie, Jamie' as Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland takes the stage." MB: Raskin said the president takes an oath to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed," not that the vice president be executed. (Slight paraphrase.)

Ulloa: "Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, is a rising progressive star..., is taking the stage."

Medina: "In his extended riff about 'all God's children,' [Sen. Raphael] Warnock [Ga.] mentioned Palestinian children, which received huge applause inside the arena."

Epstein: Big applause for Jill Biden when she recalled the moment President Biden decided to drop out of the race and endorse Kamala Harris."

Rogers: President "Biden chased this office for decades. He did not get this convention moment in 2020, because of the pandemic. Tonight he is saying goodbye. He looks overcome."

Maggie Astor: "It's really something that, after all these decades, after finally winning the presidency in 2020, perhaps the biggest ovation of his career is for stepping aside."

Epstein: "The standing ovation for Joe Biden lasted four minutes and 30 seconds before he could begin his remarks. He tried settling the crowd down several times before the cheers and chants of 'Thank you, Joe' abated."

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, et al., of the New York Times: "Thousands of protesters marched in Chicago on Monday as the Democratic National Convention began nearby, an early test of the city's security preparations and of Vice President Kamala Harris's attempts to project a sense of intraparty unity. Protesters from a coalition of more than 200 groups, which represented a range of liberal causes but were united in anger over the Biden administration's approach to Israel and Gaza, walked through the streets on Monday afternoon after an hourslong rally at a park."

Annie Karni & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "As Democrats revolted against [President] Biden's re-election bid this summer, [Hillary] Clinton wanted no role in pushing him out, according to people briefed on her thinking. But behind the scenes, she was also adamant that if the president chose to step aside, [Vice President] Harris should become the party's nominee with no drawn out primary. The two women, once on opposite sides during the contentious 2008 Democratic primary, have quietly bonded over the past several years, sharing dinners at Mrs. Clinton's Washington home, discussing high-impact decisions like whom Ms. Harris should pick for her running mate, and connecting over the still-stubborn ways that women in high office can be underestimated.... 'Nothing would make Hillary happier than seeing the first in history beat the worst in history,' said Philippe Reines, a former top adviser to Mrs. Clinton who has been playing the role of Mr. Trump in Ms. Harris's debate prep."

Jamie Gangel & Gregory Krieg of CNN: "Retired federal appeals court Judge J. Michael Luttig, a prominent conservative legal scholar put on the bench by President George H.W. Bush, is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris over ... Donald Trump, whose candidacy he describes as an existential threat to American democracy. It will be the first time Luttig, a veteran of two Republican administrations, has voted for a Democrat. 'In the presidential election of 2024 there is only one political party and one candidate for the presidency that can claim the mantle of defender and protector of America's Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law,' Luttig wrote in a statement.... 'As a result, I will unhesitatingly vote for the Democratic Party's candidate for the Presidency of the United States, Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Slurs & Lies Are All He's Got. Marianne LeVine, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Monday questioned whether Democrats knew where Vice President Kamala Harris 'came from,' reprising a tactic that he has previously used against other Democrats, including former president Barack Obama and women of color in Congress. Trump also freshly described Harris's policy positions as a 'regulatory jihad,' without explanation, using a loaded Arabic term often translated as holy war. He consistently mispronounced her first name.... At another point, he questioned her upbringing ... [and] referencing Harris's father, a distinguished Jamaican economist." Trump's remarks, made in York County, Pennsylvania, were meant to be about the economy, and he told a bunch of lies about that. ~~~

     ~~~ Weird Guy Says He's "Extremely Normal." Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Former President Trump on Monday mocked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as a 'whack job' as he responded to the Democratic vice presidential nominee labeling Trump and his running mate as 'weird.' Trump during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania argued Vice President Harris's choice of Walz as her running mate showed she has a far-left ideology before launching into an aside about the criticisms from Walz that Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) are 'weird.' 'This whack job. You know, he said we're weird. That JD and I are weird. I think we're extremely normal people. Like you,' Trump said to the crowd at a factory in York. 'He's weird. Did you ever see him go on the stage and go like crazy? Between his movement and her laugh, there's a lot of craziness. I'd say a step further than weird. Weird is a nice word by comparison.'"

