The Commentariat -- August 10, 2020

Afternoon Update:

@about 5:55 pm ET, the Secret Service just rushed Trump out of the press room while he was giving a so-called press briefing. The White House is on lockdown. CNN says there's some kind of commotion going on outside. Update: Trump just returned @6pm ET. He said, "There was a shooting outside of the White House.... The shooting was done by law enforcement.... Reporter John Roberts reported that he heard shots."

Quint Forgey of Politico: “... Donald Trump on Monday accused Sen. Ben Sasse [R-Neb.] of being a 'RINO' who had 'gone rogue' by scolding the White House for a recent collection of executive actions meant to provide assistance to Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic. 'RINO Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he's got it (Thank you President T), gone rogue, again,' Trump wrote on Twitter. 'This foolishness plays right into the hands of the Radical Left Dems!'... 'The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop,' Sasse said Saturday night. '... President Trump does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law. Under the Constitution, that power belongs to the American people acting through their members of Congress.'"

Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "President Trump is increasingly trying to run against a Joe Biden of his own making. Rather than look for campaign ammunition in the former vice president's long track record of politically vulnerable votes and policy proposals, Trump has instead chosen to describe Biden as a godless Marxist bent on destroying the country with a radical agenda that would make Che Guevara blanch.... To hear Trump tell it, the former vice president and longtime U.S. senator is 'the most extreme left-wing candidate in history.' Biden is going to 'abolish the police' and 'abolish the suburbs.' Biden is even 'against God.' In lobbing such extravagant attack on Biden, Trump has concocted a profile of the presumptive Democratic nominee at odds with much of Biden's personal and professional life -- a cartoonish depiction so distant from the reality of Biden that the hits don't always resonate." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It looks to me as if Trump decided some while back that he would be running against Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, but he is so inflexible that he can't adapt to the reality of his actual presidential opponent. So while Ron Johnson & Bill Barr are still planning to play the fake Ukraine card, Trump -- perhaps because of the pain of impeachment -- abandoned that tack & adopted the nonexistent Radical Joe.

Betsy Swan of Politico: "Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has issued the first subpoena of his Senate probe into the origins of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation: to FBI Director Christopher Wray. The subpoena, which Politico reviewed, demands documents but not testimony. Specifically, it asks for 'all documents related to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation' -- the FBI's counterintelligence probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. That probe scrutinized Americans close to then-candidate Donald Trump for their links to Kremlin officials. Mueller took over the probe in May 2017."

AP: "Puerto Rico on Sunday was forced to partially suspend voting for primaries marred by a lack of ballots as officials called on the president of the U.S. territory's elections commission to resign. The primaries for voting centers that had not received ballots by early afternoon are expected to be rescheduled, while voting would continue elsewhere, the commission said."

Reid Wilson of the Hill: "California's top public health expert quit abruptly Sunday afternoon amid questions about the accuracy of the number of coronavirus cases the state had reported in recent weeks. In an email to staffers, California Department of Public Health Director Sonia Angell said she would leave her position, effective immediately. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will appoint ... [a new] acting director of the Department of Public Health .... [and a new] acting public health officer.... The leadership shakeup comes just days after data glitches delayed processing of up to 300,000 records related to the virus. The Los Angeles Times reported that two separate errors held up the reporting of test results, potentially leading to a significant undercounting of new coronavirus cases in one of the hardest-hit states in the country."

Don Babwin of the AP: "Hundreds of looters descended on downtown Chicago early Monday following a police shooting on the city's South Side, with vandals smashing the windows of dozens of businesses and making off with merchandise, cash machines and anything else they could carry, police said. When police shot a man after he opened fire on officers Sunday afternoon, the incident apparently prompted a social media post hours later urging looters to converge on the business district, Police Superintendent David Brown told a news conference. Some 400 additional officers were dispatched to the area after the department spotted the post. Over the next several hours, police made more than 100 arrests and 13 officers were injured, including one who was struck in the head with a bottle, Brown said. Brown dismissed any suggestion that the chaos was part of an organized protest of the shooting, instead calling it 'pure criminality' that included occupants of a vehicle opening fire on police who were arresting a man they spotted carrying a cash register."

Hannah Denham of the Washington Post: "Eastman Kodak shares plummeted 40 percent at the open Monday after a federal agency paused its deal to help produce generic drugs until 'allegations of wrongdoing' are resolved[.] Last month, under an agreement aimed at reducing U.S. reliance on China, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, or DFC, announced it would give the photography pioneer a $765 million loan that would allow it to retrofit its factories to make the ingredients.... Last Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to launch an insider trading inquiry, citing the unusually high volume of trading activity the day before the deal was announced. On July 27, day before the loan was announced, more than 1 million shares of Kodak stock exchanged hands, more than quadruple its daily average, she said in a letter to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. Its stock price jumped 20 percent that day, she wrote, and more than 200 percent on July 28, when the loan was announced. Warren also noted that shortly before the announcement, Kodak Executive Chairman James Continenza bought about 46,700 shares."

Hannah Denham of the Washington Post: "McDonald's Corp. is suing its former chief executive to recover his severance and compensation package, alleging he lied about multiple sexual relationships with employees. The fast food giant made the announcement in a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Steve Easterbrook was terminated on Nov. 3, 2019, after the company's board found he violated policy with 'a consensual relationship with an employee,' McDonald's said. His compensation, benefits and stock were potentially worth nearly $42 million, the Wall Street Journal reported." A New York Times story is here.

Sergei Kuznetsov of Politico: "Protests broke out across Belarus on Sunday evening after an exit poll predicted an overwhelming victory for authoritarian incumbent President Aleksander Lukashenko. Independent Belsat television showed large crowds being attacked by police in Minsk, amid reports that a few local polling stations were saying that in their counts opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was doing better than Lukashenko."

Bassem Mroue of the AP: "Lebanon's government resigned Monday amid widespread public fury at the country's ruling elite over last week's devastating explosion in Beirut. The move risks opening the way to dragged-out negotiations over a new Cabinet amid urgent calls for reform. Prime Minster Hassan Diab headed to the presidential palace to submit the Cabinet's group resignation, said Health Minister Hamad Hassan. It follows a weekend of anti-government protests in the wake of the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut's port that caused widespread destruction, killed at least 160 people and injured about 6,000 others. The moment typified Lebanon's political dilemma. Since October, there have been mass demonstrations demanding the departure of the entire sectarian-based leadership over entrenched corruption, incompetence and mismanagement."

