The Commentariat -- September 19, 2019
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Maybe you noticed. There is no one connected to the Trump regime who isn't a devious, lying, corrupt scumbag. Or worse. The explosion of scandals is like nothing we've ever seen in U.S. history.
Justine Coleman of the Hill: "A federal judge issued a temporary injunction against a California state law that requires presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns to appear on the primary ballot. President Trump's lawyers had challenged the law, which was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). U.S. District Judge Morrison England, Jr., a George W. Bush appointee on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, said there would be 'irreparable harm without temporary relief' for Trump and other candidates if he did not make the rare temporary decision to block, The Los Angeles Times reported."
Justin Trudeau and His One-Man Minstrel Show. Rebekah Riess, et al., of CNN: "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized again on Thursday for wearing blackface in three separate incidents and said he did not know how many times he had put on racist makeup. 'What I did hurt them, hurt people who shouldn't have to face intolerance and discrimination because of their identity. This is something I deeply, deeply regret,' he said. Darkening your face, he added, 'is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface. I should have understood that then, and I never should have done it.' Trudeau still insisted he was an ally in the fight for social justice and highlighted his administration's actions to fight racism and intolerance.... In his apology, Trudeau admitted he had put on dark makeup when he was in high school as part of a talent show in which he sang the traditional Jamaican folk song 'Day-O.'... On Thursday, Global News reporter Mercedes Stephenson obtained video of Trudeau in blackface from a Conservative Party of Canada source. The source told her the video was shot in the early '90s...."
** Manu Raju of CNN: "The intelligence inspector general told the House intelligence committee today that the whistleblower complaint raised issues with multiple instances involving President Trump, sources tell CNN. Inspector General Michael Atkinson did not get into the substance of the complaint, the source said. CNN had earlier reported, citing a source familiar, that the complaint dealt with a phone call between the President and a foreign leader but the inspector general suggested there was more than one action. Atkinson was pressed for details but was mostly resistant to the queries, saying he is not allowed to provide details of the substance of the complaint because he was not authorized to do so...." ~~~
~~~ Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Thursday threatened legal action against the Trump administration over its refusal to turn over a whistleblower complaint that reportedly involves President Donald Trump's interactions with a foreign leader.... Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire's refusal to turn over the complaint to the panel prompted Schiff to threaten to go to court or even withhold funding from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McC: So the subject of the complaint is of "urgent concern," & the House is going to wave a broken plastic knife at the army of "locked & loaded" stonewallers for the next several years while this "urgent" matters wends its way through the courts? The House should withhold all funding for the entire "administration" until the Trumpies comply with the laws & answer subpoenas. Get those tax returns; get credible testimony from witnesses. Get documents. Until those things happen, no salaries for most political appointees, no DOJ money, no White House Secret Service money, no money to pay the light bills. Don't shut down the government; shut down Trump. You people are the Article I body. Start acting like it. ~~~
~~~ Pamela Brown, et al., of CNN: "The White House and the Justice Department have advised the nation's top intelligence agency that the controversial complaint is outside intelligence activities as covered by laws governing intelligence whistleblowers, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The revelation is the first known evidence of the White House's involvement. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said he didn't know whether the White House was involved." ~~~
~~~ Nothing to See Here, Folks! Another Fake News story out there - It never ends! Virtually anytime I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various U.S. agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself. No problem! ....Knowing all of this, is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially 'heavily populated' call. I would only do what is right anyway, and only do good for the USA! -- Donald Trump, in two tweets this morning ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Fandos, et al., of the New York Times: "The internal watchdog for American spy agencies declined repeatedly in a briefing on Thursday to disclose to lawmakers the content of a potentially explosive whistle-blower complaint that is said to involve a discussion between President Trump and a foreign leader, according to two people familiar with the briefing. During a private session on Capitol Hill, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, told lawmakers he was unable to confirm or deny anything about the substance of the complaint, including whether it involved the president, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the closed-door conversation. The meeting was still underway." Update: Here's the Hill's story. ~~~
~~~ The NYT story has been updated. New Lede: "A potentially explosive complaint by a whistle-blower in the intelligence community said to involve President Trump was related to a series of actions that goes beyond any single discussion with a foreign leader, according to interviews on Thursday."
