;)
Friday
Sep062024
The Conversation -- September 6, 2024
Harris Gets the Darth Vader Vote. Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: "'Dick Cheney will be voting for Kamala Harris,' [his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.)] said Friday during an interview at the Texas Tribune Festival when asked in an interview if she knew who her father would vote for.... The former congresswoman also said during her Friday interview with The Atlantic's Mark Leibovich that she would support Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, in his Senate bid in the state. Allred is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz, who has served in the Senate since 2013.... Allred ... embraced Cheney's backing in a post to X, calling her a 'patriot who continuously puts country over party.' Asked for comment..., Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung replied, 'Who the f--- is Liz Cheney?'" MB: Elegant.~~~
~~~ Marie: If hard-right conservatives like Liz & Dick can vote for a Democratic candidate, what's the matter with so-called moderate Republicans like Larry Hogan & Chris Sununu? I suppose the are just gutless.
Filip Timotija of the Hill: "A Michigan court ordered Friday that former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name be removed from the state's general election ballot, overturning previous efforts to keep his name on the ballot. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that Kennedy, who suspended his White House bid in August and endorsed former President Trump, can have his name withdrawn from Michigan's ballot.... [A] spokesperson for the Michigan secretary of state's office, said in a statement to The Hill that the office will be 'appealing to the Michigan Supreme Court.'"
We as a community, we as a society, we as a country cannot condone the normalization of the January 6 Capitol riot. -- U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee ~~~
⭐ Michael Kunzelman, et al., of the AP gather together some videos of the January 6, 2021, insurrection: "Inside Washington's federal courthouse, there's no denying the reality of Jan. 6, 2021. Day after day, judges and jurors silently absorb the chilling sights and sounds from television screens of rioters beating police, shattering windows and hunting for lawmakers as democracy lay under siege.... The cases have systematically put on record -- through testimony, documents and video -- the crimes committed, weapons wielded, and lives altered by physical and emotional damage.... But as he seeks to reclaim the White House, Donald Trump continues to portray the defendants as patriots worthy of admiration.... His relentless attempts to rewrite history have become foundational to the Republican's bid for another term, with campaign rallies honoring the rioters as heroes while an anthem plays in their name." The report ends with links to examinations of the cases of three of the most violent insurrectionists. MB: This is an extraordinary report, particularly extraordinary in that it frankly lays out the brazen lies of the Republican candidate for president*. I suspect these reporters were overwhelmed by the evidence they saw and felt compelled to, at least momentarily, drop the both-siderism charade.
Georgia. Patrick Smith, et al., of NBC News: "The teenager accused of shooting dead two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school appeared in court for the first time on Friday to face murder charges, hours after his father was arrested on suspicion of facilitating the shootings by allowing his son to possess a deadly weapon. Colt Gray, 14, appeared in Barrow County Superior Court in Winder at 8.30 a.m. ET, where the judge said he faces four counts of felony murder. He is being treated as an adult in the case.... The maximum penalty includes life with or without the possibility of parole, and does not include death.... Shortly afterward, his father, Colin Gray, 54, appeared in the same courtroom, faced with 14 charges, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. He was told he could face a maximum of 180 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News Thursday night that Gray gave his son an AR-15 style rifle as a gift.:
Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump's criminal case in Manhattan postponed his sentencing until after Election Day, a significant victory for the former president as he seeks to overturn his conviction and win back the White House. In a ruling on Friday, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, cited the 'unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in' and rescheduled the sentencing for Nov. 26. He had previously planned to hand down Mr. Trump's punishment on Sept. 18, just seven weeks before Election Day.... 'This is not a decision this court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this court's view, best advances the interests of justice,' Justice Merchan wrote in the four-page ruling, which noted that 'this matter is one that stands alone, in a unique place in this nation's history.'"
Kara Scannell of CNN: "Lawyers for Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll squared off Friday in lower Manhattan as the former president tries to convince a federal appeals court that he should get a new trial after a jury found he sexually abused and defamed the one-time columnist.... Trump did not attend the trial or call any witnesses, but he was seen arriving at Friday's oral arguments. Carroll also attended. The hearing wrapped around 10:30 a.m. ET. The court will not issue a decision Friday and one is unlikely before November's presidential election.... The case is separate from a related defamation trial that was held earlier this year. A jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages after finding Trump defamed her in 2022 when he repeated similar statements about Carroll. In appealing the 2023 [$5 million] judgment, Trump's attorneys have argued the trial judge made mistakes by allowing the jury to hear evidence from two other women who claimed Trump sexually assaulted them...."