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The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

How Trump Killed Tens of Thousands of Americans. William Saletan of Slate: "On July 17..., Donald Trump sat for a Fox News interview [link fixed] at the White House. At the time, nearly 140,000 Americans were dead from the novel coronavirus. The interviewer, Chris Wallace, showed Trump a video clip in which Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned of a difficult fall and winter ahead. Trump dismissed the warning.... 'Everybody thought this summer it would go away,' said Trump. 'They used to say the heat, the heat was good for it and it really knocks it out, remember? So they got that one wrong.' Trump's account was completely backward. Redfield and other U.S. public health officials had never promised that heat would knock out the virus. In fact, they had cautioned against that assumption. The person who had held out the false promise of a warm-weather reprieve, again and again, was Trump.... He had gotten it from Xi Jinping, the president of China, in a phone call in February. The phone call, the talking points Trump picked up from it, and his subsequent attempts to cover up his alliance with Xi are part of a deep betrayal.... Trump collaborated with Xi, concealed the threat, impeded the U.S. government's response, silenced those who sought to warn the public, and pushed states to take risks that escalated the tragedy. He's personally responsible for tens of thousands of deaths.... This article ... documents Trump's interference or negligence in every stage of the government's failure: preparation, mobilization, public communication, testing, mitigation, and reopening." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: This is why I've been calling the U.S. epidemic the "Trumpidemic" for some while. Like you, I've been watching. Saletan argues that this "truth, unlike Trump's false narrative, is scattered in different places. It's in emails, leaks, interviews, hearings, scientific reports, and the president's stray remarks." That's why he attempts to put the evidence all together in one story.

The Washington Post's live updates of coronavirus developments Monday is here: "The number of coronavirus cases reported to date in the United States topped 5 million on Sunday, meaning that more than a million cases have been reported in the past 17 days alone. The tally has doubled since late June, and now accounts for approximately a quarter of all cases reported worldwide."

Ron Lieber & Stacy Cowley of the New York Times: "President Trump, in announcing his executive measures on Saturday, said he was bypassing Congress to deliver emergency pandemic aid to needy Americans. But his directives are rife with so much complexity and legal murkiness that they're unlikely, in most cases, to bring fast relief -- if any. Because Congress controls federal spending, at least some of Mr. Trump's actions will almost certainly be challenged in court. They could also quickly become moot if congressional leaders reach an agreement and pass their own relief package. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California on Sunday dismissed Mr. Trump's actions as unconstitutional and said a compromise deal was still needed. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would be open to further talks with Democratic leaders: 'Anytime they have a new proposal, I'm willing to listen.'" ~~~

~~~ Heather Long of the Washington Post has a pretty good overview of what is actually in -- and what is not in -- Trump's executive actions. ~~~

~~~ Deal-Maker? How about Muckmaker. Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Trump's attempts to circumvent the partisan logjam on Capitol Hill instead may be illustrating the limits of executive power — and the costs that can come from invoking it. In this case, a more long-lasting legislative solution may have been delayed with the White House deciding to act on its own, said Daniel Hemel, a law professor at the University of Chicago, in an interview Sunday.... 'Unfortunately, the president's executive orders, described in one word, could be paltry, in three words, unworkable, weak and far too narrow, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday on ABC News. In response to the expiring aid, Trump on Saturday signed an order that would offer $400 a week in federal unemployment benefits. To pay for the program, the president said he would tap $44 billion in federal funds that are allocated for natural disaster.... But states would have to contribute $100 a week to each worker's check.... Beyond the legal questions surrounding the maneuver, many states are facing severe budget deficits..., and several economists and lawmakers said governors may be unlikely to sign onto the program." ~~~

~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Trump's memo purporting to extend unemployment benefits is an awful program on the merits that is also entirely outside the president's legal authority[.]... The purported extension of the eviction moratorium, meanwhile, is a joke -- it is to protecting tenants what Susan Collins is to oversight of the Trump administration, a mildly sternly worded letter to HUD suggesting that it would be neat if tenants had some kind of eviction protection maybe. He wasn't even willing to take actions that were plausibly within the scope of executive power[.]... Trump's offer to people about to be devastated by his failure to deal with a historic pandemic is 'nothing,' and any reporter who portrays it as anything else is either malicious or incompetent." Lemieux extensively cites a blogpost by Jack Balkin, who describes the charade at Bedminster thusly: "President Trump's effort to relieve the pressure he and Senate Republicans have been feeling over the expiration of enhanced unemployment benefits is a failure on every level. It provides too little in aid. It will miss many families in need. It will expire very soon. It likely cannot be implemented in some states. And it is transparently unlawful.” Lemieux also cites a portion of Heather Long's analysis, linked above. ~~~

The Lord and the Founding Fathers created executive orders because of partisan bickering and divided government. -- White House economic adviser Peter Navarro, on NBC News on Sunday, explaining God's hand, one supposes, in Constitutionally-murky presidential orders

It should be noted that on Saturday Trump signed only one executive order, which itself was a directive that "the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the CDC shall consider whether any measures temporarily halting residential evictions of any tenants for failure to pay rent are reasonably necessary to 'prevent the further spread of COVID-19.'" The other actions were "memoranda." I don't know if the Lord created memoranda, too. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie ~~~

~~~ He First Rode Down upon the Stair, the Big Fat Man Who Wasn't There. Again. Toluse Olorunnipa & Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "Already largely absent from intense negotiations for a coronavirus stimulus package, President Trump fully distanced himself from the thorny legislative process by leaving Washington on Thursday for a weekend at his private golf resort in New Jersey. After talks on Capitol Hill collapsed, Trump assembled some of his dues-paying club members to watch him complete the final step of what has become a familiar routine in his turbulent presidency: signing a legally dubious executive order after failing to reach a deal with Congress.... He has frequently relied on showmanship and pageantry to try to turn negotiating failures into victories.... The four documents the president signed Saturday were neither 'bills' nor 'acts,' despite his comments referring to them as such, and their effectiveness and legality are already being called into question by Democrats and some Republicans in the Congress he is attempting to bypass."

Nicole Winfield & Lisa Pane of the AP: "With confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. hitting 5 million Sunday, by far the highest of any country, the failure of the most powerful nation in the world to contain the scourge has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe.... Health officials believe the actual number is perhaps 10 times higher.... Much of the incredulity in Europe stems from the fact that America had the benefit of time, European experience and medical know-how to treat the virus that the continent itself didn't have when the first COVID-19 patients started filling intensive care units.... Mistakes were made in Europe, too, from delayed lockdowns to insufficient protections for nursing home elderly and critical shortages of tests and protective equipment for medical personnel." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nancy Altman of Social Security Works: "Donald Trump once promised that he would be 'the only Republican that doesn't want to cut Social Security." We now know that what he meant is that cutting Social Security doesn't go far enough for him: He wants to destroy Social Security. Donald Trump's executive order, which seeks to defer Social Security contributions, is bad enough. But his promise to 'terminate' FICA contributions if he is reelected is a full-on declaration of war against current and future Social Security beneficiaries.... Every American who cares about Social Security's future must do everything they can to ensure that Trump does not get a second term." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Oh, but Ms. Altman, you are so wrong. Here's how Steve Mnuchin explained to Chris Wallace how the payroll tax deferrals would be paid for, via David of Crooks & Liars: Wallace asked Mnuchin if Trump's action would reduce Social Security benefits. "'That's not the case,' Mnuchin said without evidence. 'There would be an automatic contribution from the general fund to those trusts funds....' 'We're already running huge deficits,' Wallace observed. 'So how are you going to pay for it from the general fund?' 'You just have a transfer from the general fund,' Mnuchin insisted. 'We'll deal with the budget deficit when we get the economy back to where it was before.'" Right.

Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "More than 3½ years into his presidency, Trump increasingly finds himself minimized and ignored -- as many of his more outlandish or false statements are briefly considered and then, just as quickly, dismissed. The slide into partial irrelevance could make it even more difficult for Trump as he seeks reelection as the nation's leader amid a pandemic and economic collapse.... Biden, meanwhile, has made a core theme of his campaign the argument that Trump's lack of credibility is eroding the presidency, as well as the relevancy of the United States on the world stage.... At times, Biden has tried ignoring Trump altogether -- or, when he does engage, doing so with a tone of exasperated mockery. 'I can't believe I have to say this, but please don't drink bleach,' Biden wrote on Twitter in April.... '[Trump's] problem is that there's also a collective shrug when he attacks Joe Biden,' [Biden's pollster John] Anzalone said. 'He attacks, attacks, attacks, but people don't believe his attacks. They kind of eye-roll and they shrug.'... A Republican Senate aide likened the president to a sleeping grizzly bear. 'If you woke up the grizzly bear, he could destroy anything -- but now he's just hibernating,'..." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

This is the hardest working president in history. He works 24/7 in Bedminster, Mar-a-lago, the Oval Office or anywhere in between. -- White House economic adviser Peter Navarro, on NBC News on Sunday ~~~

