September 26, 2022
Afternoon Update:
Mystery Solved. Ryan Reilly & Ben Collins of NBC News: "A high-ranking member of the far-right Oath Keepers organization who has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol exchanged messages in November 2020 with former Trump White House aide Andrew Giuliani about election issues. That same Oath Keeper member, Kellye SoRelle, also tried to text a White House number on Dec. 20, according to a new book from Denver Riggleman, a former Republican congressman from Virginia, and journalist Hunter Walker. That text message went to a White House switchboard line, so it could not be delivered.... Riggleman told NBC News that he had divulged details of the text messages in his book so that 'reporters would follow up on some of the crucial evidence that had not been made public.' NBC News has seen a copy of the book, which will be published Tuesday.... Andrew Giuliani ... was on leave from the White House to work on elections issues in late 2020...."
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday granted Russian citizenship to Edward J. Snowden, the former U.S. intelligence contractor who became one of the world's most high-profile fugitives after he disclosed mass surveillance techniques to news organizations. Mr. Snowden said in 2020 that he was applying for Russian citizenship, describing the decision as a practical measure to give his family greater freedom crossing borders. His request was granted by Mr. Putin in a decree dated Monday and published by the Kremlin. Mr. Snowden, 39, was among dozens of foreigners granted citizenship in the decree." The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Well, that's nice. Now when is Putin going to grant Russian citizenship to the other person famous for playing fast & loose with U.S. government secrets? There may yet be a Trump Tower Moscow. Better yet, a Trump Tower Omsk.
Zachary Cohen of CNN: Former White House chief of state Mark Meadows & election conspirary theorist Phil Waldron texted each other in late December 2020 about gaining access to voting machines in Arizona & Texas. "The messages, which have not been previously reported, shed new light on how Waldron's reach extended into the highest levels of the White House and the extent to which Meadows was kept abreast of plans for accessing voting machines, a topic sources tell CNN, and court documents suggest, is of particular interest to state and federal prosecutors probing efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The messages also provide an early window into how an effort to gain access to voting machines through the courts and state legislatures morphed into a more clandestine endeavor that is now the subject of multiple criminal investigations."
Dalton Bennett, et al., of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob intends to show at its hearing this week video footage of Roger Stone recorded by Danish filmmakers during the weeks before the violence, according to people familiar with the matter. The committee is considering including video clips in which Stone, a longtime friend and adviser to ... Donald Trump, predicted violent clashes with left-wing activists and forecast months before the 2020 vote that the president would use armed guards and loyal judges to stay in power...."
Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Race. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: Doug "Mastriano, an insurgent state senator who in the spring cruised to the Republican nomination, is learning this fall that while it is one thing to win a crowded G.O.P. primary on the back of online fame and Donald J. Trump's endorsement, it is quite another to prevail in a general election in a battleground state of nearly 13 million people. He is being heavily outspent by his Democratic rival [Josh Shapiro], has had no television ads on the air since May, has chosen not to interact with the state's news media in ways that would push his agenda, and trails by double digits in reputable public polling and most private surveys.... Republicans elsewhere [-- Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Michigan --] who, with Mr. Trump's endorsement, won primaries against the wishes of their local political establishments are facing similar disparities in TV advertising in the final weeks of the midterm campaigns."
Mary Ilyushina of the Washington Post: "A young man shot and wounded the chief recruitment officer at a military enlistment station in Russia's Irkutsk region on Monday, local authorities said, as thousands of fighting-age men continued to flee the country to escape being summoned to duty in President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine."
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Edward Helmore of the Guardian: ""Donald Trump denied knowing at the time the January 6 attack on the US Capitol started that a mob of his supporters -- whom he privately called 'fucking crazy' -- were rioting, the author of a forthcoming book on his chaotic presidency writes in what may stand as one of the most surprising, non-believable postscripts of his tenure in the Oval Office. 'I didn't usually have the television on. I'd have it on if there was something. I then later turned it on and I saw what was happening,' Trump told New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman..., despite congressional testimony that he was indeed watching events that day.... In an extract published in the Atlantic, Haberman writes that she was given three post-presidential opportunities to speak with Trump and found that 'his impulse to try to sell his preferred version of himself was undeterred by the stain that January 6 left on his legacy and on the democratic foundations of the country -- if anything, it grew stronger'. At Mar-a-Lago..., the former president appeared 'diminished.'"
Julia Mueller of the Hill: "Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Sunday said former President Trump is pushing himself toward a 'self-inflicted indictment' with his combative public statements on his legal battle with the Justice Department. 'The more you absolutely antagonize with nonsense arguments on television that your lawyers won't make in court -- because they're afraid they'll be sanctioned if they do because they have no evidence -- you're pushing yourself closer to a self-inflicted indictment,' Christie said on ABC's 'This Week' with host George Stephanopoulos."
