The Commentariat -- September 27, 2017

Late Morning Update:

Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post: "Rick Pitino survived the tawdriest of scandals during his tenure as coach of the Louisville men's basketball team, first a 2009 extortion attempt during which he admitted to having sexual relations with the wife of his teams equipment manager, then a 2015 scandal in which a former Cardinals staffer arranged for strippers and prostitutes to have sex with players and recruits in the team's dormitory. But Pitino could not survive allegations that, in the grand scheme of college basketball scandals, barely rise above sordid: That an executive from Adidas, which outfits the Cardinals' athletic teams, and others conspired to steer top recruits to Louisville via six-figure payments to their families, in one instance enlisting the aid of one of Pitino's assistants. Those allegations, unveiled Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York after a years-long undercover investigation by the FBI, proved to be Pitino's undoing. On Wednesday, Pitino was placed on unpaid administrative leave by Louisville..., likely ending a career that earned him a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013."

Damian Paletta & Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Republicans on Wednesday proposed slashing tax rates for the wealthy, middle class and businesses, while also preserving popular tax deductions that encourage buying homes and giving to charity, according to a 9-page document obtained by The Washington Post. But the document, titled 'Unified Framework For Fixing Our Broken Tax Code,' leaves many key questions unanswered. In it, the White House and Republican congressional leaders do not identify the numerous tax breaks they say will be removed in order to offset some of the trillions of dollars in revenue lost by cutting tax rates. The framework is being presented to Republicans and the public Wednesday as a starting point for negotiations on revamping the U.S. tax code. Congress must vote the changes into law...." ...

... Flim Flam. Josh Barro of Business Insider: "The 'doubled standard deduction' in the GOP tax plan is a lie.... The plan would increase the standardized deductions available to taxpayers by 15% or less. Meanwhile, taxpayers who still wouldn't take the standard deduction under the Republican plan -- those who would instead deduct things like mortgage interest -- would pay tax on more of their income than they do now." Mrs. McC: I know you're shocked that Trump & the GOP would mislead you when they haven't done that since ... yesterday. Hope you didn't go out & spend your "double deduction."

No Bonus but a Helluva Consolation Prize. Liz Moyer of CNBC: "The abrupt departure of Equifax's chief executive officer on Tuesday has not dampened the criticism of the company since it disclosed a massive data breach earlier this month. As in other recent corporate scandals, the departure of Richard Smith was swift if not inevitable. The credit reporting company said he was retiring effective immediately and he wouldn't get a bonus for this year, though he is eligible to walk away with at least $18.4 million in pension benefits."

John DiStaso of WMUR (Manchester, NH): "Democrat Kari Lerner of Chester pulled off a surprising upset win in a Rockingham County special New Hampshire House election Tuesday, defeating Republican former state Rep. James Headd of Auburn by 39 votes in a district in which Republicans have a 2-1 advantage in registrations."

David Smiley of the Miami Herald: "Florida’s Democratic Party picked up a crucial seat in the Florida Senate Tuesday in a special election triggered months ago by a Miami Republican's alcohol-fueled tirade at a bar near the state Capitol. Riding an election-day and early-voting surge, Annette Taddeo topped State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz in the race to claim Senate District 40, a southwest Dade seat resigned in the spring by former Sen. Frank Artiles. The victory gives Democrats 16 seats in the chamber and hands Taddeo her first campaign win in a political career filled with second-place finishes.... Taddeo previously lost races for U.S. Congress and as Charlie Crist's running mate in the 2014 governor's election...."

Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Washington County (Pa.) fire chief Paul Smith has resigned in wake of his use of a racial slur to refer to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. 'The media dragged my fire company and township into this as well as my family,' Smith told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a statement.... Smith ... called Tomlin a 'no good N***er' on his Facebook page. He then added 'Yes, I said it.' He also blamed the media for labeling him a racist. 'I am not the racist the media portrays me as,' Smith said." Mrs. McC: I don't know who's worse: "the very fine people" in the Charlottesville white-supremacist/neo-Nazi crowd or guys like Smith who think they're not racists. ...

... digby: Paul Smith is "He's just one guy. But there are millions like him and Trump is activating their racism for his own gain. Dividing this country is what he does."

*****

Sayed Salahuddin of the Washington Post: "Apparent Taliban rockets targeted Kabul's international airport on Wednesday as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the NATO chief held talks with Afghan officials in the capital, authorities said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, carried out while Mattis held meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders at the heavily fortified presidential palace. The attacks forced all flights to be canceled. Several Afghans civilians were injured after one of the rockets hit a house near the combined civil and military airport, officials said."

In American People v. GOP, Another Narrow Victory for the People. Seung Min Kim, et al., of Politico: "Senate Republicans do not intend to vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill, putting an end to their Obamacare repeal effort for now. The decision was reached Tuesday after it became clear the bill would fail. Three Senate Republicans had said they would vote against the measure, and the GOP could only afford two defections." This is an update of a story linked earlier today. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Thomas Kaplan & Robert Pear of the New York Times: "Senate Republicans on Tuesday officially abandoned the latest plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, shelving a showdown vote on the measure and effectively admitting defeat in their last-gasp drive to fulfill a core promise of President Trump and Republican lawmakers.... Democrats, who have spent all year fighting to protect the Affordable Care Act, responded by calling for the resumption of bipartisan negotiations to stabilize health insurance markets. Republican leaders had squelched those talks as the latest repeal plan.... Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee and the chairman of the Senate health committee, and Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the senior Democrat on the panel ... both said on Tuesday that they hoped to resume those efforts." ...

... Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday said he was 'disappointed' that some 'so-called Republicans' were opposing the Senate's latest effort to repeal ObamaCare."

Glenn Thrush & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "President Trump will propose a sweeping rewrite of the federal tax code on Wednesday, outlining a plan to reduce rates for corporations and individuals and eliminate some popular deductions, in a move that will set off a scramble among powerful groups eager to protect their tax breaks. The proposal will call for slashing the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, doubling the standard deduction for individual taxpayers and slightly increasing the bottom tax rate to 12 percent from 10 percent, according to two officials briefed on the details of the blueprint. The framework, which has been agreed upon by Republican leaders in the House and Senate, leaves most of the details to Congress...."

Julie Davis & Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "President Trump plans to cap refugee admissions at 45,000 over the next year, according to current and former government officials briefed on the decision, setting a historically low limit on the number of people who can resettle in the United States after fleeing persecution in their own countries[.]" ...

     ... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: I'd say Trump didn't consult the Secretary of Homeland Security before he made this decision, because there isn't one.