Mia McCarthy of Politico: "... Donald Trump told a crowd of Jewish Republicans that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election this fall that 'Israel is gone' and said Jewish Democrats who support Biden should have their 'head examined.'... Trump said to the Republican Jewish Coalition on Thursday. 'You can forget about Israel, that's what's going to happen. So they have to get out on Nov. 5 and they have to vote for Trump. If they don't, I think it's going to be a very terrible situation.'... Trump also acknowledged the death of the six Israeli hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who Trump appeared to first refer to as 'Hersh Goldman.' He also repeated his comment that the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel would have never happened if he had been president at the time." ~~~
~~~ Wow! That Kamala! Yesterday we found out people were stampeding to get out of California because of fear of Kamala. Now we learn she is about to obliterate an entire country. Because she can!
Ry Rivard of Politico: "One of the businesspeople convicted this summer of bribing former Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded guilty Thursday to a separate federal bank fraud charge, continuing a fall from grace for one of New Jersey's most powerful real estate developers. The developer, Fred Daibes, literally rebuilt Edgewater, New Jersey, turning a once-industrial strip of riverfront properties into a 'Gold Coast' of high-rises with million-dollar views of Manhattan. Daibes, an affable former refugee with a rags-to-riches story, remains beloved by allies in Edgewater for his generosity and for the mark he left on the landscape. During the two-month Menendez trial, one government witness called one of Daibes' apartment complexes 'the most beautiful building I've ever seen.'... Federal prosecutors in New Jersey alleged that between 2008 and 2013, Daibes and others conspired to avoid federally imposed lending limits by having Daibes' friends and relatives falsely apply for loans in their own names that were, in actuality, for Daibes. According to a press release from the US Attorney's Office in New Jersey, Daibes pleaded guilty Thursday to making false entries to improperly obtain a $1.8 million loan from [a bank he had chaired called Mariners' Bank]."
The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "An American woman was shot and killed on Friday during a protest against Israeli settlements in the Palestinian town of Beita in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses. The State Department identified the woman as Aysenur Eygi. Three activists who were at the protest on Friday said the woman had been shot by Israeli soldiers."
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Presidential Race
Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "The coordinated campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris raised $361 million in August, nearly three times as much as the $130 million collected by the coordinated effort of her Republican rival, Donald Trump, giving her a clear financial edge with two months to go before Election Day, her campaign announced Friday. Harris's larger campaign, which boasts hundreds more staff, dozens more offices and a bigger advertising budget than Trump, also ended the month with more cash on hand."
Readers, we are less than two months away from the presidential election. The time has come for the obligatory traditional Bad Female Boss story. Dan Diamond & Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post oblige: "... in interviews, former staff [of Kamala Harris] who [were among more than 300 one-time employees who] signed [a] letter [endorsing Harris] acknowledged it also addressed one of Harris's perceived weaknesses as a candidate and elected official: her demanding management style. People who have worked for Harris say her interactions with staff can resemble a prosecutor prying details from a witness, asking pointed questions about everything from her schedule to policy briefings. And her cautious approach to big decisions has frustrated deputies rather than inspire them. Harris's record as a boss has been the focus of news stories throughout her career and amplified by high-profile staff departures. As a senator, her office developed a reputation for a revolving door...." In fairness, the writers do acknowledge some mitigating factors -- and this, down the page: "... Donald Trump's White House staff was infamous for its turnover; one of his communications directors, Anthony Scaramucci, lasted just 11 days before his firing."
Mary Jordan & Kevin Sullivan of the Washington Post: "Former president Jimmy Carter, 99, turned to his son several weeks ago as he watched President Joe Biden, 81, announce that he was passing the torch to a younger generation and said softly, 'That's sad.'... But recently, as the former president's 100th birthday approaches on Oct. 1, he is talking more, asking about the fast-changing 2024 presidential campaign and delighting in the momentum behind Vice President Kamala Harris.... Carter's state of Georgia is critical to the November election. Biden beat Donald Trump in 2020 by less than 1 percent of the vote in the state, and Carter's family said he can't wait to cast his mail-in ballot for Harris."
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Donald Trump ... is a brutally transactional politician who represents a coalition of ideologues. His instinct is to promise the moon, and he'll say anything to get a vote -- or just to get out of a room. He also knows, however, that he has no choice but to dance with the date that brought him. He can't abandon the groups, interested parties and constituencies that put him in the White House to execute their agenda -- to exercise their will. The problem comes when most voters don't want what your partners hope to do with the power they helped you get. Such is the case for abortion.... So far in this campaign, the former president has not had to answer for his corruption in office, his two impeachments or his disastrous handling of most aspects of the pandemic. But he has had to answer for Dobbs, and it is clear that he has no idea how to deal with a problem he can't solve by talking out of both sides of his mouth."
Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: Donald Trump treated "the titans of finance who gathered on Thursday at the Economic Club of New York ... to an extended discourse on the glories of William McKinley and the power of tariffs to cure all that ails what Mr. Trump called a nation nearing economic collapse. Rather than new policies for the 21st century, the former president often harked back to the end of another century, the 19th.... '... This is the policy that built this country, and this is the policy that will save our country.' His solution for the deficit? Tariffs. The crisis for middle-class families struggling with child care? The economic growth he said would be spurred by things like tariffs. A complicated international supply chain that has the wings of military aircraft manufactured in one country and the tail in another? Tariffs.... (The other answer is harsh immigration policies, he said: cutting off all assistance to undocumented immigrants to lower the deficit, followed by their mass deportation, which would open up homes and lower housing costs.)... Mr. Trump took time in the speech to take aim at [Vice President] Harris, saying at one point that 'as everyone knows, she is a Marxist.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: If you would like to know the details of Trump's plan to ease "the crisis for middle-class families struggling with child care," I urge you to read Akhilleus' comment at the top of today's thread (originally linked last night) because he has provided a true transcript of Trump's child-care prescription. (As President Biden would say, "Not a joke," though to believe it, you might want to go to the videotape.) Last night Chris Hayes played video of Trump's response to a questioner who asked specifically how his administration would make child care more affordable; Hayes played the clip as an example of Trump's cognitive decline. So if, on the other hand, you would like to know the details of Trump's plan to help parents with child-care costs, you are advised he doesn't have one. ~~~
Q: What specific legislation will you commit to to make child care affordable?
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 5, 2024
Trump: Well, I would do that and we're sitting down, you know, I was, somebody, we had Marco Rubio and my daughter, Ivanka… But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I'm talking about… pic.twitter.com/v8gqLUHS2v
~~~ The headline for the Washington Post story on Trump's answer calls it a "confusing plan." No, it's not a plan in any sense of the word. The story itself, by Patrick Svitek, is closer to accurate: Svitek writes that Trump gave a "confusing answer." The Huffington Post headline writer gets closer when s/he writes that Trump "rambles incoherently ... without explaining his child care policy." (The article's author, Jonathan Cohn, further concedes, "The answer he gave might charitably be described as a rambling non sequitur, or less charitably as policy gibberish." Perhaps even more helpful, the folks on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" likened Trump's answer to a Bart Simpson's book report: ~~~
~~~ Wait, Wait. JayDee to the Rescue! Julia Conley of Common Dreams, republished by the Raw Story: "'One of the ways that you might be able to relieve a little bit of pressure on people who are paying so much for daycare is make it so that -- maybe, like, grandma or grandpa wants to help out a little bit more, or maybe there's an aunt or uncle who wants to help out a little more,' said Vance [at an event in Mesa, Arizona, Wednesday]. 'If that happens, you relieve some of the pressure on all the resources that we're spending at daycare.' In other words, said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.): 'You're on your own. You ain't getting shit from us. Call grandma.'"
Stephen Fowler, et al., of NPR: "One of two staffers involved in the altercation at Arlington National Cemetery is a deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump's reelection bid, NPR has learned. The former president insisted this week the incident did not happen, highlighting a growing disconnect between the messaging of the candidate and his campaign. NPR is identifying both staffers after the campaign's conflicting responses to the incident last week outside Section 60 of the cemetery, where many casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. The two staffers, according to a source with knowledge of the incident, are deputy campaign manager Justin Caporale and Michel Picard, a member of Trump's advance team.... ANC rules, that had been made clear to the Trump campaign in advance, say that only an official Arlington photographer can take pictures or film in Section 60. When an ANC employee tried to enforce the rules, she was verbally abused by the two Trump campaign operatives, according to a source with knowledge of the incident. Picard then pushed her out of the way according to two Pentagon officials."
Simon Levien of the New York Times: "Senator JD Vance of Ohio said on Thursday that school shootings were an unfortunate 'fact of life,' and he called for strengthened security measures in public schools while he spoke at a campaign event in Phoenix. After Mr. Vance delivered remarks on border security, a reporter from CNN, who was first drowned out by booing, asked him about what he would do to prevent school shootings in light of the fatal shootings of two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday.... 'I don't like that this is a fact of life,' Mr. Vance said, adding that he believed gun restrictions were not the way to effectively prevent school shootings. 'We have got to bolster security in our schools.'" The AP story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: That booing indicates that it isn't only NRA-controlled politicians who can't handle the question, it's the GOP base. These people have chosen guns over rights to life. They prefer that their own children -- and yours -- be murdered by a deranged kid with an assault rifle than that the government "take away their guns."
Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump last week promised universal, free access to in vitro fertilization treatments. But as always, pay more attention to what politicians do than to what they say. And his past presidential record suggests that a second Trump term would be unequivocally bad for access to fertility care.... [Despite the vague nature of Trump's promise,] we can assess how Trump's proclamation fits in with his prior record as president. The answer: It doesn't. An insurance mandate for fertility coverage would effectively be an expansion of essential health benefits.... But as president, Trump repeatedly tried to weaken or eliminate the very existence of such mandates.... Even today, Republican politicians continue to oppose minimum insurance coverage requirements.... [JD] Vance, for his part, claims there's no need for federal lawmakers to protect the legality of IVF services."
Michael Scherer & Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate who recently endorsed Donald Trump, called on his supporters Thursday to vote for the Republican nominee no matter where they live, reversing instructions he gave two weeks ago when he encouraged voters to still vote for Kennedy if they lived in uncompetitive states.... The new message comes as he has expanded the list of Republican-leaning states where he seeks to remove his name from the ballot, even as he continues to fight to add his name to ballots in blue states where Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is expected to win."
Hanna Trudo & Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "The possibility of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. becoming Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary if former President Trump wins has rankled Democrats and the public health community as he gains influence within the former president's transition team. Speculation about Kennedy's future role has grown after Nicole Shanahan, who was Kennedy's running mate before he suspended his campaign last month, said recently that he would do 'an incredible job' at HHS should Trump win in November."
Marie: Thursday, September 5, exactly two months before Election Day, the Republican candidate for president* was arraigned on criminal charges related to his attempt to overthrow the results of the last presidential election, which he lost. This has barely received mention in the day's news. We live in extraordinary times.
Katelyn Polantz of CNN: “Judge Tanya Chutkan has set a schedule in the federal election subversion case against ... Donald Trump that will allow prosecutors to release never-before-seen evidence, such as grand jury transcripts, ahead of the presidential election. The deadline for the filing from prosecutors is September 26, according to the latest order from the judge, which largely sides with special counsel Jack Smith's proposed schedule discussed at Thursday's hearing.... The evidence the prosecutors reveal in late September may not be immediately public, and Chutkan will be able to control its release. It is likely it would become available, though, with potentially some redactions. This is the one of several filings the judge expects before voters head to the polls. She has not scheduled additional hearings or a trial date." (This is an update of a story also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Judge Chutkan's order & schedule is here, via Politico. ~~~
~~~ Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "A federal judge declared at a court hearing on Thursday that she would not let ... Donald J. Trump's campaign for the White House affect the schedule of the criminal case in which he stands accused of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. Hours later, the judge, Tanya S. Chutkan, fulfilled that vow by setting a schedule for the matter that moved speedily ahead and opened the possibility that prosecutors could make public more of the evidence they hope to use against Mr. Trump at trial in a court filing before Election Day." Includes details of Judge Chutkan's order as well as of the earlier courtroom back-and-forth. ~~~
~~~ October Surprise? Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge has given the special counsel's team until Sept. 26 to detail what his team says will be a 'comprehensive' slate of evidence detailing Trump's alleged conspiracies to subvert the 2020 election.... U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ... largely agreed with a proposal a lawyer from [Jack] Smith's office laid out earlier in the day to have prosecutors kick off the next round of proceedings by making a detailed submission about what proof they want to present of Trump's guilt if the case goes to trial.... Trump's response to that brief will be due Oct. 17, and his lawyers similarly promised to pack it full of new information drawn from secret grand jury transcripts and other unreleased documents. Smith will have the opportunity for a final reply on the presidential immunity issue Oct. 29 -- one week before Election Day. The prospect of damaging new information related to Trump's effort to subvert the previous presidential election emerging in the closing days of the 2024 race adds a new, unpredictable element to the campaign's final stretch -- the definition of an October surprise."
~~~ New York Times reporters Alan Feuer & Charlie Savage liveblogged yesterday's court proceedings in the federal case against Donald Trump for his interference with the 2020 presidential election. See also yesterday's Conversation for some of the reporters' observations. (Also linked yesterday.)
Michael Kunzelman of the AP: "A Massachusetts medical doctor who punched a police officer during a mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Thursday to nine months of imprisonment followed by nine months of home confinement. Jacquelyn Starer was in a crowd of rioters inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when she struck the officer with a closed fist and shouted a profane insult. Starer told U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly that she isn't proud of her actions that day, including her 'regrettable encounter' with the officer. 'I accept full responsibility for my actions that day, and I truly wish reason had prevailed over my emotions,' she said. Starer also turned to apologize to the officer whom she assaulted. The officer, identified only by her initials in court filings, told the judge she feared for her life as she and other officers fought for hours to defend the Capitol from the mob of Donald Trump supporters."