~~~ David Frum of the Atlantic: "Foreign corruption inducing treason was the core impeachable offense in the eyes of the authors of the Constitution. Which is why a whistle-blower report filed with the inspector general for the intelligence community, reportedly concerning an improper 'promise' by ... Donald Trump to a foreign leader, has jolted Congress.... Trump has been engaged in improper contacts with foreign governments for years, and built deep business relationships with foreign nationals.... Again and again, Trump has acted in ways that align with the interests of foreign states, raising questions about his motives." ~~~
We're maybe hours from learning the promise Trump made and to which leader, less than 24 from him calling it fake news, two days away from Republicans being 'troubled,' three away from the WH admitting the story is true but Trump was 'joking,' four from the GOP falling into line. -- Brian Beutler, in a tweet last night
Step 2. Trump's "calling it fake news" within 24 hours -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie
Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "... Donald Trump sued Thursday to block Manhattan's top prosecutor from obtaining his tax returns as part of a wide-ranging investigation into hush-money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign. The lawsuit filed in federal district court in New York is an attempt to fight a subpoena filed late last month from District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office seeking eight years of Trump's personal and corporate tax returns."
Nick Walsh of CNN: "Iran's foreign minister has warned of 'all-out war' in the event of US or Saudi military strikes against his country, and questioned whether Saudi Arabia was prepared to fight 'to the last American soldier.' Javad Zarif told CNN that Iran hoped to avoid conflict, adding that the country was willing to talk to its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But Iran would not hold talks with the US unless Washington provided full relief from sanctions as promised under the 2015 nuclear deal, Tehran's top diplomat said. He again denied that Iran was involved in weekend attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, which dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the region."
Maureen Groppe of USA Today: "A GOP group critical of ... Donald Trump is now targeting Vice President Mike Pence to call out what it considers corruption in the administration. An ad that [was to] air on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' Thursday accuses Pence of hypocrisy for not objecting to foreign governments' spending at Trump hotels after having criticized the Clinton Foundation for accepting donations from foreign governments when Hillary Clinton was secretary of State. The group, Republicans for the Rule of Law, is directed by Bill Kristol, a conservative commentator who worked for Vice President Dan Quayle but is a vocal critic of Trump and Pence. One of the group's board members is Peter Rusthoven, a Republican from Pence's home state of Indiana who has known and liked the vice president for decades. Pence officiated at his remarriage."
Nicole Lafond of TPM: "The Interior Department is transferring about 500 acres of public land to the Pentagon in order to construct about 70 miles of President Trump's border wall, the Wall Street Journal reported. The land was previously monitored by the Bureau of Land Management and will now be overseen by the U.S. Army. The 560 acre expanse includes 213 acres in New Mexico, 301 acres in Arizona and 44 acres in San Diego, California. The move is all part of Trump's efforts to expedite the construction of his border wall before the 2020 election."
"You Can Interview Me if You Lie about It." -- Bart O'Kavanaugh. Carla Herreria of the Huffington Post: "New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly said that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed to let them interview him for their upcoming book ― as long as they would publicly lie about it. Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington on Wednesday, Kelly and Pogrebin said that Kavanaugh said he would talk to the reporters to provide them with background information as long as they falsely noted in the book that he declined to be interviewed.... Kelly and Pogrebin said they couldn't agree to the justice's terms, so they couldn't conduct the interview."