BBC News: "... Donald Trump has said he will travel next week to Puerto Rico amid a growing crisis in the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Maria.... On Tuesday, Mr Trump said the US was sending food, water and supplies on 'an hourly basis'. 'Puerto Rico is very important to me,' he added. 'The people are fantastic. I grew up in New York so I know many Puerto Rican people.' Mr Trump said next Tuesday - which will be nearly a fortnight after the storm struck - was the 'earliest I can go without disrupting relief efforts'. He may also visit the US Virgin Islands, which was hit by both Hurricane Maria and Irma, he added. The White House also on Tuesday announced Mr Trump had increased federal funding and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the storm. Addressing criticism, the president said his administration was doing a "really good job" and that the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, was 'so grateful'." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "President Trumpon Tuesday rejected criticism he is preoccupied with the NFL when his administration is facing a humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. 'I have plenty of time on my hands. All I do is work,' Trump told reporters at a White House news conference. Trump said he believes 'the NFL situation is a very important situation' and that players should be banned from kneeling during the national anthem." ...

... Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Twice on Tuesday, President Trump offered an excuse for why government aid to Puerto Rico has been slow to arrive after Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico is an island.... That's true.... Supplies must be transported by airplane or ship instead of by truck. But that's still not a great excuse for why the island is awaiting supplies.... So couldn't the government have either sent supplies in advance (as it did for Texas and Florida by truck) or sent cargo after the fact that could have gotten to Puerto Rico by now? The answer is yes and yes.... The government could also have stationed ships closer to Puerto Rico in expectation of needing to offer aid. By Sept. 16, the National Hurricane Center was already expecting Maria to hit Puerto Rico 'as a dangerous major hurricane....'" Mrs. McC: Maybe the problem was the language barrier. Well, okay, more likely the problem is that Puerto Ricans can't vote in presidential elections. ...

... Timothy Gardner of Reuters: "The Trump administration on Tuesday denied a request to waive shipping restrictions to help get fuel and supplies to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, saying it would do nothing to address the island's main impediment to shipping, damaged ports. The Jones Act limits shipping between coasts to U.S. flagged vessels. However, in the wake of brutal storms, the government has occasionally issued temporary waivers to allow the use of cheaper, tax free, or more readily available foreign flagged ships. The Department of Homeland Security, which waived the act after hurricanes Harvey and Irma, did not agree an exemption would help this time." Emphasis added. ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: How does this make sense? Even Trump knows Puerto Rico is an island, so it's harder to get supplies there from, say, Ohio, to, say, Texas & Florida, which are still attached to the mainland U.S. ...

... Press Release: "U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Elaine Duke today urging the department to waive the Jones Act for Puerto Rico to aid recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria." ...

... Kyle Dropp & Brendan Nyhan of the New York Times: "A new poll of 2,200 adults by Morning Consult found that only 54 percent of Americans know that people born in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, are U.S. citizens." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "As the devastation from Hurricane Maria became more apparent Sunday..., Hillary Clinton implored President Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to help the people of Puerto Rico. Send the Navy, she tweeted, especially the hospital ship USNS Comfort.... Two days later, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long announced that the Navy will soon do exactly that. The decision, disclosed in front of the White House on Tuesday afternoon, was later confirmed by the Navy. It comes after days of critics saying that the U.S. government isn't doing enough to support hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.... [Clinton's] call to action took off, with a petition on the website Change.org garnering more than 100,000 signatures in three days and critics expressing frustration with the hashtag #SendtheComfort. Since then, the call for the Comfort has come to symbolize something larger: A call for the Pentagon to send more. More food. More water. More generators. More aircraft. More everything." ...

... Hillary Wonders if Trump Is a 46-Percenter. Nick Visser of the Huffington Post: “'I’m not sure he knows that Puerto Ricans are American citizens,' [Hillary] Clinton told Sirius XM's Zerlina Maxwell on Monday afternoon.... During appearances on Sirius XM and MSNBC's 'All In With Chris Hayes,' Clinton described the president's approach as a political calculus and being disinterest in the fate of the 3.5 million American residents living on the island. 'He doesn't think that has any political relevance and it's certainly not personally important,' Clinton told Chris Hayes on Monday evening. 'He clearly doesn't want to talk about Puerto Rico, more than 3.5 million American citizens, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands. Not interested, doesn't say a word about it.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Dana Milbank: "... a week after the storm, the response from the American mainland has been paltry. There is no rush, as there was after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, to approve the emergency funds that Puerto Rico will surely need. There has been no massive movement of military personnel and equipment to Puerto Rico: no aircraft carrier (one was sent to the Florida Keys in response to Hurricane Irma), no hospital ship (finally on Tuesday afternoon the Navy said it was sending one). The Post's Joel Achenbach, Dan Lamothe and Alex Horton called the three Navy amphibious ships dispatched to Puerto Rico 'a modest fleet given the scale of the crisis.'... Two Trump Cabinet members, Energy Secretary Rick Perry Ryan Zinke, made a joint public appearance Monday but didn't even mention Puerto Rico. And the Trump administration said it would not assist Puerto Rico by waiving the Jones Act, which restricts the use of foreign cargo ships, after waiving the act in response to Harvey and Irma.... The Trump administration's failure to help Americans in Puerto Rico with the same urgency it gave those in Texas and Florida furthers a sad suspicion that the disparate treatment has less to do with logistics than language and skin color." ...

... Julio Varela, in the Washington Post: "The United States may not like to see itself as the type of nation that has colonies, but if you're not treating Puerto Rico and its American citizens the same way as you treat states and theirs, that's the only explanation. The island always struggles to get federal aid for natural disasters that flows virtually automatically to people on the mainland. Maria is the worst example, but it's hardly the first. Even though Trump will tour Puerto Rico next week, the White House still seems to be taking its time asking for the money that it's obvious the island will need." ...

... Hey, This Isn't the First Time Trump Stiffed Puerto Rico. Lisa Needham of Shareblue: "In 2008, Trump licensed his name to a golf course in Puerto Rico. A few years later, that golf course borrowed a hefty $26.4 million in municipal bonds. A few years after that, in 2015, the golf course declared bankruptcy, leaving Puerto Rico holding the bag and the debt, because the golf course will never pay back those municipal bonds. Frankly, it's an astonishing way to conduct business: borrow money from the government, run up your debts (the golf course owed a staggering $78 million in debt when it filed for bankruptcy), and simply walk away. Rather than deal with this in an honorable fashion, the Trump family immediately tried to say that they had nothing to do with the bankruptcy, insisting the golf course had licensed their name, nothing more. Trump's eagerness to license his name -- and make money off it -- knows no bounds, but he has no interest in picking up the pieces when things go south."

Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "... the IRS Criminal Investigation agents [have] been working with the FBI to investigate [Paul] Manafort since before the election in a ... probe that centered on possible money laundering and tax fraud issues, according to ... sources. It's unclear if [Michael] Flynn is now or was previously under investigation by the IRS. CNN has reported that [Robert] Mueller's team is examining Flynn's payments from Turkey and Russia.... The new information about the depth of IRS involvement renews questions surrounding the controversial issue of ... Donald Trump's tax returns, which he refused to release during the campaign.... It is not clear whether the special counsel has asked for or obtained Trump's tax returns." ...

... "Follow the Money." Jeff Toobin of the New Yorker: "At this point, the precise nature of Trump's connections to Russia remains a mystery, but, whether through staging a Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, or pursuing the construction of a hotel in that city, Trump hoped to profit from the oligarchs who control the Russian economy. In turn, their patron, Vladimir Putin, wanted to prevent Hillary Clinton from becoming President. At the heart of the current investigations is whether and to what extent these two objectives merged. Almost certainly, the key to answering that question is financial. Money played an important role in Watergate, but it was a means to an end -- political power. For Trump, money has been the end in itself. At the moment, it appears that he may survive his scandal in the way that Nixon could not surmount his. But if Trump is to fall, it will likely be in part because the investigators take the advice of Holbrook's Mark Felt, and really do follow the money." ...

... Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "Criminal charges against two former top advisers to ... Donald Trump are virtually certain, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday. Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort are almost sure to be indicted as a result of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Connecticut senator told Politico. 'I'm about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation,' said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blumenthal has also served as a U.S. attorney and spent 20 years as his state's attorney general." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Spicey Gets a Criminal Lawyer. Betsy Woodruff of the Daily Beast: "Sean Spicer ... has tapped Chris Mead, a high-powered criminal defense attorney ... to handle issues related to ... Robert Mueller's probe...." ...

... In Today's Funnies. Natasha Bertrand of Business Insider: "Abbe Lowell, a top Washington lawyer, exchanged emails on Monday with a prankster posing as his client Jared Kushner, at one point telling the prankster he needed to see 'all emails' sent and received from a private email account Kushner had set up in December.... On Monday, the prankster wrote to Lowell from the address kushner.jared@mail.com asking what he should do with 'some correspondence on my private email ... featuring adult content.' 'Can I remove these?' the prankster asked. 'Forwarded or received from WH officials?' Lowell responded." And so on. "Lowell's suggestion that he needs to see all emails sent or received from Kushner's private account raises questions about whether he has fully examined the messages and what kind of information they contained [before issuing a statement Sunday about the correspondence in Kushner's private account]." Mrs. McC: I'm wondering if Lowell will bill Real Kushner for time spent corresponding with Fake Kushner. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

How Trumpbots respect the American flag & various musings on the fight against social justice. Thanks to Gloria for the link:

Scaremonger-in-Chief. Louis Jacobson of Politifact: "In [a] Sept. 23 tweet, Trump wrote, 'Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!'" There are a couple of problems with Trump's tweet. (1) Iran probably did not "just test-fire a Ballistic Missile" (Why is "Ballistic Missile" Capitalized?), and (2) the Iran nuclear agreement covers, um, nuclear stuff, not missiles. And Trump didn't even get his fake news from Fox "News"; it was Fox that reported the "test" was fake.

Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will resign at the end of the week, according to law enforcement officials, who said he had become convinced that President Trump had little respect for the law. The official, Chuck Rosenberg, who twice served as chief of staff to the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and remains a close confidant, had grown disillusioned with Mr. Trump. The president ... in July told law enforcement officers 'please don't be too nice' when handling crime suspects. Mr. Rosenberg forcefully rejected Mr. Trump's comment, sending an email to all D.E.A. employees at the time to tell them that they should not mistreat suspects.... Mr. Trump has injected the White House into law enforcement matters in ways that have made many career officials uncomfortable."

Free Speech for Me but Not for Thee. Rebecca Ruiz of the New York Times: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions dived into the debate over free speech on college campuses on Tuesday, inserting the Justice Department into a little-known lawsuit against a Georgia college and ... comparing the tactics of one student group to the Ku Klux Klan. Speaking at Georgetown University's law school, Mr. Sessions condemned the designated free-speech zones that have popped up on campuses across the country and seized on the case of an evangelical Christian student who had been restricted from speaking about his religion.... Mr. Sessions's appearance drew dozens of demonstrators who dropped to one knee ahead of his speech.... The protesters -- including Georgetown Law faculty members, more than four dozen of whom signed an open letter opposing Mr. Sessions's policies -- were themselves confined to protest zones by the university.... Mr. Sessions ... has unwound several significant civil rights initiatives of the Obama administration...." ...

The president has free speech rights, too. If they take a provocative act, they have a right to be condemned, and the president has a right to condemn them, and I would condemn their actions. -- Jeff Sessions, in response to a question about Trump's attacks on NFL protesters

Mrs. McC Translation: When the President* speaks, he is exercising his First Amendment rights. When black football players "speak" in silent protest against racist acts, they are "provocative" and should be "condemned." ...

     Jonathan Chait: "Of all the ways Donald Trump has inflicted public humiliation upon his Attorney General, the most darkly amusing may be his decision to launch a high-profile campaign to censor professional athletes on the eve of Sessions's speech purporting to defend free speech.... In his speech at Georgetown Law School today, Sessions rattled off a familiar litany of pro-free-speech pieties.... The tension in the address arose from the obvious reality that Sessions serves an administration that can barely pretend to uphold them. Trump does not believe instinctively in free speech any more than he believes in any abstract ideal. His test of any issue is whether it serves his personal interests.... [Sessions] and Trump are 100 percent consistent in their unprincipled belief that speech should be heavily regulated by institutions they agree with, and unregulated by those they don't."

Paul Wiseman & Rob Gillies of the AP: "The Commerce Department slapped duties of nearly 220 percent on Canada's Bombardier C Series aircraft Tuesday in a victory for Boeing that is likely to raise tensions between the United States and its allies Canada and Britain. Commerce ruled that Montreal-based Bombardier used unfair government subsidies to sell jets at artificially low prices in the U.S. 'The U.S. values its relationships with Canada, but even our closest allies must play by the rules,' Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said. Canada responded by saying it 'strongly disagrees' with the U.S. move."