~~~ Delusions of Grandeur: The Hardest-Working President* at Work. Jamie Ehrlich of CNN: "White House aides reached out to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem last year about the process of adding additional presidents to Mount Rushmore, the New York Times reported. According to a person familiar who spoke with the Times, Noem then greeted Trump when he arrived in the state for his July Fourth celebrations at the monument with a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore that included his face. Noem has noted before Trump's 'dream' to have his face on Mount Rushmore, the Coolidge-era sculpture that features the 60-foot-tall faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. According to a 2018 interview with Noem, the two struck up a conversation about the sculpture in the Oval Office during their first meeting, where she initially thought he was joking. 'I started laughing,' she said. 'He wasn't laughing, so he was totally serious.'... 'I said, "Mr. President, you should come to South Dakota sometime. We have Mount Rushmore." And he goes, "Do you know it's my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?"' Trump also toyed with the idea of adding himself to Mount Rushmore in 2017 at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times story, by Jonathan Martin & Maggie Haberman (August 8) is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Peter Wade of Rolling Stone: "Adding to the already odd ask is the fact that the federal government is in charge of such matters, not the state, and the National Park Service has addressed the subject several times with a hard no, citing instability to the structure making it impossible to make additions." Mrs. McC: On the other hand, maybe Trump isn't as dumb as he seems (tho he probably is). As Martin & Haberman note, "Some of [Noem's] allies believe she'd also be open to the interior or agricultural secretary roles in a second Trump term ahead of the 2024 race." The National Park Service is a unit of the Interior Department. Do you suppose Trump would make Noem Secretary of the Interior in exchange for her carving his fat face on Mount Rushmore -- or at least "acting" Secretary? Uh, yeah.

This Is Not Believable. Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post (at 12:18 pm ET): "White House national security adviser Robert C. O'Brien said Sunday that Trump 'has told the Russians many, many times not to interfere' in U.S. elections, but he declined to specify the substance of those conversations or when they had taken place." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race

Mario Nicholais of the Lincoln Project: "In fifteen years practicing election law, I have never seen anything as craven and shameful as the Kanye con job Donald Trump and his sycophants have attempted in Wisconsin. After combing through two challenges to Kanye West's nomination signatures at the behest of The Lincoln Project, I have come to two conclusions: not only should Kanye be kept off the ballot, but law enforcement should investigate and prosecute several individuals involved in the effort. Trump and his supporters have spent recent days attempting to place the music mogul on presidential ballots across the country. They believe that a black celebrity on the ballot will pull votes from Joe Biden, who enjoys overwhelming support from Black Americans, and help a flailing Trump campaign in November. Nevermind that West's family and friends issued a public plea for him to seek mental health help just two weeks ago. Nevermind that West cannot qualify for enough state ballots to actually win the presidency. Nevermind that the fundamental assumption -- that black voters will vote for a black man based solely on the color of his skin -- is a profoundly racist position." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

A Real-Life Crime Story. Unfinished Business. Allyson Waller of the New York Times: Nearly 50 years after Luis Archuleta shot now-retired Denver police officer Daril Cinquanta, Cinquanta tracked down Archuleta, living under an assumed name in Northern New Mexico. "An F.B.I. affidavit [which, sadly, is not reproduced here] tells a sweeping story of Mr. Archuleta's return to Colorado, and later, his second escape from confinement."

Way Beyond

Austin Ramzy & Tiffany May of the New York Times: "The Hong Kong police on Monday arrested seven people, including Jimmy Lai, the media tycoon and critic of the Chinese Communist Party, on charges of violating the territory's new national security law, making him the most high-profile target of the sweeping legislation imposed by Beijing. Mr. Lai's arrest highlighted concerns by activists and opposition figures that the new security law would be used to silence critical voices and curb the city's freewheeling press as part of a broader move against democracy advocates." An AP report is here.

News Lede

Washington Post: "One woman is dead and others are injured after an explosion in Baltimore on Monday morning. The 'major gas explosion' that involved three houses at Labyrinth and Reistertown roads has left multiple people, including children, trapped according to the Baltimore Fire Department." An AP story is here.

The Commentariat -- August 9, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Nicole Winfield & Lisa Pane of the AP: "With confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. hitting 5 million Sunday, by far the highest of any country, the failure of the most powerful nation in the world to contain the scourge has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe.... Health officials believe the actual number is perhaps 10 times higher.... Much of the incredulity in Europe stems from the fact that America had the benefit of time, European experience and medical know-how to treat the virus that the continent itself didn't have when the first COVID-19 patients started filling intensive care units.... Mistakes were made in Europe, too, from delayed lockdowns to insufficient protections for nursing home elderly and critical shortages of tests and protective equipment for medical personnel."

This Is Not Believable. Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post (at 12:18 pm ET): "White House national security adviser Robert C. O'Brien said Sunday that Trump 'has told the Russians many, many times not to interfere' in U.S. elections, but he declined to specify the substance of those conversations or when they had taken place."

Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "More than 3½ years into his presidency, Trump increasingly finds himself minimized and ignored -- as many of his more outlandish or false statements are briefly considered and then, just as quickly, dismissed. The slide into partial irrelevance could make it even more difficult for Trump as he seeks reelection as the nation's leader amid a pandemic and economic collapse.... Biden, meanwhile, has made a core theme of his campaign the argument that Trump's lack of credibility is eroding the presidency, as well as the relevancy of the United States on the world stage.... At times, Biden has tried ignoring Trump altogether -- or, when he does engage, doing so with a tone of exasperated mockery. 'I can't believe I have to say this, but please don't drink bleach,' Biden wrote on Twitter in April.... '[Trump's] problem is that there's also a collective shrug when he attacks Joe Biden,' [Biden's pollster John] Anzalone said. 'He attacks, attacks, attacks, but people don't believe his attacks. They kind of eye-roll and they shrug.'... A Republican Senate aide likened the president to a sleeping grizzly bear. 'If you woke up the grizzly bear, he could destroy anything -- but now he's just hibernating,'..."

Mario Nicholais of the Lincoln Project: "In fifteen years practicing election law, I have never seen anything as craven and shameful as the Kanye con job Donald Trump and his sycophants have attempted in Wisconsin. After combing through two challenges to Kanye West's nomination signatures at the behest of The Lincoln Project, I have come to two conclusions: not only should Kanye be kept off the ballot, but law enforcement should investigate and prosecute several individuals involved in the effort. Trump and his supporters have spent recent days attempting to place the music mogul on presidential ballots across the country. They believe that a black celebrity on the ballot will pull votes from Joe Biden, who enjoys overwhelming support from Black Americans, and help a flailing Trump campaign in November. Nevermind that West's family and friends issued a public plea for him to seek mental health help just two weeks ago. Nevermind that West cannot qualify for enough state ballots to actually win the presidency. Nevermind that the fundamental assumption -- that black voters will vote for a black man based solely on the color of his skin -- is a profoundly racist position."

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The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here: "... the United States passed another milestone on Saturday: more than five million known coronavirus infections. No other country has reported as many cases.

"Hundreds of children in America, most of them previously healthy, have experienced an inflammatory syndrome associated with Covid-19, and most became so ill that they needed intensive care, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The syndrome, which can be deadly, has rattled parents and education officials as schools across the United States struggle with the prospect of reopening in the fall and the coronavirus continues its spread." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

CBS News: "Nearly 100,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July, a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics finds. Just over 97,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus from July 16 to July 30, according to the association."

The Autocrat Signs Fake "Bills." Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Saturday attempted to bypass Congress and make dramatic changes to tax and spending policy, signing executive actions that challenge the boundaries of power that separate the White House and Capitol Hill. At a news event in Bedminster, N.J., Trump said the actions would provide economic relief to millions of Americans by deferring taxes and, he said, providing temporary unemployment benefits. The measures would attempt to wrest away some of Congress's most fundamental, constitutionally mandated powers -- tax and spending policy. Trump acknowledged that some of the actions could be challenged in court but indicated he would persevere. But there were instant questions about whether Trump's actions were as ironclad as he made them out to be. A leading national expert on unemployment benefits said one of the actions would not increase federal unemployment benefits at all. Instead, the expert said it would instead create a new program that could take 'months' to set up. And Trump's directive to halt evictions primarily calls for federal agencies to 'consider' if they should be stopped. Trump also mischaracterized the legal stature of the measures, referring to them as 'bills.' Congress writes and votes on bills, not the White House. The documents Trump signed on Saturday were a combination of memorandums and an executive order." ~~~

     ~~~ The lesson Trump missed in grade school and still can't get straight after three-and-a-half years on the job:

~~~ Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "It was not clear what authority Mr. Trump had to act on his own on the measures or what immediate effect, if any, they would have, given that Congress controls federal spending. But his decision to sign the measures -- billed as a federal eviction ban, a payroll tax suspension, and relief for student borrowers and $400 a week for the unemployed -- reflected the failure of two weeks of talks between White House officials and top congressional Democrats to strike a deal on a broad relief plan as crucial benefits have expired with no resolution in sight.... Despite Mr. Trump's assertions on Saturday that his actions 'will take care of this entire situation,' the orders also leave a number of critical bipartisan funding proposals unaddressed, including providing assistance to small businesses, billions of dollars to schools ahead of the new school year, aid to states and cities and a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans.... A few dozen club guests were in attendance [at the signing], and the president appeared to revel in their laughter at his jokes denouncing his political rivals.... ... It was unclear whether the aid would even materialize if lawsuits are filed challenging their legality. Mr. Trump walked away from the lectern after just a few questions from reporters about his claim that he had the ability to circumvent Congress." ~~~