Brad Dress of the Hill: "Former U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) said text messages to and from then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed a 'roadmap to an attempted coup' as former President Trump attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss. Riggleman -- who led a data analyst team for the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot -- told CBS' '60 Minutes' host Bill Whitaker in an interview aired Sunday that messages connected to Meadows revealed an extensive conspiracy within Trump's White House following the 2020 election." ~~~
~~~ Here's the transcript of the interview, via CBS News. Includes video. ~~~
~~~ Jacqueline Alemany & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "News that a former adviser to the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection is publishing a book billed as a 'behind-the-scenes' look at the committee's work came as a shock to most lawmakers and committee staff when it was announced last week. Denver Riggleman, a former Republican congressman, is set to publish 'The Breach' on Tuesday, just one day before the final public hearing of the Jan. 6 panel, which has gone to extraordinary lengths to prevent unauthorized leaks, as well as keep its sources and methods of investigation under wraps. Riggleman's book announcement came in the form of a tweet touting his upcoming appearance Sunday on '60 Minutes' as his first time speaking publicly about the book.... Senior staff previously confronted Riggleman after rumors circulated that he was working on a book about his work for the committee, according to a person close to the panel." Riggleman denied at one point that he was writing about the committee & at another point said the book would not be published before the end of the year. "Committee staff members were infuriated by Riggleman's cable news tour earlier this summer during which he revealed private details about the staff's work, according to people involved with the investigation."
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "... the Conference of Chief Justices, a group representing the top state judicial officers in the nation, [has filed] a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in a politically charged election-law case. The brief urged the court to reject a legal theory pressed by Republicans that would give state legislatures extraordinary power.... If the Supreme Court adopts the theory, it will radically reshape how federal elections are conducted by giving state lawmakers independent authority, not subject to review by state courts, to set election rules in conflict with state constitutions. The conference's brief, which was nominally filed in support of neither party, urged the Supreme Court to reject that approach, sometimes called the independent state legislature theory."
Kenneth Chang of the New York Times: "On Monday, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft, or DART, is set to collide with Dimorphos, a small asteroid that is the moon of a larger space rock, Didymos. While these two near-Earth objects pose no immediate threat to our world, NASA launched DART last year to test a technique that could one day be used for planetary defense.... The mission is a proof-of-principle demonstration that hitting an oncoming asteroid with a projectile can nudge it into a different orbit.... DART is set to crash into Dimorphos at 14,000 miles per hour at 7:14 p.m. Eastern time on Monday. NASA Television will broadcast coverage of the end of this mission beginning at 6 p.m. Or you can watch it in the video player embedded [at the top of this page]."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Italy. Frances D'Emilio & Giada Zampano of the AP: "Italian voters rewarded Giorgia Meloni's euroskeptic party with neo-fascist roots, propelling the country toward what likely would be its first far-right-led government since World War II, based on partial results Monday from the election for Parliament. In a victory speech, far-right Italian leader Giorgia Meloni struck a moderate tone after projections based on votes counted from some two-thirds of polling stations showed her Brothers of Italy party ahead of other contenders in Sunday's balloting.... The formation of a ruling coalition, with the help of Meloni's right-wing and center-right allies, could take weeks. If Meloni, 45, succeeds, she would be the first woman to hold the country's premiership." ~~~
~~~ Update. Jason Horowitz of the New York Times: "Italy turned a page of European history on Sunday by electing a hard-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni, whose long record of bashing the European Union, international bankers and migrants has sown concern about the nation's reliability in the Western alliance. Results released early Monday showed that Ms. Meloni, the leader of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, a party descended from the remnants of fascism, had led a right-wing coalition to a majority in Parliament, defeating a fractured left and a resurgent anti-establishment movement."
Ukraine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Monday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Monday are here: "At least 100 people were arrested in Russia's southwestern region of Dagestan on Sunday, according to the human rights group OVD-Info, as protesters gathered in the regional capital of Makhachkala to condemn the war in Ukraine days after ... Vladimir Putin announced a military mobilization that would affect up to 300,000 reservists from around the country. In a speech Sunday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the protests by urging Russians to 'fight to ensure that your children are not sent to die.' Zelensky also said Kremlin-backed forces in Crimea have begun mobilizing Tatars ... for their war effort in the Ukrainian port city of Kherson, calling it 'another element of Russia's policy of genocide.' The Kremlin plans to continue staged referendums this week to annex occupied parts of Ukraine. Russia controls large swaths of the Luhansk and Kherson regions, as well as significant parts of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk."
News Ledes
New York Times: "Jim Florio, who was elected governor of New Jersey in 1989 by persuading voters that he would not raise state taxes but who then pushed through a record increase shortly after taking office, incurring public wrath that led to his defeat in his bid for a second term, died on Sunday. He was 85."
New York Times: "Tropical Storm Ian strengthened into a hurricane early Monday and was expected to continue to grow rapidly through the day as it moves closer to Cuba and eventually Florida in the coming days. Forecasters warned of 'significant' winds and storm surge for western Cuba, and issued watches and warnings for much of the region, including the Dry Tortugas, the Florida Keys and Grand Cayman. The National Weather Service issued a hurricane watch for parts of the west coast of Florida, including Tampa Bay, where the governor, Ron DeSantis, warned residents to begin preparing for the storm's arrival."