More Slurs & Lies. Kathryn Watson of CBS News: In an interview with CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns, Donald Trump "said he just had a medical exam and received a 'perfect score,' and two cognitive tests, which he said he 'aced.... I got everything right,' Trump said. 'And one of the doctors said, "I've never seen that before, where you get everything right." No, I have no problem....'... 'You will release your medical records to the public?' Huey-Burns asked the former president. 'Oh sure, I would do that very gladly, sure,' Trump responded....

"In recent rallies, Trump has been complaining about the replacement of President Biden at the top of the ticket, characterizing [Vice President] Harris' nomination as a 'coup.' He's also been assailing her intelligence, repeatedly calling her 'stupid,' despite her long legal career. Huey-Burns asked Trump if that's the right message to win over moderate voters.... 'I think that the message is what a bad job they've done. I mean, if you look at this economy, if you look at inflation, and you know, I love this country....' But asked for specifics, Trump couldn't point to evidence or examples of deficits in Harris' intellect. 'Our country needs a very smart person, and I don't think she's a very smart person,' Trump replied. 'So, I'm not looking to -- I don't consider that an insult -- that's just a fact.'"

     ~~~ Marie: Here's how I know Trump is lying about his cognitive test: this test is commonly given to seniors during their annual examinations. I've taken it more than a dozen times, and for someone who is not suffering from cognitive impairment, it's a super-simple exercise. For example, the patient is asked to draw a clockface and "set" the clock at 10 after 10. Trump has repeatedly claimed that his doctors were amazed at the cognitive perfection he exhibited during previous tests. But because the test is designed to be easy, I suspect "perfect scores" are the most common results. So doctors would not have dropped their jaws in amazement at Trump's performance and said, "I've never seen that before, where you get everything right." Most people likely get everything right most of the time.

Rhona Tarrant of CBS News: "... Donald Trump shared AI-generated images of women wearing 'Swifties for Trump' t-shirts to his Truth Social account on Sunday, including a satirical post that claimed Taylor Swift fans were turning to Trump after security concerns forced the cancellation of her Vienna concerts earlier this month. Trump captioned the post 'I accept!' and shared screenshots of four X posts that show women wearing 'Swifties for Trump' t-shirts, as well as a fabricated image of Taylor Swift that reads, 'Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.' Swift has not endorsed a presidential candidate in this election but endorsed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2020 race." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ You can see Trump's post here. Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Of the 10 photos posted, it appears 8 are A.I.-generated. Two, of the same young woman, are real. (Also linked yesterday.)

The Bluff Cannot Hold. Michael Bender of the New York Times: "Senator JD Vance of Ohio on Monday accused Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota of misleading the public about their records and taking relatively few questions on the campaign trail. But Mr. Vance's attacks, made to supporters at an appearance in Philadelphia, also trained the spotlight on his own less-than-direct answers to specific questions, including whether he and ... Donald J. Trump would support an increase in the federal minimum wage and whether his own opinions have changed on the need for a federal abortion ban." (Also linked yesterday.)

Glenn Thrush & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "American intelligence agencies said on Monday that Iran was responsible for hacking into ... Donald J. Trump's campaign and trying to breach the Biden-Harris campaign. The finding, which was widely expected, came days after a longtime Trump adviser, Roger J. Stone, revealed that his Hotmail and Gmail accounts had been compromised. That intrusion evidently allowed Iranian hackers to impersonate him and gain access to the emails of campaign aides."