~~~ Trump Promises to Bankrupt Social Security, Medicare. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "President Trump pledged on Saturday to pursue a permanent cut to the payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare if he wins reelection in November, a hard-to-accomplish political gambit.... Trump unexpectedly promised the policy action as he signed a directive that aims to help cash-starved Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic. The order allows workers to postpone their payroll tax payments into next year but doesn't absolve their bills outright -- though the president said he would seek to waive what people owe if he prevails on Election Day. 'If I'm victorious on November 3rd, I plan to forgive these taxes and make permanent cuts to the payroll tax,' Trump said at a news conference in Bedminster, N.J. 'I'm going to make them all permanent.'... Major changes to the tax code fall entirely to Congress, so Trump alone cannot waive Americans' tax debts or enact permanent changes to tax law.&" ~~~

~~~ "The Most Obvious Cons in the World." Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "As anyone who has been paying the slightest bit of attention to America politics in the last 4 years knows, one of Donald Trump's favorite things is to announce a pending 'executive order' that will accomplish something, followed by the order either failing to materialize or not doing anything. Needless to say, his attempts to bypass Congress in the wake of Mitch McConnell's refusal to negotiate a COVID-19 relief plan are not an exception[.]... Trump is trolling, not offering actual relief measures. The [unemployment insurance] benefit memo, in particular, requires states to use money they don't have because Republicans strongly opposed providing aid during a recession and also involves the unconstitutional appropriation of funds. ('The states have the money. It's sitting there.') Similarly, the payroll tax memo involves usurping a congressional power in order to destroy Social Security and Medicare.... The problem is that, for every responsible report ... there are many more headlines that repeated Trump's 'offer' to extend UI as if it were an actual thing[.]... This is journalistic malpractice[.]... Mitch McConnell and most of the Republican Senate conference prefer trolling and gimmicky buck-passing to governing and much of the political press keeps falling for the most obvious cons in the world." ~~~

This defunds Medicare. This defunds Social Security. Tax collection is just deferred. You still owe these taxes next year. -- The Lincoln Project, in a tweet trying to explain Trumponomics to dummies

Daniel Dale of CNN: "... Donald Trump abruptly ended a Saturday news conference after a reporter challenged him on a lie about veterans health care he has told more than 150 times. Trump, speaking at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, had claimed again that he is the one who got the Veterans Choice program passed -- adding, 'They've been trying to get that passed for decades and decades and decades and no president's ever been able to do it, and we got it done.' In fact, former President Barack Obama signed the Choice program into law in 2014. The law, which allowed eligible veterans to be covered by the government for care provided by doctors outside the VA system, was a bipartisan initiative spearheaded by two senators Trump has repeatedly criticized, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and the late John McCain of Arizona.... 'Why do you keep saying that you passed Veterans Choice?' CBS News White House correspondent Paula Reid asked Trump.... As Trump tried to call on another reporter instead, Reid continued, 'You said that you passed Veterans Choice. It was passed in 2014 ... it was a false statement, sir.' Trump paused, then responded: 'OK. Thank you very much, everybody.' He then walked away as the song 'YMCA played." Mrs. McC: "YMCA"? They shoulda played "Hey, Paula." ~~~

Video of the exchange. Notably it's another example of Trump getting so agitated by a female reporter that he abruptly cuts off news conference. https://t.co/G1Mx2z3dgT pic.twitter.com/CvXn07uGOK

— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) August 8, 2020

Georgia. Ty Tagami of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The Paulding County high school that became infamous for hallways crowded with unmasked students reported a half-dozen students and three staffers in the school with COVID-19, the school district told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Saturday."

MEANWHILE. New Zealand Exceptionalism. Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "New Zealand has now gone 100 days with no detected community spread of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health confirmed in a statement.... New Zealanders are going to the polls on Sept. 19. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been widely praised for her leadership that saw NZ lock down hard for several weeks before all domestic restrictions were lifted in June. She sees her government's response to and recovery from the coronavirus outbreak as key to her Labour Party being re-elected.... The border remains closed to non-residents and all newly returned Kiwis must undergo a two-week isolation program managed by the country's defense force, which sees all travelers tested three times before they leave. Police are stationed outside hotels where travelers are in quarantine. Officers have taken prosecutorial action against several returned travelers who've breached these rules by fleeing the facilities under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Say, you know what country is New Zealand's largest trading partner? The very same country that Trump claims is responsible for the "China virus," the one whose residents he boasted he cut off from entry into the U.S., thereby savings tens of thousands of American lives.

Alan Yuhas of the New York Times writes a summary of Robert Draper's New York Times Magazine story on Trump & the Election 2020 intelligence document (also linked yesterday): "A little more than a year ago, American intelligence agencies drafted a classified document reporting that the Russian government favored President Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a finding that fit with their consensus that the Kremlin tried to help him in 2016. The director of national intelligence [Dan Coats] was asked to modify the assessment -- he did not -- and not long afterward, Mr. Trump declared the director was out. Soon after the new acting director arrived, an intelligence official changed the document, softening the claim that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia wanted Mr. Trump to win, according to an article published on Saturday by The New York Times Magazine." Within months, Trump fired the new acting director Joseph Maguire because of truthful testimony one of Maguire's subordinates gave before a House committee.

"The White House Is Running So Smoothly." Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "Last week, as leaders in Silicon Valley, China and Washington raced to seal the fate of one of the world's fastest-growing social media companies, a shouting match broke out in the Oval Office between two of President Trump's top advisers. In front of Trump, trade adviser Peter Navarro and other aides late last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin began arguing that the Chinese-owned video-sharing service TikTok should be sold to a U.S. company. Mnuchin had talked several times to Microsoft's senior leaders and was confident that he had rallied support within the administration for a sale to the tech giant on national security grounds. Navarro pushed back, demanding an outright ban of TikTok, while accusing Mnuchin of being soft on China, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions freely.... The ensuing argument --; which was described by one of the people as a 'knockdown, drag-out' brawl -- was preceded by months of backroom dealings among investors, lobbyists and executives." The reporters go on to explain the the issues in the TikTok debate. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Literary Corner, Ha Ha. Alexandra Alter of the New York Times: "... Rick Gates, a high-level aide on Donald J. Trump's 2016 campaign, is preparing to tell his story in a memoir that will be published weeks before the 2020 election. Mr. Gates, who was sentenced to 45 days in jail for lying to investigators and for his role in a criminal financial scheme, is the latest former aide to join a parade of former Trump campaign and administration officials who have published memoirs. Given his proximity to President Trump's campaign, and the evidence he provided against two of Mr. Trump's closest advisers, his onetime campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his onetime campaign adviser, Roger J. Stone Jr., Mr. Gates's account is likely to generate interest across the political spectrum. The book, which Post Hill Press plans to release Oct. 13, is likely to arrive at the height of the 2020 election cycle. It comes on the heels of unflattering memoirs from John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, and Mr. Trump's niece Mary L. Trump that are selling briskly despite efforts by the Trump administration and family to prevent their release."

All the Best People, Ctd. Mrs. McCrabbie: Here's something I missed about our new postmaster general Louis DeJoy -- the guy who is slowing down mail delivery & fired all the top USPS employees Friday: Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post (June 15, 2020): "DeJoy and his wife, Aldona Wos, the ambassador-nominee to Canada, have between $30.1 million and $75.3 million in assets in USPS competitors or contractors, according to Wos's financial disclosure paperwork filed with the Office of Government Ethics." Every single thing about the Trump administration is criminal. I'll bet even the paper clips were unlawfully purchased from Jared's Overpriced Office Supply.

Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: "Two former members of U.S. Special Forces were sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Venezuelan court for taking part in a murky raid in May to oust President Nicolás Maduro, the country's attorney general announced on Twitter. In the only official statement on the previously unannounced trial, Tarek William Saab tweeted late Friday that Airan Berry, 42, and Luke Denman, 34, admitted 'to having committed the crimes of conspiracy, association, illicit trafficking of weapons of war and terrorism' in connection with the botched mission known as Operation Gideon. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request to comment.... The U.S. government has denied any involvement." Mrs. McC: Murky, indeed. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race

Maureen Dowd recalls Geraldine Ferraro's experiences as a candidate for vice president in 1984. "We don't know whom Biden will choose but we do know the sort of hell she will endure at the hands of Team Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Shooting Off His Mouth at a Gift Horse. Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "When ... Donald Trump connected by phone last week with Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson -- perhaps the only person in the party who can cut a nine-figure check to aid his reelection -- the phone call unexpectedly turned contentious.... Trump brought the conversation around to the campaign and confronted Adelson about why he wasn't doing more to bolster his reelection, according to three people with direct knowledge of the call. One of the people said it was apparent the president had no idea how much Adelson, who's donated tens of millions of dollars to pro-Trump efforts over the years, had helped him. Adelson chose not to come back at Trump.... Adelson's allies say it's unclear whether the episode will dissuade the Las Vegas mogul -- long regarded as a financial linchpin for Trump's reelection -- from helping the president down the home stretch." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Too bad Donnie's grandpa died years before Donnie was born. Little Donnie could have sent gramps his version of the traditional children's birthday thank-you note: "Dear Grampy Fred: Got your $10 Dollar Bill. who are You kidding? You should have sent much more. you're pore Grand-Son Donnie"

Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post writes a long piece (August 7) on the giant climate hot spot in Western Colorado, Eastern Utah & Southern Wyoming that is robbing the West of major water sources. Besides containing a map of the area, the article includes a climate change map for the entire lower 48 that maps how much the average temperature has risen between 1895 & 2019. Mrs. McC: This is pretty incontroveritble evidence of the effects of climate change right here at home, but because scientists compiled the data, I suppose Republicans will label the report a hoax perpetrated by the fake news Amazon/Washington Post. ~~~

~~~ Matthew Cappucci of the Washington Post: "July 2020 was record hot for much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.... The entire Lower 48 experienced temperatures near or above normal during July, the toasty temperatures becoming routine as human-induced climate change continues to take is toll. The month ranked as the 11th warmest on record overall, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Seven states -- Virginia (tie), Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania (tie), New Jersey, Connecticut (tie) and New Hampshire -- all clinched the top spot for their sweltering July heat. Records date back to 1895."