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** Greg Miller, et al., of the Washington Post: "The whistleblower complaint that has triggered a tense showdown between the U.S. intelligence community and Congress involves President Trump's communications with a foreign leader, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Trump's interaction with the foreign leader included a 'promise' that was regarded as so troubling that it prompted an official in the U.S. intelligence community to file a formal whistleblower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community, said the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity.... It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver.... It raises new questions about the president's handling of sensitive information and may further strain his relationship with U.S. spy agencies. One former official said the communication was a phone call.... Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson determined that the complaint was credible and troubling enough to be considered a matter of 'urgent concern,' a legal threshold that ordinarily requires notification of congressional oversight committees. But acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire has refused to share details about Trump's alleged transgression with lawmakers, touching off a legal and political dispute that has spilled into public and prompted speculation that the spy chief is improperly protecting the president." Update: LG&$ has a long excerpt from the WashPo report here. ~~~
~~~ Ken Dilanian of NBC News: "A whistleblower complaint by an intelligence official about a private presidential phone call would be an extraordinary development, likely without precedent in U.S. history.... The matter burst into public view Friday, when Schiff disclosed that an unspecified whistleblower complaint had been filed with the inspector general of the intelligence community, but was being withheld from his committee. That independent watchdog deemed the matter an 'urgent concern' that he was required by law to turn over to the congressional intelligence committees. But Maguire, after consulting with the Justice Department, overruled him.... Jason Klitenic, the DNI general counsel, said in a letter to congressional leaders on Tuesday that the activity covered in the complaint 'involves confidential and potentially privileged communications.'" ~~~
~~~ Zachary Cohen of CNN: Joseph "Maguire has agreed to testify next week in an open session before the committee after refusing to comply with Tuesday's deadline to hand over the whistleblower complaint, which had been deemed by the intelligence community inspector general to be 'credible and urgent.' The committee's chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff, announced Wednesday that Maguire will appear at 9 a.m. on September 26. The California Democrat also announced that the intelligence community inspector general will brief the House committee Thursday behind closed doors about how it handled the whistleblower complaint." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Unless the whistlerblower & the IG are a couple of silly sky-is-falling Chicken Littles, both acting DNI Maguire & acting Trump attorney Bill Barr -- as well as unknown other top officials -- have been willing both to cover up what could be an act of treason committed by the POTUS* AND to let that would-be treasonous act go forward. It isn't just that "the guard rails are off"; it's that what we call the "administration" is actually a dangerous, crime family conspiring against the United States. (Again, that's assuming Trump's secret "promise" was not a nothingburger.)
Peter Baker & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "In the space of seven minutes on an airport tarmac on Wednesday, President Trump captured the thorny decision he faces as he once again straddles the edge of war and peace. One moment, he threatened to order 'the ultimate option' of a strike on Iran in retaliation for attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. The next he ruminated about what a mistake it had been for the United States to get entangled in Middle East wars and welcomed Iran's president to visit. To help sort through the alternatives, Mr. Trump on Wednesday named a hawkish new national security adviser, Robert C. O'Brien, the State Department's chief hostage negotiator. But as Mr. Trump spoke with reporters, shouting to be heard over the roar of Air Force One engines, Mr. Trump sounded like a commander in chief searching for a way to be tough without pulling the trigger." This is an update of a story linked yesterday. Here's the top of the story as it appeared yesterday: ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump on Wednesday selected Robert C. O'Brien, the State Department's chief hostage negotiator, to become his national security adviser, moving to reconstitute his foreign policy staff even as he faces rising tension with Iran. In choosing Mr. O’Brien to replace John R. Bolton..., the president chose a Los Angeles lawyer who had impressed him with his work to extricate Americans detained by countries like North Korea and Turkey. But it is not clear how different his advice will be from his predecessor given that Mr. O'Brien previously worked for Mr. Bolton and has cited his hawkish views in the past. Mr. Trump announced the selection on Twitter shortly after saying he would also 'substantially increase Sanctions' on Iran after weekend attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia that officials in Washington and the region have blamed on the Tehran government." CNN's story is here. Mrs. McC: Yes, because "substantially increasing sanctions" (or "Sanctions") on Iran has been such an effective strategy. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Richard Pérez-Peña & Edward Wong of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran on Wednesday of having carried out an 'act of war' with aerial strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia last weekend, and he said the United States was working to build a coalition to deter further attacks.... Despite Mr. Pompeo's statement, President Trump pushed back against another American military entanglement in the Middle East, speaking only of unspecified new sanctions on Iran. Asked about a possible American attack on Iran, Mr. Trump told reporters in Los Angeles: 'There are many options. There's the ultimate option and there are options a lot less than that.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ All the Best People, Ctd.