Dan Diamond & Rachana Pradhan of Politico: "Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price took a government-funded private jet in August to get to St. Simons Island, an exclusive Georgia resort where he and his wife own land, a day and a half before he addressed a group of local doctors at a medical conference that he and his wife have long attended. The St. Simons Island trip was one of two taxpayer-funded flights on private jets in which Price traveled to places where he owns property, and paired official visits with meetings with longtime colleagues and family members. On June 6, HHS chartered a jet to fly Price to Nashville, Tennessee, where he owns a condominium and where his son resides. Price toured a medicine dispensary and spoke to a local health summit organized by a longtime friend. He also had lunch with his son, an HHS official confirmed. An HHS official said both the Georgia and Tennessee trips were for official government business and were paid for by the department."

What Is Scott Pruitt Hiding? Brady Dennis of the Washington Post: "The Environmental Protection Agency is spending nearly $25,000 to construct a secure, soundproof communications booth in the office of Administrator Scott Pruitt, according to government contracting records.... Typically, such soundproof booths are used to conduct hearing tests. But the EPA sought a customized version -- one that eventually would cost several times more than a typical model -- that Pruitt can use to communicate privately.... No previous EPA administrators had such a setup." Mrs. McC: It would be such a shame if the phone line went down, Pruitt accidentally got locked in his soundproof phone booth & nobody missed him.

Update: Darryl Fears & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post make more clear the meaning of "the flag" than did the Matthew Daly of the AP in a story I linked yesterday. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was complaining about his staff's disloyalty to Trump & him rather than to "the flag" as a national symbol. They character "flag" as military jargon for top dogs, in this case Trump & Zinke. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Olivia Beavers of the Hill: "Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), on Tuesday described women in his conservative caucus as the group's 'eye candy.' Walker made the remark ... outside the Capitol, as other members of the group prepared to talk about their priorities. 'The accomplished men and women of the RSC. And women. If it wasn't sexist, I would say the RSC eye candy, but we'll leave that out of the record, are not attention seekers,' Walker said." Mrs. McC: Thanks,m ark. If it weren't sexist, Mark, I'd say you have a teensy, tiny shlong, but I know for sure you're still a big prick. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Senate Races

Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Roy S. Moore, a firebrand former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, overcame efforts by top Republicans to rescue his rival, Senator Luther Strange, defeating him on Tuesday in a special primary runoff, according to The Associated Press. The outcome in the closely watched Senate race dealt a humbling blow to President Trump and other party leaders days after the president pleaded with voters in the state to back Mr. Strange. Propelled by the stalwart support of his fellow evangelical Christians, Mr. Moore survived a multimillion-dollar advertising onslaught financed by allies of Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader. His victory demonstrated in stark terms the limits of Mr. Trump's clout.... On Dec. 12, Mr. Moore will face Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor and the Democratic nominee, in a race that will test the party loyalties of center-right voters who may be uneasy about their nominee." ...

... Kim Chandler & Jay Reeves of the AP: "The crowd at Moore's election party broke into loud applause as media outlets called the race. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon took the stage to introduce Moore.... 'We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress,' Moore told the crowd." ...

... Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday began deleting his tweets supporting Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) in Alabama's Senate primary after Strange lost the race to former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore."

Paul Kane & Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection next year, another blow to the Republican establishment on the same day the latest GOP effort to revamp the Affordable Care Act failed. Corker and other Republican leaders in Congress have come under fire from President Trump and his supporters for not delivering in the early days of the administration. Once considered an ally of Trump's national security team, Corker traded insults with the president during the August break amid chatter that staunch conservatives would mount a primary challenge to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman."

Sometimes There's a Price to Pay. Ron Lieber & Stacy Cowley of the New York Times: "The chairman and chief executive of Equifax, Richard F. Smith, stepped down on Tuesday in the aftermath of a data breach that exposed the personal information of as many as 143 million people, the credit reporting agency said. Equifax said that Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., most recently the president of its Asia-Pacific region, had been appointed interim chief executive. The company said it planned to conduct a search for a new chief executive and would consider candidates from inside and outside the company.... Mr. Smith will not receive a bonus in 2017 and will serve as an unpaid consultant to the company for up to 90 days, according to a regulatory filing. Mr. Smith will not receive a severance package or accelerated vesting of any stock that might have been due to him...." (Also linked yesterday.)

German Lopez of Vox: "Twitter is potentially doubling its character limit from 140 to 280, with the company announcing on Tuesday that it will let a small group of users test the feature before possibly rolling it out further."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that it would allow women to drive, ending a longstanding policy that has become a global symbol of the repression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom. The change, which will take effect in June of next year, was announced on state television and in a simultaneous media event in Washington.... The momentum to change the policy has picked up in recent years with the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king who has laid out a far-reaching plan to overhaul the kingdom's economy and society. Beyond the effects it could have on Saudi Arabia's image abroad, letting women drive could help the Saudi economy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Akhilleus I Is Responsible for NFL Protests

By Akhilleus II

Politicizing sports? Nothing new there...

I've been running across (wish I could say that was literal) a slew of whiny wingers complaining that the NFL (blahs and blah supporters) are "politicizing" a "great American" sport. Something that's NEVER been done.

Oh, please.

Grow up. And go to the library, if you know where it is, and grab a couple of history books.

Sports and politics have always been intertwined.

The first recorded sports event had a political caste to them. After Patroclus is killed in battle, as Homer recounts in grisly detail in Book 16 of the Iliad (and Book 17, in the fight over his body), Akhilleus decrees that funeral games will be held in honor of his friend. The games, which include archery, wrestling, boxing, races, and a chariot contest, could easily have passed for the first Olympic games. These games become a point of solidarity for the Achaeans whose ranks had become splintered. The tide of battle turns dramatically after the funeral games. After killing Hector, champion of the Trojans, Akhilleus allows Priam's people nine days to prepare his funeral rites (another political event). The sporting events in the wake of these deaths are inextricably tied to the politics of both camps.

In recent decades, we've seen a long list of politically charged connections with sports. John Carlos and Tommie Smith's Black Power salutes at the '68 Olympics in Mexico City. The Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in '73 (watched it with my roommates in college). The entrance of Jackie Robinson into Major League Baseball. The stripping of Muhammad Ali of his boxing crown and his banishment from the sport for years because he was black, Muslim, and anti-war. Jesse Owens' feats at the 1936 Olympics in Munich. Babe Didrikson's breakthroughs against misogynistic rules in professional golf. And amazingly, even though Babe was a star in the thirties, it's only very recently that girls were allowed to compete with boys in football and baseball.