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "Manhattan prosecutors left the politically fraught decision of when to sentence Donald J. Trump in his criminal hush-money case to a judge, declining to endorse or oppose the former president's request to postpone until after the November election. The sentencing is currently set for Sept. 18.... Mr. Trump had asked to postpone the sentencing until after the election partly so he had more time to challenge his conviction. In a letter to the judge overseeing the case, Justice Juan M. Merchan, prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office acknowledged the existing schedule posed some challenges. But the prosecutors also disputed many of Mr. Trump's arguments for delaying his sentencing, and said they were 'prepared to appear for sentencing' at any date the judge chooses."

Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "The release of the final report from the House committees tasked with evaluating whether President Joe Biden should be impeached reinforces the downside to [Congressional] power [to uncover wrongdoing]: It can also be deployed by bad-faith actors in an explicit effort to politically damage rivals.... [Publication of the report on the first date of the DNC -- when President Biden was slated to speak -- is not a coincidence.] There is almost nothing in the final report that wasn't known or understood before the formal investigation began.... The insincerity of the effort is epitomized by the complete and overt lack of interest Comer and his allies had in similarly investigating Trump and his family, recipients of far more money far more directly tied to foreign governments. In fact, when [Rep. Jim] Comer [R-Ky.] took over Oversight, he shut down an existing probe into Trump.... History ... will ... remember this effort as a failed, ultimately useless attempt to protect the Republican Party and the electoral prospects of Donald Trump."

Arizona. Another Piece of the Plot. Ian Millhiser of Vox: "The Republican Party wants the Supreme Court to weigh in on a nauseatingly complicated voting rights case, which could potentially disenfranchise thousands of presidential voters in the swing state of Arizona. The case is known as Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota. The case involves an astoundingly convoluted system Arizona uses to register certain voters == one that emerged from 20 years of conflicting state and federal laws, plus seemingly endless litigation over those laws. Among other things, Republicans claim that several thousand Arizona voters should be allowed to vote only in congressional elections, and that they are barred from voting in state and local elections or voting for the president." To make a long story short, a Republican win would disenfranchise mostly non-White -- i.e., more likely Democratic -- voters.

Grace Ashford, et al., of the New York Times: "George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman from New York whose penchant for lying led to one of the oddest sideshows in modern U.S. politics, pleaded guilty on Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. While Mr. Santos's plea will allow him to avoid a trial on a total of nearly two dozen charges -- including money laundering and stealing public funds -- it all but ensures he will face at least two years in prison and as long as two decades. The trial was set to begin next month.... Mr. Santos repeatedly insisted that he would defend his innocence in court, only to reverse course as the opportunity approached." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Washington, D.C. Meagan Flynn & Michael Brice-Saddler of the Washington Post: "Charged with bribery in federal court, D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) could face punishment from the council, including expulsion, after Chairman Phil Mendelson on Monday formed a committee to weigh the evidence against him. White, who is running for reelection in November, is accused by federal prosecutors of agreeing to accept a total of $156,000 in cash and kickbacks this summer in exchange for using his influence and position as a D.C. Council member to try to help a pair of companies lock down lucrative city contracts involving violence prevention."

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times live updates of developments Tuesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here.

Robert Jimison, et al., of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Monday that Israel had accepted a Biden administration proposal to bridge some remaining differences with Hamas on a cease-fire deal, as he pushed what he called 'probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity' to secure a truce and free the remaining hostages in Gaza. Mr. Blinken made the declaration after a nearly three-hour meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem. 'In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal -- that he supports it,' Mr. Blinken told reporters. 'It's now incumbent on Hamas to do the same.' The statement put new pressure on Hamas, whose officials have called the proposal fundamentally slanted toward Israel, although the details have not been publicized."

Ukraine. Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "Russian troops defending a pocket of territory wedged between a river and the border with Ukraine were at risk of becoming encircled, military analysts said Monday, after Ukraine bombed bridges that are the only routes for resupply or retreat.... The bombing of bridges ... takes aim at land between the Seym River, the border and an area inside Russia already controlled by Ukraine, with the potential to entrap the Russian forces positioned there. Three bridges span this stretch of river, all now destroyed or damaged...."