Jonathan Stevenson in a New York Times op-ed: "Setting aside the brief, disastrous tenure of Michael Flynn, two men have held the role of national security adviser under Donald Trump, and they could not be more different. H.R. McMaster was a pragmatic stickler who valued the customary interagency deliberations that shaped decision making at the National Security Council, and which President Trump found tedious and distracting. The president let him go in favor of his diametric opposite, John Bolton, a notoriously hawkish and obstreperous ideologue who was happy to let the council's customs wither -- the better to speak his truth to the president directly. His ideological maneuvering eventually got him fired, though he lasted an improbable 17 months. In Robert O'Brien, chosen Wednesday as Mr. Bolton's replacement, the president seems to have found a compliant, behind-the-scenes worker bee better suited to Mr. Trump's domineering temperament. His appointment may signal the death knell of any hope to check the president's worst foreign-policy impulses.... Mr. O'Brien's appointment is likely to mean that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will continue to be the president's chief foreign policy adviser.... Pompeo has succeeded precisely because he seems to have few if any principles that he won't suppress for the sake of holding and wielding executive power." ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Daniel Lippman of the Washington Post: "John Bolton..., Donald Trump's fired national security adviser, harshly criticized Trump's foreign policy on Wednesday at a private lunch, saying that inviting the Taliban to Camp David sent a 'terrible signal' and that it was 'disrespectful' to the victims of 9/11 because the Taliban had harbored al Qaeda. Bolton also said that any negotiations with North Korea and Iran were 'doomed to failure,' according to two attendees."
Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "The White House will pull the nomination of Jeffrey Byard to be the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency after a federal inquiry into a possible barroom altercation involving Mr. Byard prompted concern in Congress and the White House, according to federal officials familiar with the investigation. While the F.B.I. determined that the allegations facing Mr. Byard were unsubstantiated, the White House is expected to nominate the current acting administrator of FEMA, Peter T. Gaynor, to lead the agency instead.... President Trump said in February that he would nominate Mr. Byard after Brock Long resigned as the chief of the agency. Mr. Long left after the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, found he had improperly used government vehicles to travel between work and his home in North Carolina.... The inquiry into the allegation of Mr. Byard's inappropriate conduct began after the [Senate Homeland Security C]ommittee held a hearing and voted in June to send his nomination to the full Senate for confirmation.... Last week, a former top administrator of agency was arrested in a major federal corruption investigation that found that the official had taken bribes from the president of a company that secured $1.8 billion in federal contracts to repair Puerto Rico's shredded electrical grid after the hurricane." Politico has a story here. ~~~
~~~ Update. Mrs. McCrabbie: According to Rachel Maddow, Byard had a "coordinating" role in overseeing Ahsha Tribble, the administrator arrested for 10 felony counts of massive malfeasance on the job. (Her deputy, BTW, was a suspended Navy commander at loose ends & looking for a job on account of being suspected of bribery in the unrelated "Fat Leonard" Navy scandal. He, too, has recently been arrested.) While Tribble was allegedly committing her crimes, Byard was FEMA's "point of contact" for Tribble, according to a FEMA org chart. Video of the Maddow segment is here. Anyhow, a bar fight that maybe didn't happen is hardly the only matter that disqualifies Byard. Will we be seeing him in handcuffs, too?
Katy O'Donnell of Politico: "The Office of Special Counsel has reprimanded Lynne Patton, a top Department of Housing and Urban Development official with ties to ... Donald Trump's family, for making political statements on the job. Patton, a HUD regional administrator for New York and New Jersey, used her official government Twitter account to promote political tweets and displayed a red 'USA' hat sold by the Trump campaign in her office. The OSC issued Patton a warning letter after determining that both activities violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits executive branch officials from certain political activity while on duty. But the office cleared her of two other alleged violations, involving a tweet defending HUD Secretary Ben Carson and an appearance at an oversight hearing featuring Michael Cohen.... Patton, who previously worked as the vice president of the Eric Trump Foundation and reportedly planned Eric Trump's wedding before her appointment to the senior post at HUD, earlier this year said that she didn't care whether she violated the Hatch Act.... Patton is not the first Trump administration official to land in trouble over Hatch Act violations. In June, OSC recommended that ... Kellyanne Conway be removed from her job for multiple violations of the law. Conway had previously dismissed questions about her alleged violations." Mrs. McC: Trump, of course, refused to fire Mrs. Scofflaw because he is delighted by her unlawful political activities. ~~~
~~~ Tracy Jan of the Washington Post: "Noah Bookbinder, executive director of CREW, noted that Patton is the 13th Trump official to be reprimanded for a Hatch Act violation."