Eric Tucker & David Klepper of the AP: "The U.S. government has charged a Russian-born U.S. citizen and former adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign with working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds. Indictments announced Thursday by the Department of Justice allege that Dimitri Simes and his wife received over $1 million dollars and a personal car and driver in exchange for work they did for Russia's Channel One since June 2022. The network was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Simes, 76, and his wife, Anastasia Simes, have a home in Virginia and are believed to be in Russia." MB: Sorry, but this is too much. These people are called "Dimitri" & "Anastasia" and the Trumpies didn't figure out they might be Russian moles? Would "Boris" and "Natasha" have aroused suspicions? No? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "The new indictment reinforces that [the Russia investigation] wasn't [a hoax, as Trump claims]. Russia began trying to influence American politics a decade ago, ultimately finding a sympathetic ally in Trump. Now, instead of trying to make fake personalities who can elevate contentious issues to Russia's benefit, there's a stable of Trump-allied voices who already are." MB: No, the Russia investigation was not a hoax, but the subjects of the investigation -- the Trump campaign and Trump himself -- were and are as comedic as Monty Python. (Also linked yesterday.)
Alexandra Berzon of the New York Times: "There is no indication that noncitizens are voting in large numbers. And yet the notion that they will flood the polls -- and vote overwhelmingly for Democrats -- is animating a sprawling network of Republicans who mobilized around ... Donald J. Trump's false claims of a rigged election in 2020 and are now preparing for the next one. Activists..., prominent lawyers, Republican lawmakers, right-wing influencers and other allies of Mr. Trump have ramped up pressure on local election officials to take steps that they say will keep noncitizens from tilting the election in Democrats' favor. They have pressed for voter roll purges, filed lawsuits, prepared for on-the-ground monitoring of polling places and spread misinformation online. Republican elected officials have responded." (Also linked yesterday.)
Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday strengthened a rule limiting toxic air pollution from factories, refineries and other industrial facilities, reversing one of ... Donald Trump's major environmental rollbacks. In an update posted on its website, the agency quietly signaled it had finalized changes to the 'Once In, Always In' rule, which requires facilities classified as 'major' sources of toxic air pollution to always maintain strict pollution controls, even if they are later reclassified."
Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post: "Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp stood before television cameras Wednesday night and said the cowardly words we always hear from Republican officials in such moments. Hours after two students and two teachers had been killed in a school shooting, allegedly committed by a 14-year-old boy with an AR-15-style semiautomatic weapon, Kemp declared: 'Today is not the day for politics or policy.'... His record makes it clear what date he has in mind for that discussion: Never. From what we know so far, the horrific slayings at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., have everything to do with the politics and policy of gun safety.... Popular, common-sense gun laws might have prevented this tragedy.... It is unconscionable, and infuriating, that the Republican Party cannot find room on its calendar to talk about saving precious young lives."
Glenn Thrush & Lauren Herstik of the New York Times: "Hunter Biden pleaded guilty on Thursday to nine federal tax charges in Los Angeles, after telling his legal team that he refused to subject his family to another round of anguish and humiliation after a gut-wrenching gun trial in Delaware two months ago. The dramatic development signaled the final stages of a fraught five-plus year investigation into the period when Mr. Biden was bankrolling his uncontrollable drug and alcohol addiction by leveraging his famous last name into lucrative overseas consulting contracts -- while not paying his taxes. The guilty plea was a unilateral decision by defense lawyers who were persuaded they could not prevail in the trial. It was not part of a plea deal in exchange for reduced punishment. Mr. Biden, speaking in a low and clipped voice as he sat at the defense table, repeated the word 'guilty' nine times as Judge Mark C. Scarsi ticked off each charge.... The guilty plea now exposes President Biden's son to an outcome that seemed unthinkable last year, when his lawyers were on the cusp of a no-prison plea agreement: significant time behind bars." (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Marshall Cohen, et al., of CNN: "Hunter Biden is attempting to resolve his federal tax evasion case in California with a plea where he maintains his innocence but will accept punishment, his lawyers announced in court Thursday, moments before jury selection was scheduled to begin. The arrangement won't be final until District Judge Mark Scarsi, a Trump appointee who has presided over the tax case, gives his stamp of approval in open court. The court is now on break and will resume at 2 p.m. ET. This type of arrangement, called an 'Alford plea,' would see Biden acknowledge that special counsel David Weiss has enough evidence to convict him -- and then he would accept whatever sentence Scarsi eventually hands down." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Udpate. "Hunter Biden is offering to plead guilty to the nine tax offenses he faces in federal court, without a deal with prosecutors, his attorneys said in court Thursday. Biden had earlier attempted to resolve his federal tax evasion case in California with a plea in which he would maintain his innocence but still accept punishment." (Also linked yesterday.)