The Commentariat -- August 8, 2020

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here: "Hundreds of children in America, most of them previously healthy, have experienced an inflammatory syndrome associated with Covid-19, and most became so ill that they needed intensive care, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The syndrome, which can be deadly, has rattled parents and education officials as schools across the United States struggle with the prospect of reopening in the fall and the coronavirus continues its spread."

Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "Last week, as leaders in Silicon Valley, China and Washington raced to seal the fate of one of the world's fastest-growing social media companies, a shouting match broke out in the Oval Office between two of President Trump's top advisers. In front of Trump, trade adviser Peter Navarro and other aides late last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin began arguing that the Chinese-owned video-sharing service TikTok should be sold to a U.S. company. Mnuchin had talked several times to Microsoft's senior leaders and was confident that he had rallied support within the administration for a sale to the tech giant on national security grounds. Navarro pushed back, demanding an outright ban of TikTok, while accusing Mnuchin of being soft on China, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions freely.... The ensuing argument -- which was described by one of the people as a 'knockdown, drag-out' brawl -- was preceded by months of backroom dealings among investors, lobbyists and executives." The reporters go on to explain the the issues in the TikTok debate.

Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: "Two former members of U.S. Special Forces were sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Venezuelan court for taking part in a murky raid in May to oust President Nicolás Maduro, the country's attorney general announced on Twitter. In the only official statement on the previously unannounced trial, Tarek William Saab tweeted late Friday that Airan Berry, 42, and Luke Denman, 34, admitted 'to having committed the crimes of conspiracy, association, illicit trafficking of weapons of war and terrorism' in connection with the botched mission known as Operation Gideon. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request to comment.... The U.S. government has denied any involvement." Mrs. McC: Murky, indeed.

Maureen Dowd recalls Geraldine Ferraro's experiences as a candidate for vice president in 1984. "We don't know whom Biden will choose but we do know the sort of hell she will endure at the hands of Team Trump."

~~~~~~~~~~

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Annie Karni & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "After spending a day huddled with his campaign advisers at his private club in Bedminster, N.J., President Trump emerged on Friday night for a surprise 'news conference' that seemed at times to be as much a benefit for his loyal club members as it was about making any news or addressing the crisis facing the nation. Speaking in front of dozens of members who gathered in a ballroom to see him, many of them holding wine glasses and forgoing masks, Mr. Trump ... described the back-and-forth he expected as 'always a lot of fun.' The audience even had a chance to participate, booing loudly when it was suggested by a reporter [Mrs. McC: Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post] that the largely unmasked crowd in the room was violating social distancing guidelines, and then cheering when the president noted that the club's members 'know the news is fake.' As millions of Americans faced threats of eviction and a loss of income or benefits without a deal in Congress, and with the Washington dysfunction Mr. Trump promised to solve reaching new levels, the president rambled, bludgeoned, vowed to take action by presidential fiat and insisted again that the virus was already disappearing -- all from the confines of a gilded room beneath chandeliers, far from Washington, ensconced in his private club." ~~~