Donnie Dumps on Loser Bibi. Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "President Trump appeared to distance himself from embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, declining to offer either encouragement or praise to his most enthusiastically loyal foreign ally now that he faces potential electoral defeat. Speaking a day after Israeli elections that at best leave Netanyahu weakened, Trump seemed cool to the Israeli conservative who has touted his ideological lockstep with Trump as a chief reelection credential. Trump said he had not spoken to Netanyahu, a man he has described as a close friend. He then noted that the election is close while playing down Netanyahu's importance to the alliance between the United States and Israel. 'Our relations are with Israel, so we'll see what happens,' Trump told reporters traveling with him in California.... Trump's comments Wednesday showed that he smelled weakness and wanted to give himself some insulation from Netanyahu, said Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. Trump, Shapiro said, wants little to do with a 'loser.'" Axios has a related short piece here.
Donald Trump, Environmentalist. Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump said late Wednesday that his administration would issue a notice of environmental violation against the city of San Francisco because of what he described as its homelessness problem. Traveling aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from a three-day trip to California and New Mexico, Mr. Trump told reporters that San Francisco was in 'total violation' of environmental rules because of used needles that were ending up in the ocean. 'They're in total violation -- we're going to be giving them a notice very soon,' the president said, indicating that the city could be put on notice by the Environmental Protection Agency within a week that its homelessness problem was causing environmental damage."
Trump Really Loves Divulging State Secrets. Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: '... Donald Trump on Wednesday showed off a swath of his wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, boasting about its impenetrability for the cameras to the point that he was gently reprimanded by his hosts in charge of construction. The president diverted from a fundraising swing through California to pay a visit to San Diego and view progress nearby on his long-promised wall aimed at severely curtailing illegal border crossings by migrants. He showed off a portion of the 30-foot-tall bollard wall.... [blah, blah, blah] 'One thing we haven't mentioned is technology,' Trump said. 'They're wired so that we will know if somebody's trying to break through.' He then offered the floor to Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, acting head of the Army Corps, who quickly answered: 'Sir, there could be some merit in not discussing that.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So Trump has diverted billions to build a border wall because national security; then he announces to all the invading terrorists, rapists & druglords what-all the pitfalls are they have to evade. Um, who is the national security risk?
Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve Fail Again. No 'guts,' no sense, no vision! A terrible communicator! -- President* Tweetle-Dee-Dee, shortly after the Fed's announcement it would cut rates by a quarter point ~~~
~~ Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The Federal Reserve approved a much-anticipated quarter-point interest rate cut Wednesday but offered few indications that further reductions are ahead as members split on what to do next. Following its two-day policy meeting, the central bank announced that it would take down its benchmark overnight lending rate to a target range of 1.75% to 2%. That comes nearly two months after the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee went ahead with its first cut in 11 years.... Donald Trump, who has called Fed policymakers 'boneheads' for not cutting rates enough, tore into Wednesday's decision, saying Chairman Jay Powell and his colleagues have 'no guts.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell, speaking at a news conference said that the United States economy remains strong and unemployment is low but that' there are risks to this positive outlook.' If the economy weakens, a 'more extensive' series of rate cuts would be appropriate, he said.... Mr. Powell said trade uncertainty and geopolitical tensions necessitated action." Mrs. McC: IOW, Thanks, Trump! (Also linked yesterday.)