Brian Stelter, who is back at CNN: "The Biden administration is denouncing Tucker Carlson after the far-right personality hosted a guest on his show this week who suggested the Holocaust happened by accident, calling the interview 'a disgusting and sadistic insult to all Americans.' During Carlson's two-hour sit-down with Darryl Cooper, a podcaster whom he said 'may be the best and most honest popular historian in the United States,' Cooper claimed that Nazi Germany's mass murder of Jews was an unintended consequence -- something akin to poor planning instead of the methodical extermination that it actually was. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Cooper claimed, was the 'chief villain of the Second World War' and 'primarily responsible for that war becoming what it did, becoming something other than an invasion of Poland.'" ~~~
~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "Over the course of a wide-ranging two-hour conversation, [Darryl] Cooper presented the mainstream history of World War II as a mythology shrouded in taboos intended to prop up a corrupt liberal political order.... Cooper proceeded, in a soft-spoken, faux-reasonable way, to lay out an alternative history in which Hitler tried mightily to avoid war with Western Europe, Churchill was a 'psychopath' propped up by Zionist interests, and millions of people in concentration camps 'ended up dead' because the overwhelmed Nazis didn't have the resources to care for them.... [Tucker] Carlson's trajectory [to Nazi apologist] was entirely predictable. Nazi sympathy is the natural endpoint of a politics based on glib contrarianism, right-wing transgression and ethnic grievance.... If Hitler is no longer widely understood as the negation of our deepest values, America will be softened up for Donald Trump's most authoritarian plans...."
Austyn Gaffney of the New York Times: "The southwestern United States' sizzling triple-digit temperatures this week mark the tail end of the hottest summer on record, according to a new European climate report. 'We know that the warming of the planet leads to more intense and extreme climate events, and what we've seen this summer has been no exception,' said Julien Nicolas, a climatologist with the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union agency that published the assessment on Wednesday. Since 2018, the agency has been combining data like weather observations from balloons and satellites with computer models that simulate temperature and precipitation to get a picture of what's happening around the world. It pairs that picture with past weather conditions reconstructed back to 1940 to compute a global average temperature."
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Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Crime is falling rapidly in many U.S. cities for the second year in a row, a decline attributed in part to the end of the pandemic's empty streets and shuttered stores. Law enforcement officials also credit a renewed focus on gun crimes -- analyzing evidence faster, hitting suspects with federal charges where possible, and quickening the pace of arrests to prevent tit-for-tat violence. The decrease in homicides and assaults in many U.S. cities has been largely ignored by Republican politicians like Donald Trump, who will appear before the Fraternal Order of Police on Friday seeking the group's endorsement.... Trump and others have assailed Democrats including presidential nominee Kamala Harris as weak on crime, and have falsely claimed that violence has continued to climb while President Joe Biden is in office. In fact, last year saw a sharp drop in killings and shootings. The first half of 2024 shows that trend generally continuing, with homicides down 17 percent compared with the same six-month period the prior year, according to figures for 69 U.S. cities compiled by the Major City Chiefs Association."
Florida. Patricia Mazzei & Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "The Florida agency charged with regulating health care providers, including abortion clinics, publicly opposed a proposed ballot amendment that would guarantee abortion rights, a move that critics say is unethical and also, perhaps, a violation of state law. 'Florida Is Protecting Life,' reads the top of a website by the Agency for Health Care Administration. 'Don't let the fearmongers lie to you.' The declaration, which was promoted on the social media platform X on Thursday by Jason Weida, the agency secretary, claims that the proposed amendment, known as Amendment 4, 'threatens women's safety.'... 'You're not supposed to use your position in state government for electioneering,' said State Representative Anna V. Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, adding that the agency 'crossed a line.... If you're going to do electioneering, you've got to provide a financial disclosure. There's all sorts of question marks here.'... The DeSantis administration has taken other steps to push back against Amendment 4. A state panel, largely appointed by Republicans, approved language in July for a financial impact statement that is required to accompany the amendment."
New York. William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal agents on Wednesday zeroed in on the highest ranks of [New York City] Mayor Eric Adams's administration, searching a home and seizing the phones of the New York City police commissioner, the first deputy mayor, the schools chancellor and others, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The actions were unrelated to a separate corruption inquiry focused on the mayor and his campaign fund-raising, some of the people said. But the revelation that not only the mayor but also many of the city's most senior officials are embroiled in federal investigations further destabilizes an administration that is already reeling from other legal problems." Politico's story is here.
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Israel/Palestine, et al.
Monica Alba, et al., of NBC News: "The families of American hostages being held by Hamas have pressed the White House to seriously consider cutting a unilateral deal with the terrorist organization to secure their loved ones' release, and the option is currently under discussion within the Biden administration, according to five people familiar with the discussions. In a meeting Sunday with national security adviser Jake Sullivan after Hamas killed six hostages, including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the relatives of U.S. citizens still in captivity urged the administration to evaluate options that do not include Israel, the sources said. Administration officials told the families that they would explore 'every option,' but a deal with Hamas that includes Israel is still the best approach, people familiar with the conversation said." (Also linked yesterday.)