This weekend I attended an MLB game. I noted, once again, that there is not just one, but two built-in segments of the game in which nationalistic sentiment predominates. We're all familiar with the singing of the national anthem--which, of course, is fine--but if you haven't been at a professional baseball game for a while (since Dubya made not saluting the flag--and himself--tantamount to treason, after the 9/11 attack, a tragedy that his insouciance and stupidity allowed), the seventh inning stretch has been co-opted, from a friendly and slightly goofy time for standing, stretching, and crooning "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" into a second rigid kowtowing to the xenophobic concept of America First, when a stodgy, religious singing of "God Bless America"is required. Everyone is instructed to rise, doff their caps, and demonstrate, without fail, their eternal patriotism.

Professional football games are even more overtly politicized. And not by Colin Kaepernick neither. Every single game in the NFL has an overt military presence, including things like flyovers by military jets.

The only people who don't think that's a political statement are those who fully agree with it.

Why can't they ever "Honor America" by bringing out teachers, or moms and dads, or nurses, or writers, or painters, or community organizers? Or blog editors?

And who can forget the YOU-ESS-AY cheers by American nationalists at Olympic games? There is nothing wrong with cheering on your team and your country. I do it too. But when it becomes xenophobic, the change in tenor is noticeable and angry.

In 1980, Jimmy Carter banned American athletes from competing in the Olympics to stick it to the Soviet Union.

That wasn't political?

Sports, especially in America, have become a primary venue for politicization, it's impossible to deny the connection, whether you agree with the leanings or not. For some, like the Trumpbots, it's all fine, as long as the leanings are in the direction of Whites First, America First, Blow up the Browns and non-Christians.

But as soon as the political wind blows from a non-white part of the field....Oh christ...these people are politicizing sports! Call out the fucking National Guard!

The Commentariat -- September 26, 2017

Afternoon Update:

In American People v. GOP, Another Narrow Victory. Seung Min Kim, et al., of Politico: "Senate Republicans do not intend to vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill, putting an end to their Obamacare repeal effort for now. The decision was reached Tuesday after it became clear the bill would fail. Three Senate Republicans had said they would vote against the measure, and the GOP could only afford two defections." This is an update of a story linked earlier today.

BBC News: "... Donald Trump has said he will travel next week to Puerto Rico amid a growing crisis in the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Maria.... On Tuesday, Mr Trump said the US was sending food, water and supplies on 'an hourly basis'. 'Puerto Rico is very important to me,' he added. 'The people are fantastic. I grew up in New York so I know many Puerto Rican people.' Mr Trump said next Tuesday - which will be nearly a fortnight after the storm struck - was the 'earliest I can go without disrupting relief efforts'. He may also visit the US Virgin Islands.... The White House also on Tuesday announced Mr Trump had increased federal funding and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the storm. Addressing criticism, the president said his administration was doing a "really good job" and that the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, was 'so grateful'." ...

... Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday rejected criticism he is preoccupied with the NFL when his administration is facing a humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. 'I have plenty of time on my hands. All I do is work,' Trump told reporters at a White House news conference. Trump said he believes 'the NFL situation is a very important situation' and that players should be banned from kneeling during the national anthem."

Kyle Dropp & Brendan Nyhan of the New York Times: "A new poll of 2,200 adults by Morning Consult found that only 54 percent of Americans know that people born in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, are U.S. citizens." ...

... Hillary Wonders if Trump Is a 46-Percenter. Nick Visser of the Huffington Post: "'I'm not sure he knows that Puerto Ricans are American citizens,' [Hillary] Clinton told Sirius XM's Zerlina Maxwell on Monday afternoon.... During appearances on Sirius XM and MSNBC's 'All In With Chris Hayes,' Clinton described the president's approach as a political calculus and being disinterest in the fate of the 3.5 million American residents living on the island. 'He doesn't think that has any political relevance and it's certainly not personally important,' Clinton told Chris Hayes on Monday evening. 'He clearly doesn't want to talk about Puerto Rico, more than 3.5 million American citizens, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands. Not interested, doesn't say a word about it.'"

Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "Criminal charges against two former top advisers to ... Donald Trump are virtually certain, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday. Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort are almost sure to be indicted as a result of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Connecticut senator told Politico. 'I'm about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation,' said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee."

Update: Darryl Fears & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post make more clear the meaning of "the flag" than did the Matthew Daly of the AP in a story I linked this morning. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was complaining about his staff's disloyalty to Trump & him rather than to "the flag" as a national symbol. They character "flag" as military jargon for top dogs, in this case Trump & Zinke.

In Today's Funnies. Natasha Bertrand of Business Insider: "Abbe Lowell, a top Washington lawyer, exchanged emails on Monday with a prankster posing as his client Jared Kushner, at one point telling the prankster he needed to see 'all emails' sent and received from a private email account Kushner had set up in December.... On Monday, the prankster wrote to Lowell from the address kushner.jared@mail.com asking what he should do with 'some correspondence on my private email ... featuring adult content.' 'Can I remove these?' the prankster asked. 'Forwarded or received from WH officials?' Lowell responded." And so on. "Lowell's suggestion that he needs to see all emails sent or received from Kushner's private account raises questions about whether he has fully examined the messages and what kind of information they contained [before issuing a statement Sunday about the correspondence in Kushner's private account]." Mrs. McC: I'm wondering if Lowell will bill Real Kushner for time spent corresponding with Fake Kushner.

Olivia Beavers of the Hill: "Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), on Tuesday described women in his conservative caucus as the group's 'eye candy.' Walker made the remark ... outside the Capitol, as other members of the group prepared to talk about their priorities. 'The accomplished men and women of the RSC. And women. If it wasn't sexist, I would say the RSC eye candy, but we'll leave that out of the record, are not attention seekers,' Walker said." Mrs. McC: Thanks,m ark. If it weren't sexist, Mark, I'd say you have a teensy, tiny shlong, but I know for sure you're still a big prick. ...

Sometimes There's a Price. Ron Lieber & Stacy Cowley of the New York Times: "The chairman and chief executive of Equifax, Richard F. Smith, stepped down on Tuesday in the aftermath of a data breach that exposed the personal information of as many as 143 million people, the credit reporting agency said. Equifax said that Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., most recently the president of its Asia-Pacific region, had been appointed interim chief executive. The company said it planned to conduct a search for a new chief executive and would consider candidates from inside and outside the company.... Mr. Smith will not receive a bonus in 2017 and will serve as an unpaid consultant to the company for up to 90 days, according to a regulatory filing. Mr. Smith will not receive a severance package or accelerated vesting of any stock that might have been due to him...."

Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that it would allow women to drive, ending a longstanding policy that has become a global symbol of the repression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom. The change, which will take effect in June of next year, was announced on state television and in a simultaneous media event in Washington.... The momentum to change the policy has picked up in recent years with the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king who has laid out a far-reaching plan to overhaul the kingdom's economy and society. Beyond the effects it could have on Saudi Arabia's image abroad, letting women drive could help the Saudi economy."

*****

Thomas Kaplan of the New York Times: "Senator Susan Collins of Maine said on Monday that she would oppose the latest plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, leaving Republican leaders clearly short of the votes they need for passage. Ms. Collins, a Republican, announced her opposition in a written statement, delivering a significant and possibly fatal blow to the party's seven-year quest to dismantle the health law.... '... Sweeping reforms to our health care system and to Medicaid can't be done well in a compressed time frame, especially when the actual bill is a moving target,' Ms. Collins said in the statement. 'Today, we find out that there is now a fourth version of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, which is as deeply flawed as the previous iterations,' she said. 'The fact that a new version of this bill was released the very week we are supposed to vote compounds the problem.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Lauren Fox of CNN: "The Congressional Budget Office has released a partial score of the GOP's plan to repeal Obamacare, saying the Graham-Cassidy bill would reduce the budget deficit by at least $133 billion but millions of people would lose comprehensive health insurance. The non-partisan scoring agency estimates that between 2017 and 2026, "the legislation would reduce the on-budget deficit by at least $133 billion and result in millions fewer people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events. The report is not as detailed as previous CBO scores, however." ...

... John Wagner of the Washington Post: "With the latest Republican plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act collapsing, President Trump focused his ire Monday night on Sen. John McCain, distributing a video that showed the Arizona Republican on board with the mission in the past. 'A few of the many clips of John McCain talking about Repealing & Replacing O'Care,' Trump said in a tweet that accompanied the video. 'My oh my has he changed-complete turn from years of talk!'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: So three senators have announced their opposition to a terrible bill and for very different reasons. Since Trump promised better care & lower premiums in "his" mythical bill, & since the Graham-Kennedy bill does neither, Trump should be thanking these dissenters. But of the three, Rand Paul's position is the furthest away from Trump's promise. So by rights, if Trump were to choose one of the three to pound, it should be Paul, who opposes better care & lower premiums. But Trump homes in on McCain because he is fatally ill AND more popular than Trump. This is what a narcissistic bully does.

... Rachel Roubein of the Hill: "Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) was forced to briefly recess the chamber's first hearing on an ObamaCare repeal bill, after protestors refused to stop chanting, leading police to drag several out. 'No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty,' attendees chanted. Police surrounded the protesters and escorted them out of the room." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Zombie Repeal. Seung Min Kim, et al., of Politico: With Graham-Cassidy apparently dead in the water, some GOP senators are plotting ways to extend the reconciliation procedure that allows passage of bills by a 50-vote majority. ...

Rick Gladstone & David Sanger of the New York Times: "North Korea threatened on Monday to shoot down American warplanes even if they are not in the country's airspace, as its foreign minister declared that President Trump's threatening comments about the country and its leadership were 'a declaration of war.' 'The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country,' the foreign minister, Ri Yong-ho, told reporters as he was leaving the United Nations after a week of General Assembly meetings in New York." (Also linked yesterday.)

Medlar's Sports Report:

All Hail Donaldus Caesar. David Moye of the Huffington Post: "When ... Donald Trump spoke in Alabama on Friday against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he also appeared to come out in favor of concussions. During his speech, Trump argued that rules designed to minimize concussions and CTE, a neurodegenerative disease, are ruining the game: 'Today if you hit too hard ―15 yards! Throw him out of the game!... They're ruining the game! They're ruining the game. That's what they want to do. They want to hit. They want to hit! It is hurting the game.' ESPN analyst Kevin Blackistone ... reminded viewers that black males make up the majority of NFL players ― and the majority of concussions." ...

     ... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Trump imagines himself as Julius Caesar & pro football players -- especially black players -- as gladiators, to fight it out & die for the amusement of his bloodthirsty followers & He Trump. Roman gladiators were usually convicted criminals or prisoners of war, & that is precisely how Trump sees black athletes. The only difference is that today's gladiators are often well-compensated, and Trump -- a former football team owner -- resents that. When today's gladiators aren't servile enough, when they kneel to highlight racial injustice instead of standing to salute an anthem which Trump thinks is now dedicated to him personally, he opines they deserve not just concussions but also firing. Trump, correctly, sees these pleas for racial parity not just as attacks on the criminal justice system but also on him & his racist views. ...

     ... This is not, BTW, the first time Trump has publicly mocked CTE: Sean Gregory of Time reported contemporaneously that at a rally in Lakeland, Florida, in October 2016, "Trump talked about a woman who had fainted but returned to the crowd. 'The woman was out cold and now she's coming back,' Trump said. 'See? We don't go by these new, and very much softer, NFL rules. Concussion. Oh, oh! Got a little ding on the head. No, no, you can't play for the rest of the season. Our people are tough.'" ...

... Des Bieler & Mark Maske of the Washington Post: "Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined his team's players in kneeling before the national anthem before their game Monday night at Arizona. Jones, Coach Jason Garrett and other Cowboys coaches and front office executives locked arms while standing on the field. Before the anthem, Jones and the players and coaches took a knee. They then stood up, with arms still interlocked, for the anthem. Some in the crowd at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., where the Cowboys were taking on the host Cardinals, booed at the display. Arizona players also stood and linked arms during the anthem, but they did not take a knee beforehand.... The Cowboys' plan for their pregame display was formulated during a series of meetings Sunday and Monday, according to a person familiar with the planning.... 'Everyone should know, including the president, this is what real locker room talk is,' Joe Lockhart, the NFL's executive vice president..., said in a conference call with reporters earlier Monday." ...