Natasha Bertrand & Bryan Bender of Politico: "Since Donald Trump took office, the U.S. military has spent nearly $200,000 at the president's luxury Scotland resort, according to figures and documents the Pentagon provided to the House Oversight Committee. The spending, which has all occurred since August 2017, paid for the equivalent of hundreds of nights of rooms at the Turnberry resort over approximately three dozen separate stays, the committee said.... Nearly three dozen Democratic senators this week co-sponsored a bill that would make it illegal for the federal government to spend taxpayer dollars at properties owned by the president, vice president or members of the Cabinet." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The State Department has separately spent tens of thousands of dollars since 2017 at Trump Turnberry, associated with a visit last year by Mr. Trump to the resort and most likely tied to visits by his son Eric Trump, who travels with Secret Service protection, to the resort, which he helps manage for the family."
New York Times photo by Doug Mills.~~~ Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The photograph has all the trappings of a Renaissance painting -- crowded with characters, action and emotion -- only this one is set in a congressional hearing room and features figures frequently found on C-Span. It captures a small moment in a big event: The first hearing by the House Judiciary Committee officially called to determine whether to impeach President Trump. But to look at the frame, captured on Tuesday by Doug Mills, a New York Times photographer, is to understand something deeper about the forces at play as the House grapples with the prospect of trying to remove Mr. Trump." Fandos goes on to describe who the people in the photo are & what they're doing. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I saw the picture more as one of those Dutch Masters paintings, a gathering of burghers:
~~~ Rachel Bade of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a group of lawmakers Wednesday evening that Corey Lewandowski should have been held in contempt 'right then and there' when he talked over members, dodged their questions and promoted his Senate campaign from a House hearing. In a small huddle with lawmakers from across the caucus, Pelosi (D-Calif.) complained that no witness should be able to treat members of Congress like President Trump's former campaign manager did during a Tuesday hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, according to three people familiar with the exchange.... Several lawmakers in the room took her remarks as a dig at House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who chose not to hold Lewandowski in contempt for his defiant behavior on Tuesday.... The panel ... could choose to move forward with contempt at a later day.... Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne confirmed the exchange, saying in a statement that ... 'Her comments were a critique of the witnesses's behavior, not the handling of these hearings.'.... Etienne went on to say that Pelosi 'also added that she felt the same way about [Supreme Court nominee Brett M.] Kavanaugh's behavior during his confirmation hearing.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Michelle Cottle of the New York Times: "... Corey Lewandowski's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee ... was a strutting spectacle of contempt for democratic processes worthy of President Trump himself.... He worked to make a mockery of the proceedings, prove his devotion to the president and gin up attention for a possible Senate run, which he teased on Twitter at one point.... It is not a coincidence that the illuminating part of Mr. Lewandowski's burlesque came once Democratic committee members turned things over to their majority counsel, Barry Berke." Cottle makes several suggests on what could improve the effectiveness of Congressional hearings.
Marianne Levine & Burgess Everett of Politico: "The White House this week began circulating a much-anticipated gun background check proposal to Republicans on Capitol Hill, though it's unclear if ... Donald Trump supports it. The White House's plan would expand background checks to all commercial gun sales, including gun show sales, according to a document obtained by Politico and first reported by The Daily Caller. It's similar to a proposal from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Another Presidential* Tweet from the Very Stable Genius*. Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday admonished 'Dummy Beto' O'Rourke for impassioned remarks on gun reform he made at last week's primary debate, charging that they complicated the path toward a bipartisan agreement. 'Dummy Beto made it much harder to make a deal,' Trump tweeted. 'Convinced many that Dems just want to take your guns away. Will continue forward!'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Here's the Grim Reality Trump Ignores. Dartunorro Clark of NBC News: "Gun violence hits America's youth and rural states the hardest and has reached the highest levels in decades, a report released Wednesday by Democrats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee has found. U.S. teens and young adults, ages 15-24, are 50 times more likely to die by gun violence than they are in other economically advanced countries according to the 50-state breakdown. In 2017 -- the year of a mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 and injured hundreds -- nearly 40,000 people died from gun-related injuries, including 2,500 school children, the report said, noting that six in 10 gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides. That year marked the first time firearms killed more people than motor vehicle accidents, the report said."
Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Senate spending talks hit another roadblock on Wednesday amid an entrenched fight over funding for President Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall. Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a bill to fund most of the federal government, marking the latest setback for spending talks with days to go until the Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a shutdown. Senators voted 51-44 on taking up a House-passed bill that was expected to be the vehicle for any Senate funding action, depriving it of the 60 votes needed to overcome the initial hurdle.... Democrats objected to the top-line spending figures over concerns that Republicans were padding extra funding in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill, legislation that has emerged as a perennial point of conflict.... Democratic senators also balked at supporting the defense spending bill because Republicans rejected including an amendment that would have prevented Trump from shifting funding from the military to the border wall without congressional sign-off." (Also linked yesterday.)
Presidential Race 2020
Jonathan Chait: "Elizabeth Warren is not leading the polls (yet), but she is on a trajectory to win the Democratic presidential nomination. She is well-liked by supporters of other candidates, giving her room to grow. And the sequence of votes gives her an enormous advantage over Joe Biden; the first two states are heavily white, giving her a chance to build momentum before Biden's minority-heavy support base has its say.... At the moment, I'd feel very nervous betting the future of American democracy on Warren's ability to defeat Trump. But a lot can change in a year, and it's not hard to imagine the Warren of 2020 as a potent challenger." Chait assesses Warren's pluses & minuses re: electability. (Also linked yesterday.)
Elena Schneider of Politico: "Fifty-eight U.S. mayors announced their endorsements of Pete Buttigieg, giving the South Bend, Ind., mayor a boost of institutional support for his presidential campaign. In a USA Today op-ed, the current and former mayors, including some who have already publicly backed Buttigieg, called for 'a great mayor in the White House.' The column -- written by Mayors Steve Adler of Austin, Texas; Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento, Calif.; and Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio -- emphasizes Buttigieg's bipartisan credentials and executive experience." Here's the op-ed. (Also linked yesterday.)
Senate Races 2020
Arizona. Philip Wegmann of Real Clear Politics: "... the wealthy owner of a cosmetics company, Daniel McCarthy, is challenging incumbent Sen. Martha McSally in the Republican primary. His platform? So far it includes annexing Mexico. 'There is a process to become states for the United States,' McCarthy said Tuesday morning on an Arizona radio station. 'Clearly 30 million Mexican illegal immigrants want to be United States citizens, probably half the country wants to be United States citizens.'... The aspiring lawmaker ... would like the citizens of Mexico to turn their attention to Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution. It stipulates that 'new states may be admitted by the Congress into this union.'" ~~~
~~~ Greenland, No. Centroamérica Si. Mrs. McCrabbie: Oh, this is a half-assed idea. The U.S. should annex all of Central America. The border between the U.S. & Mexico is nearly 2,000 miles. That's a lot of Big, Beautiful Wall. The border between Mexico & Guatemala/Belize is 700 miles, so a border wall would be a lot cheaper there. BUT we taxpayers could save so much money if Trump could only ding us for a wall between Panama & Colombia, a distance of only 139 miles. AND we'll get the Panama Canal back!
Massachusetts. CBS/AP: "Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III ... will run against Sen. Ed Markey in the upcoming primary race. Kennedy will announce his plans during a Saturday event in East Boston, a source close to Kennedy told WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller."
Doha Madani & AP: "A Miami aircraft maintenance worker who allegedly tampered with an American Airlines plane over the summer has possible terrorist ties with the Islamic State, prosecutors said in court Wednesday. Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, 60, is being held without bond after a judge ruled that Alani posed a flight risk after prosecutors argued that the mechanic had a brother who was a member of ISIS. Alani, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iraq who has worked as an airline mechanic for 30 years, allegedly had ISIS propaganda on his phone, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Medetis said. A video depicting people being shot was allegedly sent from his phone. Alani also told the individual he sent the video to that he wanted Allah to cause harm to non-Muslims, prosecutors say."