The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "The second phase of a campaign to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio began on Thursday in southern Gaza, the World Health Organization said, continuing a frantic drive to avert a deadly outbreak in the war-battered territory. Israel has agreed to brief, staggered pauses in its military offensive in Gaza to allow health officials to conduct vaccinations. But ... hours after the first phase of the campaign wrapped up in central Gaza on Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike hit the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, one of the largest in the area, Wafa, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency, reported. Four people were killed, including women and children sheltering in tents around the hospital, Wafa said on Thursday. Video taken by the Reuters news agency showed tents in ruins, their wooden beams flattened, and people's belongings strewed in the hospital's courtyard." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Ledes
CNBC: "The U.S. economy created slightly fewer jobs than expected in August, reflecting a slowing labor market while also clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates later this month. Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 142,000 during the month, down from 89,000 in July and below the 161,000 consensus forecast from Dow Jones, according to a report Friday from the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics."
New York Times: "Colin Gray, the father of the 14-year-old accused of killing two teachers and two students at his Georgia high school, was arrested and charged on Thursday with second-degree murder in connection with the state's deadliest school shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. In addition to two counts of second-degree murder, Mr. Gray, 54, was also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to a statement. At a news conference on Thursday night, Chris Hosey, the G.B.I. director, said the charges were 'directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon.'" At 5:30 am ET, this is the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~
~~~ CNN's report is here.
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Reader Comments (24)
Wow!
So the Fat Dementia Patient was asked what he’d do about childcare.
This is his, er, response…if you can call it that:
“Well, I would do that, and we’re sitting down — you know, I was, somebody — we had Senator Marco Rubio, and my daughter Ivanka was so impactful on that issue. It’s a very important issue. But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, that — because the childcare is childcare — there’s something, you have to have it in this country. You have to have it. But when you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I’m talking about by taxing foreign nations at levels that they’re not used to — but they’ll get used to it very quickly — and it’s not going to stop them from doing business with us, but they’ll have a very substantial tax when they send product into our country. Those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we’re talking about, including childcare, that it’s going to take care — we’re going to have, I look forward to having no deficits within a fairly short period of time, coupled with the reductions that I told you about on waste and fraud and all of the other things that are going on in our country because I have to stay with childcare. I want to stay with childcare. But those numbers are small relative to the kind of economic numbers that I’m talking about — including growth — but growth also headed up by what the plan is that I just told you about. We’re going to be taking in trillions of dollars. And as much as childcare is talked about as being expensive, it’s, relatively speaking, not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in. We’re going to make this into an incredible country that can afford to take care of its people, and then we’ll worry about the rest of the world. Let’s help other people, but we’re going to take care of our country first. This is about America first. It’s about “Make America Great Again.” We have to do it because right now we’re a failing nation, so we’ll take care of it. Thank you.”
Didja get that? “We’re sitting down…Ivsnka…Childcare is childcare. You have to have it…but foreign nations…taxes…trillions of dollars…America first…MAGA! Thank you very much!
Just…wow. But don’t worry, by the time corporate media gets through fixing this mess, it’ll sound like a serious, completely understandable policy position. You’d never know it came from the mouth of a babbling idiot.
But yeah, let’s give this fucking guy the nuclear codes.
Just.. wow. How can this guy Trump be a serious candidate for office of anything?
Was he off his meds? Was he wearing a straight jacket?
Did he graduate at the top of his class at Trump University?
I have so many questions, but child care is definitely child care, that
I'll agree with.
And Trumpbots think he'd be a brilliant president (like last time?).
Lawrence O'Donnell went off on the stupid rich people in the room with the orange mass.
So the scandal with Harris is that she is detail oriented and considers the consequences of her decisions? The horror!
Accountability
"Father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect arrested, GBI says
Colin Gray, father of Colt Gray, is facing several charges, including second-degree murder
“These charges stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” Hosey said."
No Accountability
Spocko goes through the Trump Arlington incident and all the failures to hold him and his people to account.
I get that MAGAts believe in alternate facts, but they also, it seems, believe in alternate universes.
Let’s take Trump’s Arlington National assault on the law, an employee, decency, respect, and the truth.
So Cadet Bone Spurs waddles into the cemetery intent on making a campaign video and using the gravesites of dead service members as props. What’s the big deal, right? I mean, those losers are dead. What do they care? And rules are for schmoes, not the Great and powerful Donald.
Now here comes some employee talking about federal law. Fatty’s goons shove her out of the way and verbally abuse her.
An official complaint is made.