New York Times: "At least nine people have been killed and 20 injured in a school shooting on Monday in the Russian city of Izhevsk, 600 miles east of Moscow, according to Russian authorities. A gunman entered School Number 88, which teaches the first to 11th grades, and killed two security guards, two teachers and at least five minors, according to federal investigators, who also said the assailant killed himself."
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Reader Comments (7)
Spineless sycophant Kevin McCarthy, the man who would be Speaker, nods along as some lady blathers on at some event highlighting the GOP agenda about the horrible things going on in some American schools:
"Critical race theory; diversity, equity, and inclusion; gender identity ... anti-bullying programs ... These are all Marxist-style programs targeting our children."
Inclusion, equity, and anti-bullying programs are bad? Marxist? Jesus Christ. And instead of saying “Well, you know, ma’am, those aren’t particularly bad things…” McCarthy does his bobble-head doll routine. This is what passes for leadership on the right.
God forbid that kids learn that fairness is a good thing and bullying is not. But in fact, bullying is considered a virtue on the right. Fairness is not. Neither is inclusivity, unless you’re a straight, white, Christian winger.
https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1573324370772123649
Of all the lies spouted by the Orange Monster, thousands upon thousands of lies, the biggest might be “I don’t usually watch television”. Say what? This fucking guy LIVES to see himself on TV. He’d show up for work about the same time most Americans are taking their lunch break so he could mainline morning TV shows to see how often Fox morons praise his latest atrocity.
“TV? What’s that? Never heard of it…” Right up there with “My tax returns? Sure. I’ll release them as soon as that 22 year IRS audit is finished”.
A two-fer!
So remember how we used to point out what a worthless piece of roadkill Upchuck Todd is, especially after one of his patented weasel “interviews” where he allowed confederate screamers to spout all sorts of lying bullshit with no proof or even qualifications, letting them off without the skimpiest follow up questions or even a quick “C’mon, did that really happen?”
Welllll…I don’t watch Meat the Press anymore, but ol’ Upchuck is still doing his damndest to be a useless dick.
Yesterday, he “interviewed” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-Natch) and asked her if Republicans would impeach Joe Biden if they retake the House. Understand, HE brought this up, as if it’s a pretty locked in idea that Biden has done something impeachable. And since he already did her work for her, Mace could sound “reasonable”. Her answer, “Maybe”. Chuck’s response?
“Wow”.
Wow. Not…”What for? What has President Biden done that you consider impeachable? Name it.”
This Impeach Biden! crap is all about payback for Fatty’s entirely deserved impeachments. He’s a crook and a traitor. Confederates are running around screaming about all the investigations they’re gonna have when they steal the midterms. They have no policies, no ideas to make the country a better place, it’s all about owning the libs and making anyone pay who tells the truth about their soulless, racist, hate fueled ideology.
And leave us not forget that this Mace person once spray painted crap on her own house claiming she was attacked by Antifa. Interestingly, the writing on the sidewalk and walls matched her handwriting perfectly. Plus (my favorite) there was writing behind an automatic sensor alarm which amazingly, never went off. Hmmm…wonder why. Then…this gets better and better…she posts a picture of herself as Mom of the Year in the kitchen, with two cans of black spray paint sitting on the counter. Just in case the Antifa guys didn’t bring enough, I guess.
One would think that a solid journalist who did his or her homework would know something about people they invite on regularly. “Hey guys, let’s invite on that lying hoax lady from South Carolina. I’m sure she’ll have something truthful to say.”
So, we have a two-fer, a lying R pol and a loser fake journalist.
https://www.thewrap.com/chuck-todd-soledad-o-brien-biden-impeach/amp/
https://crooksandliars.com/2021/06/caught-antifa-graffiti-matches-gop-reps
@Akhilleus: I keep reading little snippets of gossipy news stories about how Chuck is out at NBC News. Yet there he is, beaming into the hinterlands, encouraging Republicans to impeach Biden for ... nothing.
A tiny rant here:
Why doesn’t the NYT say how far, exactly, the British pound fell. What’s wrong with saying something like, “between the hours of 0900 and 1500 today, the pound was at its lowest: 1.03 lbs to $1.00. Wassamatta wit specificity? IMO it matters.
@Victoria: If you scroll down the page, you'll see that this NYT business briefing does mention that $1.03 figure you cited. (Currently [@ 8:20 pm ET] the item on the pound is the second story.)
Gin-Gin has said she can’t wait to “set the record straight” by appearing before the Jan. 6-Trump Treason committee. I bet. If by setting the record straight she means “Don’t know, can’t remember, never said that, you all suck, my husband will send you all to prison if you fuck with me”, then that’s about all that can be expected from this democracy hating harpy.
I get that they have to bring this traitor in, to at least ask her about her attempts to overthrow a fair election and install a crook, but “cooperation” on her part will be on a par with Guy Fawkes’ with the House of Lords in 1605.
Not hoping for a similar fate, but…