... Kaitlin Collins & Jeff Zeleny of CNN: "White House chief of staff John Kelly was not pleased with the fight that erupted over the weekend between ... Donald Trump and National Football League players who protest by kneeling during the national anthem, two administration officials told CNN.... In a brief interview Monday evening, Kelly told CNN he is 'appalled' by what he sees as a lack of respect for the flag and national anthem. 'I believe every American, when the national anthem is played, should cover their hearts and think about all the men and women who have been maimed and killed,' Kelly said. 'Every American should stand up and think for three lousy minutes.' His son, Robert Michael Kelly, was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2010." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Kelly's visceral response to the National Anthem is perfectly fine as are numerous other responses. Some immigrants, for instance, may think of how coming to the U.S has affected their own lives. Others may think of how the U.S., in the hands of its officials, has betrayed its promise to them & their families. Kneeling -- a respectable, prayerful stance -- is one way to honor the promise & highlight those promises not kept. While for some like Kelly the anthem invokes military sacrifice (and no wonder with "the bombs bursting in air" and all), the military is hardly the only American quality the national anthem & flag symbolize. I'm not saying that Kelly should get over his own semiotic interpretation; I'm saying he should appreciate & respect other responses to our national symbols rather than insist upon imposing his own reading upon the rest of us. ...

... Digby, in Salon: "All we can do is observe [Trump's] behavior and hope he doesn't completely go off the deep end. This past weekend he came close. First, Trump tweeted out the scariest tweet of his long Twitter career, and that's saying something. He threatened to murder millions of people if the North Korean foreign minister said something he didn't like: 'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!' ... Meanwhile, when he wasn't threatening Armageddon, Trump decided that the one pressing issue he absolutely had to address was the protests by NFL players against police racism and violence. That he did this during the same week there were large demonstrations in St Louis over the not guilty verdict for a cop who was filmed planting a gun on a suspect -- after being recorded saying he was 'going to kill this motherfucker' -- was probably not an accident. After everything that happened after Charlottesville, Trump just had to rip off the scab and pour salt into the open wound." ...

... Charles Pierce: "... the [NFL's] solidarity was as impressive a statement as we have seen from this class of people since the days of black gloves and Muhammad Ali, and it's a measure of the astonishing ability of this president* to find, and to stomp upon, someone's last nerve, which is his only demonstrable talent as a political leader. There is a strong school of thought that believes this to be a kind of native political wisdom rather than simply a kind of destructive political improvisation. Raise hell with football players and maybe nobody will notice that you're tickling the dragon's tail in east Asia, or that you're prepared to send grandma's chemo money to Scott Walker so he can fix the potholes in his state's highways.... The problem with that theory is that, if you accept that it's true, then he's played the distraction card once too often. It's obvious now and it fools nobody.... The protests this weekend were long on dignity and grace and short on bombast." ...

... Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Of course Trump's outrage at the NFL protests had to do with race.... The reason for [the players'] protests ... are one of the endpoints of a years-long racial divide that Trump leveraged explicitly as part of his 2016 campaign.... The demonstrations by NFL players (which expanded outward more rapidly after Trump's rebukes) originated with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He began to kneel during the national anthem at games as a way of drawing attention to incidents in which black Americans were targeted and sometimes killed by law enforcement officials. It's not, as some have argued, a protest of the anthem itself. It's a continuation of the argument that powers the Black Lives Matter movement: that there is a systemic problem in how police officers treat black suspects.... Trump's campaign stoked Republican frustration at Black Lives Matter, racial tensions and a black president who was seen as hostile to police officers. In addition to his explicit racial arguments (starting with his disparagement of immigrants from Mexico), Trump repeatedly insisted that he would stand behind and defend America's police -- leveraging hostility to Black Lives Matter for his own purposes.... Trump's entire campaign was about race, explicitly -- whether he realizes it or not. So, too, was his fervent insistence about the NFL over the weekend." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: If you needed a tell, and I'm sure you don't, it was Trump's argument that "If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect.... our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED." This was a human-whistle from a billionaire to his base of whitey-white ne'er-do-wells: "These black guys are making millions! And you're not. They don't 'deserve' to whup you. Fire them!" BTW, if you're wondering how Trump launched these attacks, which appeared to come up out of the blue at a campaign rally for a U.S. Senate candidate, I expect he was still smarting from Jemele Hill's calling out his racism. Perhaps at the insistence of his chief-of-staff, all Trump did at the time was demand an apology from Hill's network, ESPN. But days later, he was still smarting, it was Friday night, & Trump couldn't stop himself from taking out his ire on black sports figures. Calling Trump a racist is a waste of time; it just causes him to double-down on racist spittle.

Ed Pilkington of the Guardian: "It took Donald Trump five full days to respond to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria on the lives of 3.5 million Americans in Puerto Rico, and when he finally did so his comments on Twitter were so devoid of empathy it threatened to spark a new controversy. Hot on the heels of the billowing dispute he single-handedly provoked over African-American sporting figures protesting racial inequality during the national anthem, Trump launched another provocation on Monday night with a belated and lacklustre response to the Puerto Rican disaster. In a series of three tweets he effectively blamed the islanders -- all of whom are American citizens -- for their own misfortune. 'Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble,' he said, without offering any additional federal government assistance for the stricken US territory.... Trump acknowledged that 'much of the island was destroyed', but caustically went on to say that its electrical grid was already 'in terrible shape' and that Puerto Rico owed billions of dollars to Wall Street and the banks 'which, sadly, must be dealt with'." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: But, you know, this isn't about race, either. ...

... Margaret Hartmann: "It's true that Puerto Rico's infrastructure was in bad shape before the storm hit, thanks to a lack of maintenance related to the island's $73 billion debt crisis. But Trump did not respond to Harvey by noting that experts warned for decades that Houston was a flooding disaster waiting to happen."

** Frank Rich writes a brief history of Watergate & compares it to how Trumpgate is unfolding. It's a great refresher course, or a lesson for the many of us too young to remember, to how Watergate happened & an encouraging note on how Trumpgate may come down. Many thanks to PD Pepe for the link. This is one to read, not scan. (Also linked yesterday.)

** The Making of the Presidunce. Jeet Heer of the New Republic on Trump as our first post-literate president & what that means to his ability to reason (uh, he has none).

Lock 'em up. Matt Apuzzo & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "At least six of President Trump's closest advisers occasionally used private email addresses to discuss White House matters, current and former officials said on Monday. The disclosures came a day after news surfaced that Jared Kushner ... used a private email account to send or receive about 100 work-related emails during the administration's first seven months. But Mr. Kushner was not alone. Stephen K. Bannon ... and Reince Priebus ... also occasionally used private email addresses. Other advisers, including Gary D. Cohn and Stephen Miller, sent or received at least a few emails on personal accounts, officials said. Ivanka Trump ... used a private account when she acted as an unpaid adviser in the first months of the administration, Newsweek reported Monday. Administration officials acknowledged that she also occasionally did so when she formally became a White House adviser.... It is not illegal for White House officials to use private email accounts as long as they forward work-related messages to their work accounts so they can be preserved.... Most of Mr. Trump's aides used popular commercial email services like Gmail. Mr. Kushner created a domain, IJKFamily.com, in December to host his family's personal email." ...