~~~ Brooke Seipel of the Hill: "'You said that the pandemic is disappearing, but we lost 6,000 Americans this week and just in this room you have dozens of people who are not following the guidelines in New Jersey,' a reporter said while asking Trump a question.... 'You're wrong about that because it's a political activity,' Trump argued. 'And it's also a peaceful protest. To me they all look like they pretty much all have masks on.'... He went on to argue the crowd was protesting the news media.... New Jersey's coronavirus restrictions require that golf courses limit the number of patrons in an indoor part of the property to 25 percent capacity or no more than 25 people, while also requiring that all workers and customers wear face coverings.... 'You have an exclusion in the law it says peaceful protest,' Trump continued. 'I'd call it peaceful protest because they know you're coming up and they know the news is fake.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Glad to hear Trump admits his so-called press conference was a political event. As such, his campaign should pay for this weekend's golf outing instead of foisting the costs on us taxpayers. Trump, of course, was not wearing a mask. According to Seipel's report, "Guests at the golf club were seen joining in the crowd at the press conference. Initial photos appeared to show a lack of social distancing and mask wearing. Later photos showed guests wearing masks that were handed out by officials." ~~~

~~~ Public Enemy No. 1. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: Two weeks ago at a signing ceremony aides set up to provide social distancing, Donald "Trump invited a dozen people to crowd behind him shoulder-to-shoulder as he signed several executive actions and handed out ceremonial pens. Four wore face masks, while the others did not, including the president and four doctors in white medical smocks. The juxtaposition of the safeguards set up to protect the president and model safe behavior for the public with Trump's seemingly arbitrary decision to override them in pursuit of a photo op illustrates his administration's ongoing inability or unwillingness to send a clear message to the public on how to protect themselves against a pandemic...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday signaled he was ready to forge ahead without Congress to try to address lapsed economic relief measures for millions of Americans, but he stopped short of declaring negotiations dead. The path forward remained unclear, as he used a press conference Friday evening to discuss steps he might take but he didn't stipulate whether he would follow through.... Democratic leaders on Friday said the White House refused to meet them even halfway in negotiations, which dragged on for two weeks with little signs of progress. The discussions were meant to provide additional relief to address the coronavirus pandemic's economic fallout."

"The Lost Year." Heather Long of the Washington Post: "The U.S. economy is facing one of its most uncertain moments ever as the deadly coronavirus remains a constant threat. According to Pew Research, people are growing more pessimistic about how America's leaders have handled the virus and the nation's ability to contain it, which only digs a deeper hole for the economy. As soon as the virus flares in a part of the country, cellphone data show people immediately stay home instead of instead of venturing out to restaurants, stores and entertainment.... When uncertainty is high, it usually triggers more layoffs, less investment and more business closures. Business investment fell to the lowest level in 68 years this spring, and consumer spending has stalled in recent weeks.... For many, there's a growing sense it's a 'lost year.'"

"The Lost Summer." Dana Goldstein of the New York Times: "... many educators spent their summers planning, in minute detail, how to safely reopen classrooms. Teachers stocked up on sanitation supplies as superintendents took a crash course in epidemiology and studied supply chain logistics for portable air filters. But with the pandemic now surging across a wide swath of the country, many of those plans have been shelved.... Millions of American children will spend their fall once again learning in front of laptop screens.... [Now] educators are spending the little time they have left before the new academic year moving to focus more fully on improving online instruction, which failed to reach and engage many children in the spring, leading to growing achievement gaps by income and race." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is yet another way the Trump administration has dramatically failed American families. Besides the petty, mean-assed threat to withhold funds from schools that don't fully re-open, Trump & his toadies repeatedly insisted the virus was on the wane ("about to disappear"), misdirecting school boards and administrators to spend their efforts & money preparing to re-open rather than beefing up their physical plants & lessons plans to accommodate online learning. Children, teachers, the cafeteria lady are going to get sick & die because of Trump's lies and deception.

Freedumb. Andy Fies of ABC News: "Despite concerns about large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 250,000 motorcycle enthusiasts from around the country are expected to roll into western South Dakota for the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally beginning Friday and lasting 10 days. Such a crowd would make it the largest event in the country to take place during the pandemic. In a survey by the city in May, 60% of Sturgis residents said they preferred to cancel the event. But local business owners who rely on this once-a-year gathering for a huge percentage of their revenues, combined with a realization by city managers that the bikers were going to come to the area no matter what, prompted the city council to sanction the rally.... Brent Bertlson, who has a home in Sturgis and will be attending his 26th rally this year..., called Sturgis 'a freedom rally,' adding, 'Bikers are big believers in freedom. I've heard from people tired of being locked down and being told what they can and can't do. A lot of these people are saying, "I'm going to Sturgis."'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Pompeo Goes Behind Trump's Back to Undo the Treachery. Edward Wong & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned Russia’s foreign minister against Moscow paying bounties to Taliban-linked militants and other Afghan fighters for killing American service members, U.S. officials said. Mr. Pompeo's warning is the first known rebuke from a senior American official to Russia over the bounties program, and it runs counter to President Trump's insistence that the intelligence from U.S. government agencies over the matter is a 'hoax.' The action indicates that Mr. Pompeo, who previously served as Mr. Trump's C.I.A. director, believes the intelligence warranted a stern message. Mr. Pompeo delivered the warning in a call on July 13 with the minister, Sergey V. Lavrov.... The secretary of state did not explicitly point to the covert bounties scheme organized by a Russian military intelligence unit that was first reported in late June by The New York Times, most likely because the details of what American intelligence has learned and how it gathered the information remain classified, one of the officials said. In public, Mr. Pompeo has carefully avoided answering direct questions about American intelligence on the Russian bounties.... Mr. Pompeo's private move is the latest example of a common occurrence in the administration: American officials quietly carrying out actions that are at odds with Mr. Trump's statements and his stance on important issues." (Also linked yesterday.)

Robert Draper writes a long piece for the New York Times Magazine on Donald Trump's malign effect on the intelligence community, particularly the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. "Under Trump, intelligence officials have been placed in the unusual position of being pressured to justify the importance of their work, protect their colleagues from political retribution and demonstrate fealty to a president. Though intelligence officials have been loath to admit it publicly, the cumulative result has been devastating..., [revealing] a sobering new development of the Trump era: the intelligence community's willingness to change what it would otherwise say straightforwardly so as not to upset the president.... Those who remain in the community are acutely mindful of the risks of challenging Trump's 'alternative facts.'..." More on the intel community linked under "Elections 2020."

McGahn, DOJ Lose Appeal, But They're Running Out the Clock. Mark Sherman of the AP: "A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday revived House Democrats' lawsuit to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before a congressional committee, but left other legal issues unresolved with time growing short in the current Congress. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 7-2 in ruling that the House Judiciary Committee can make its claims in court, reversing the judgment of a three-judge panel that would have ended the court fight. The matter now returns to the panel for consideration of other legal issues. The current House of Representatives session ends on Jan. 3. That time crunch means 'the chances that the Committee hears McGahn's testimony anytime soon are vanishingly slim,' dissenting Judge Thomas Griffith wrote. Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson also dissented. A separate case in which the House is suing to stop the Trump administration from spending billions of dollars that Congress didn't authorize for the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border also was returned to a lower court. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the administration would continue to seek dismissal of both cases." A Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

"Take the Oil." Kylie Atwood & Ryan Browne of CNN: "The Trump administration has approved the first-ever deal for an American firm to develop and modernize oil fields in northeast Syria under control of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The secretive contract ... was signed in Syria last month, is expected to produce billions of dollars for Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria, none of which will be shared with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.... News of the deal drew an immediate rebuke from the Assad government in Damascus.... The State Department and the Pentagon have officially sought to distance themselves from the project, but sources tell CNN that behind the scenes the State Department was active in making the deal happen. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the first time confirmed the deal in answering a question from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham during a hearing on Capitol Hill.... Russia ... was also competing to win the contract. --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Hajar Haammado of CREW: "The Environmental Protection Agency illegally destroyed records, deceived the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) about that destruction, and falsely blamed the coronavirus pandemic to escape accountability, according to internal documents uncovered by CREW." --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Adolfo Flores & Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News: "The deaths of two men this week made it the most fatal year for immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2006. The men, a 51-year-old from Taiwan and a 72-year-old from Canada, died on Wednesday, according to ICE, which provided no additional information. The total number of ICE deaths so far this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, is now 17, making it the highest total since 2006, when 19 immigrants died, according to ICE records." --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Michigan. Not All the Rabid Racists Live in Dixie. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "A local road commission meeting in northern Michigan on Monday started with one commissioner asking another why he wasn't wearing a mask.... The unmasked official responded with a racist slur and an angry rant against the Black Lives Matter movement. 'Well, this whole thing is because of them n-----s in Detroit,' Tom Eckerle, who was elected to his position on the Leelanau County Road Commission..., said. The commission chairman, Bob Joyce, immediately rebuked his colleague, but Eckerle, who is White, continued his diatribe. 'I can say anything I want,' Eckerle said at the meeting, which the public could listen to via a dial-in number, the Leelanau Enterprise first reported. 'Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.' Eckerle's remarks came the same week Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) declared racism a public health crisis.... Michigan has reported at least 94,656 cases and 6,506 deaths since the start of the pandemic.... The racist remark spurred widespread condemnation of Eckerle, who is a Republican, and calls to resign from party officials.... 'I don't regret calling it a n----r,' Eckerle told Interlochen Public Radio. 'A n----r is a n----r is a n----r. That's not a person whatsoever.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Update. John Flesher of the AP: "An elected official in a mostly white county in northern Michigan who used a racist slur prior to a public meeting to describe Black people in Detroit will resign, the county administrator said Friday. Leelanau County Administrator Chet Janik said Tom Eckerle, a member of the county road commission, would step down after receiving criticism from across the U.S. for his comments.... Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Eckerle's fellow road commission members were among those demanding he step down."

Elections 2020

** Deb Riechmann & Eric Tucker of the AP: "U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting ... Donald Trump's reelection bid, the country's counterintelligence chief said Friday. U.S. officials also believe that China does not want Trump to win a second term and that Beijing has accelerated its criticism of the president and its efforts to shape American opinion and public policy. The statement from William Evanina comes amid criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats that the intelligence community has been withholding from the public specific intelligence information about the threat of foreign election interference in the upcoming election.... The latest intelligence assessment reflects concerns to varying degrees about China, Russia and Iran, warning that hostile foreign actors may seek to compromise election infrastructure and interfere with the voting process." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Obviously, it is not only Evanina who has been withholding evidence that Russia is interfering on Trump's behalf; Donald Trump is the withholder-in-chief. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Here is the statement Evanina released. As you can see, he begins with China's preference for Biden, then writes that "Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden...," then speculates that Iran will try "to undermine U.S. democratic institutions" that "probably will focus on on-line influence...." This is how a number of outlets, including, for instance, NPR, -- and initially, the Washington Post -- reported the story. The Post has since greatly modified its breaking story: ~~~