Ari Breland of Mother Jones: "Anti-Semitic trolls are creating an online list of Jewish people who are critical of white nationalism. Since its creation almost a month ago, it has become the fastest-growing alt-right group on the popular Telegram chat service. The list is mostly made of archived tweets from individuals criticizing white supremacy, misogyny, and other types of bigotry. Each profile includes a tweet in which the person in question describes themselves as Jewish. The first post on the list singled out Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), but posters quickly moved to documenting far less prominent people that they believe are Jewish." Mrs. McC: All of the Trumpy shenanigans notwithstanding, this may be the most chilling report in today's news. This is a public list. An expert believes the creators are neo-Nazis. What are these neo-Nazis planning to do with the list?
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. There's Corruption & There's "Corruption." digby points out that the New York Times' headline writer doesn't know the difference. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link, and see his commentary below. As Akhilleus suggests, when we get into general-election mode, watch the "elite liberal media" spill buckets of ink on all the faults, or "faults" of the Democratic nominee. (Also linked yesterday.)
Beyond the Beltway
Kentucky. Marcus Dorsey of the Lexington Herald-Leader: "Kentucky State Police seized a computer Tuesday from the Office of the Secretary of State as part of an ongoing investigation into how Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and her aides used voter data. In a motion filed in Franklin Circuit Court Tuesday, attorneys for Grimes disclosed that Mark Metcalf, the commonwealth's attorney appointed by Attorney General Andy Beshear to spearhead a state investigation into her office, 'caused state police officers to seize, with no warrant or subpoena, the computer of the individual in the Office of the Secretary of State who created and maintained the VRS (voter registration system).' The motion was filed in Grimes' ongoing legal challenge to a law enacted earlier this year that stripped some of her powers as secretary of state over the Kentucky Board of Elections.... The seizure ... [occurred] a week after her father, Jerry Lundergan, was convicted of making illegal campaign contributions to her 2014 campaign for U.S. Senate against U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. There was no evidence that Grimes was aware of the contributions in that case."
New Mexico. All Things Are Possible. Simon Romero & Dana Goldstein of the New York Times: "In one of the boldest state-led efforts to expand access to higher education, New Mexico is unveiling a plan on Wednesday to make tuition at its public colleges and universities free for all state residents, regardless of family income." Here's a Slate story. (Also linked yesterday.)
Way Beyond
Canada. Caroline Linton of CBS News: "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire after a photo emerged of him wearing brownface to a party at a school where he was a teacher nearly 20 years ago. Trudeau, who faces re-election next month, said Wednesday night he 'regrets it deeply.' 'I should have known better,' Trudeau told reporters. 'It was a dumb thing to do. I apologize for it.' Trudeau was a 29-year-old teacher at West Point Grey Academy when the picture was taken, Liberal Party spokesperson Zita Astravas said in a statement to CBS News. The photo, first published by Time magazine Wednesday, was taken at an annual dinner, which had an 'Arabian Nights' theme. Astravas said Trudeau was dressed as a character from Aladdin." Update: The New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: If you're shocked by Trudeau's make-up blunder, allow me to remind you that Donald Trump appears in orangeface every damned day. Update: See Patrick's comment below, which adds context to the story.
Israel. Jeffrey Heller & Dan Williams of Reuters: "Israel's weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited his main political rival, Benny Gantz, on Thursday to join him in a broad coalition government but was immediately rebuffed by the former general's party. Netanyahu's surprise offer of a power share was an abrupt change of strategy after failing to win a ruling majority in two elections this year.... Gantz's centrist Blue and White party emerged from Tuesday's ballot slightly ahead of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, with a final tally expected within days. In his first remarks since Netanyahu's call, Gantz made no mention of the prime minister and said he himself would head a 'liberal' unity government, shorthand for one that excludes the Israeli leader's long-time ultra-Orthodox allies."
News Lede
CNN: "An unrelenting Tropical Depression Imelda is causing serious flash flooding in parts of southeastern Texas on Thursday morning, covering roads, trapping people in vehicles and homes, and sending rescuers scrambling to get to those most in need. Flooding is most serious in counties just to the north and east of Houston -- in places like Chambers and Jefferson counties, and its communities such as Beaumont and Winnie. Thursday is the third straight day Imelda is deluging the region. Floodwaters intruded onto Interstate 10 early Thursday near Winnie east of Houston...."
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