     ... Marie: I just realized how much I am like Javanka. I too "created a domain" -- RealityChex.com -- which hosts one of my personal e-mail accounts. The next thing you know, I'll be buying up vanity buildings in Manhattan at outrageously high prices & currying favor with shady foreign financiers. So long, Bank of America, you shady financiers.

... Well, of Course She Did. Brandon Carter & Megan Wilson of the Hill: "Ivanka Trump used a personal email account to communicate with a member of President Trump's administration, a watchdog group said Monday. American Oversight obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that show Ivanka Trump, a senior White House adviser to her father, used a personal email account to contact Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Linda McMahon in February." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Josh Dawsey of Politico: "Frustrated with West Wing aides' rampant use of personal communications devices for official business, former chief of staff Reince Priebus tried over the summer to stop -- or at least limit -- the practice. During a July senior staff meeting, Priebus asked aides to either store their personal phones in secure lockers in the White House or leave them at home during the workday, according to people who attended. The administration subsequently installed additional lockers, typically found only outside secure rooms, in the West Wing, as part of an effort to force aides to use their White House accounts for communications. But the request was largely ignored, according to six current and former administration officials, advisers and others who correspond with the White House. Aides laughed about Priebus' request, and senior officials -- including Priebus -- continued to use their personal phones for phone calls, text messages and emails for White House matters." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: So when Sarah Sanders said at yesterday's briefing that “All White House personnel have been instructed to use official email to conduct all government related work," she was technically truthful. To be actually truthful, she would have had to add, "But we totally ignore those instructions." ...

... Louis Nelson of Politico: "Reports that several current and former top White House staff members, including Jared Kushner, Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon used their private email accounts for official business puts on display the 'rank hypocrisy' of the Trump administration, Hillary Clinton said Monday night." ...

... Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee and its top Democrat asked the Trump administration Monday for more information about the use of personal email accounts by senior officials -- a day after it was revealed that Jared Kushner ... acknowledged using such an account for official business. The letters, sent from Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) to White House counsel Don McGahn and the leaders of two dozen federal departments and agencies, demand answers to inquiries about the use of nonofficial email and other messaging accounts to conduct official business. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the panel, also joined the request." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Maybe this is just show, but also it's an indicator that Congressional Republicans are breaking up with Trump.

Matthew Daly of the AP: "Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Monday that nearly one-third of employees at his department are not loyal to him and ... Donald Trump, adding that he is working to change the department's regulatory culture to be more business friendly. Zinke ... said he knew when he took over the 70,000-employee department in March that, 'I got 30 percent of the crew that's not loyal to the flag.'... To remedy that, Zinke said he is pursuing a major reorganization that would push much of the agency's decision-making outside Washington and move several agencies, including the Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Land Management, to undetermined Western states." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: This story confuses me. In the citation, Zinke says the Interior Department employees were disloyal to "the flag," suggesting they are traitors. but Daly writes that Zinke said these employees were not loyal to him & Trump. There is, obviously, a big difference. I could not find any clarifying story. Trump & Zinke do not represent "the flag," whether they know it or not (and Trump definitely doesn't know it -- like Louis XIV, Trump imagines l'Etat, c'est moi). The civil servants of the Interior Department pledged to defend the Constitution, & they must act on that pledge; they are prohibited from following Zinke/Trump's instructions if those instructions violate the law and/or the Constitution.

NEW. Betsy Klein, et al., of CNN: "Donald Trump Jr.'s Secret Service protection has been reactivated, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.... It is not clear what prompted the move." Mrs. McC: Sure it is. Junior went out & bought his super-shredder, set it up in a hidden compartment behind his closet, made sure it worked, & now he's okay with letting the Secret Service follow him around.

Karoun Demirjian & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone plans to fiercely deny to the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that he had any contact, much less colluded, with Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential election, according to a prepared opening statement he shared with The Washington Post. Stone also plans to deny that he had any advance knowledge that emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta would be hacked or that his emails would then be released by WikiLeaks -- despite tweeting just days before that Podesta's 'time in the barrel' would soon be coming. In his prepared opening statement, Stone decries the nation's intelligence agencies as 'politicized,' and questions the findings of the intelligence community regarding Russia's efforts to meddle in the 2016 election, including the hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Podesta."

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times on the undemocratic national of our Constitutional structure which permits the tyranny of the minority.

Kristine Phillips of the Washington Post: "Before Jeff Mateer became President Trump's nominee for federal judgeship in Texas, he fought a local ordinance extending equal protections to members of the LGBT community and said the separation of church and state does not exist in the Constitution. But likely his most controversial statements were made in two 2015 speeches, in which he said transgender children are proof that 'Satan's plan is working' and same-sex marriage is a harbinger for 'disgusting' practices such as polygamy and bestiality. He also appeared to advocate gay conversion therapy, a discredited practice banned by a handful of states and condemned by human rights and medical groups. Those comments, which did not appear in media reports until CNN unearthed them last week, have outraged LGBT rights groups and drawn scrutiny to Mateer's legal career as awaits a Senate confirmation hearing.... The recent revelations on Mateer, Texas's first assistant attorney general, have also raised questions about whether he disclosed his controversial comments to a vetting committee, as required by state law."

Senate Race

Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Just hours before the polls opened in a special United States Senate runoff in Alabama that will echo through the national Republican Party, two of the best-known figures in President Trump's orbit raced to the state Monday night on behalf of opposing candidates. Senator Luther Strange, trailing in the polls but hoping Mr. Trump's backing can help him close the gap, summoned Vice President Mike Pence to Birmingham to highlight the president's endorsement as part of a get-out-the-vote push in Alabama's largest city. In the same hour, Roy Moore, a former State Supreme Court chief justice, welcomed the former White House senior adviser Stephen K. Bannon to a barn in this community along the Mobile Bay for a rally that mixed praise for Jesus Christ with jeremiads against the Republican establishment."

Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Anthony D. Weiner, the disgraced former New York congressman who became caught up in a scandal over his exchange of lewd texts with a 15-year-old girl, was sentenced on Monday to 21 months in prison. Mr. Weiner, 53, had pleaded guilty to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor, and had faced up to 10 years in prison." Mrs. McC: Will they let him have his cellphone while he's in prison with nothing to do? (Also linked yesterday.)