~~~ Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russia is 'using a range of measures' to interfere in the 2020 election and has enlisted a pro-Russian lawmaker from Ukraine -- who has met with President Trump's personal lawyer -- 'to undermine former vice president [Joe] Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party,' a top U.S. intelligence official said in a statement Friday. The remarks by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, were some of the most detailed to date about foreign interference in the presidential race and come after earlier criticism from Democratic lawmakers that he had not shared with the public some of the alarming intelligence he gave them in classified briefings. Evanina also said that the government of China does not want Trump to win reelection in November, seeing the incumbent as 'unpredictable.' Evanina described China's efforts to date as largely rhetorical and aimed at shaping policy and criticizing the Trump administration for actions Beijing sees as harmful to its long-term strategic interests. By contrast, Evanina described Russia as actively engaged in efforts that are reminiscent of the Kremlin's attempts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It appears that Evanina has tried a little sleight-of-hand -- and it has worked on a number of reporters, and will therefore work on most of their readers -- to equate Russia's active efforts to aid Trump with China's "preferences" -- preferences shared by the heads of state of most liberal democracies, BTW -- and speculation about what Iran may do. But one of these things is not like the others. "I'm working on Donnie's campaign" is not the same as "I hope Joe wins but I'm not gonna vote." Much further down in the WashPo story, the reporters make this same point, citing that famous unnamed "U.S. official": "Between China and Russia, only one of those two is trying to actively influence the outcome of the 2020 election, full stop." As Robert Draper writes in his NYT Mag article linked above, Evanina's "statement seemed to be tortured with political calculation -- an implicit declaration of anguish rather than of independence." ~~~

~~~ Pretty much the only specific Evanina mentions in his statement is this: "For example, pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption -- including through publicizing leaked phone calls -- to undermine ... Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party." Mrs. McC: Well, the Post tells us a little more about Derkach, some of which you may recall from earlier reporting: "Derkach met in December with [Trump's personal lawyer Rudy] Giuliani as part of an effort by Trump's allies to obtain damaging information about Biden in Ukraine, The Washington Post has reported. Giuliani also hosted Derkach on his podcast in February and has said the two have spoken repeatedly about Ukraine and Biden, terming the Ukrainian lawmaker 'very helpful.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Oh, and there's this from Natasha Bertand & others of Politico (July 20): "Democratic leaders are asking the FBI for an urgent briefing arising out of concern that members of Congress are being targeted by a foreign operation intended to influence the 2020 presidential election, according to a letter they released publicly on Monday. Among the Democrats' concerns is that a Senate investigation being led by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has become a vehicle for 'laundering' a foreign influence campaign to damage ... Joe Biden....&" On July 23, the same Politico team reported, "Top congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm about a series of packets mailed to prominent allies of ... Donald Trump -- material they say is part of a foreign disinformation plot to damage... Joe Biden, according to new details from a letter the lawmakers delivered to the FBI last week. The packets ... were sent late last year to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and then-White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.... The packets, the sources said, were sent by Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who met with ... Rudy Giuliani in Kyiv last December to discuss investigating the Biden family." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: That "vast right-wing conspiracy" now has the best offices in the White House and the Capitol. ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Chait of New York has a good take on Evanina's statement: "In reality, it is not a scandal about Biden at all. It’s a scandal about Republican cooperation with a Russian propaganda campaign.... What makes Evanina's statement today so significant is that it makes clear that the passing of information, real or otherwise, from various Ukrainian figures to various Trump allies is part of a Russian-directed scheme to help Trump win." Firewalled. ~~~

~~~ Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "President Trump dismissed new intelligence that Russia is working to denigrate former Vice President Joe Biden, maintaining he's taken a tough stance on Moscow during his time in the White House. '... I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody's been tougher on Russia than I have, ever,' Trump said at a briefing Friday when asked about the intelligence. When pressed by a reporter over the new report's conclusion that Russia is working to hinder Biden's presidential bid, Trump fired back: 'I don't care what anybody says.'... 'China would love us to have an election where Donald Trump lost to sleepy Joe Biden. They would dream, they would own our country,' Trump said. 'If Joe Biden was president, China would own our country.""

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general and a major donor to Mr. Trump's campaigns..., on Friday..., shifted top personnel, including some decades-long veterans of the Postal Service, and made changes to its organizational structure." Mrs. McC: Surely DeJoy is up to no good. I'm hoping reporters will soon get some first-hand evidence of his malign intent.

Maanvi Singh of the Guardian: "Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff notorious for his abusive policing and hardline anti-immigration tactics, has lost his bid to win back the post he held for 24 years. An early Donald Trump supporter and proponent of the racist theory that Barack Obama was not born in the US, Arpaio lost the Republican primary for Maricopa county sheriff to a former aide, Jerry Sheridan. Sheridan will face off against Democrat Paul Penzone in the November elections. This is Arpaio's second failed attempt to return to politics since Trump pardoned him in 2017, months after he was convicted of criminal contempt of court for violating a judge's order to stop racially profiling Latinos. In 2018, he finished last in a three-way race for a Senate nomination in Arizona."

Michael Stratford of Politico: "Jerry Falwell Jr., one of ... Donald Trump's leading evangelical supporters, has agreed to take 'an indefinite leave of absence' from his role as president of Liberty University after the release of a viral photo that showed him vacationing on a yacht with his pants unzipped, holding a drink, and with his arm around a woman. 'The Executive Committee of Liberty University's Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell, Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as President and Chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately,' the university said in a statement on Friday.... Liberty University has a strict code of conduct for students that, among other things, prohibits students from having sexual relations outside of a 'biblically-ordained' marriage and consuming media with lewd lyrics, sexual content and nudity." Mrs. McC: Hey, more time to go yachting & whatever with his young lady friends. ~~~

     ~~~ A New York Times story is here.

News Lede

New York Times: "Brent Scowcroft, a pre-eminent foreign policy expert who helped shape America's international and strategic decisions for decades as the national security adviser to Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George Bush and as a counselor to seven administrations, died on Thursday at his home in Falls Church, Va. He was 95."