The Traitor’s campaign sez, yeah, a thing happened but it was all the fault of a mentally deranged lady who attacked poor Donald’s goons. Those poor men!
Then they say the altercation was being ramped up by demycraps who want to politicize the event. So terrible! The Donald never politicizes anything.
The media says there are rules at Arlington.
The Fatty campaign sez families give us permission.
Now however, Trump sez nothing at all happened. No altercation. No goons slapping some mentally disturbed lady around. No lady even.
Nothing. All made up.
Sean Hannity, who has to know what a pile of horseshit this latest claim is, nods his Fox bobble head and goes along with it.
Trump has learned that he can say anything, lie to our faces, because he doesn’t just have alternate facts, his MAGAts inhabit an alternate reality. An alternate universe.
Well, that cerebral discourse on childcare proves one thing for sure - his responses are not generated by AI.
Heather Cox mentioned in her post last night that the Pretender's campaign is not advancing policies so much a "worldview," albeit a strangely incoherent one. The "incoherent" part is mine, not Heather's.
But overall I'd have to agree. Everything that comes out of the Pretender's mouth and most everything he does smacks of building some kind of wall.
First, there was the one that Mexico didn't pay for and the one he's still talking about and trying to stand next to, even when he gets it wrong. Then there are the tariffs, another wall, this time against materials and goods, which he very wrongly advances as some kind of universal elixir to all possible economic problems. Then there are the succession of legal appeals he uses to protect himself from admitting responsibility or his crimes and from paying for them. Another wall.
His verbal incoherence acts as a wall of words, impossible to parse and impervious to sense . It holds sanity at bay, while his barrage of lies and name-calling protects him and his adherents from any danger they will ever have to confront reality.
That said, would it be a wild guess to assume there are a lot of relatively well off Pretender supporters who live in gated communities?
Translating childcare from Tr*mpese: "I'm going to get other countries to give us more money than we'll ever need, and I'll grow the economy so big, that you'll all have more money than you ever dreamed of. Your childcare expenses will become just a tiny part of your budget, because you'll have so much money. Believe me."
If he could form coherent thoughts and express them, that's what he was trying to convey. But, he's losing verbal capacity. Sad.
Lawrence said that the NY economic club consists of the stupidest rich people in NY. They were being addressed by the stupidest rich guy ever to be a former president, and he is now the stupidest candidate for president. Having listened to Florid Orange Floridian as he riffed, I can say that he is not only stupid, he is criminally stupid, that is, collecting money and followers and not being immediately jailed in say, Parchman. Yes, he is demented. But Lawrence made the point that the people listening gave him an ovation of clapping vigorously. I hope they were being polite, but I think maybe they are also the stupidest audience he has ever had, and you know what his rallies consist of...the stupidest of the stupidest. One third of the GOP or more is also criminally stupid, and the newspaper writers and publishers and teevee and radio commentators know this and still pander to them. Makes me nuts...hurry up, November...
Patrick,
Yeah, that would be a likely translation of Fatty’s verbal flatulence, you’ve pretty much nailed it. But even were he able to adequately transmit those points:
Childcare is necessary
Other countries screw us (somehow, not clear how)
I’ll get them to hand over trillions (with a T)
You’ll all be rolling in money
Childcare problem solved
MAGA!
There still remains the itsy-bitsy problem of how everything after “Childcare is necessary” would be achieved.
It’s just more empty promises up there with “I can stop wars with a phone call. I’m very good with telephones.”
He couldn’t manage to get one country (Mexico) to pay for his “big beautiful wall”, but now he’s going to force multiple countries to fork over trillions, without hurting our trade relationships with those nations, cuz Donald can do anything.
But it gets worse. Had Trump’s cognitive functions been up to the task (they ain’t), the corporate MSM would dutifully repeat those promises wholesale:
“Trump has plan for how other countries will pay for American childcare.”
Making America Stupider. Again.
Jeanne,
“Florid Orange Floridian”. I like it. If I can riff on your Florid Floridian alliteration for a sec…
How ‘bout
Fascistic, feculent, feeble minded, fetid, fallacious, fissiparous Florid Floridian?
Hey. Look at that. Alliteration with no F bombs. Of course, restraint is my watchword, ya know? Although, “fat fuck” is always a useful standby when offering candid observations about this bogus blowhard.
If you're old enough, you may remember that Bill Clinton had a lot of trouble appointing an attorney general. He had made a promise to Hillary to appoint a woman to the job (perhaps in exchange for Hillary's standing by her man).
What followed was Nannygate. Clinton's first candidate, Zoe Baird -- and her husband -- it turned out, had employed two undocumented immigrants, one as a nanny and one as a chauffeur. They also failed to pay the workers' Social Security. Thus, Baird had violated several federal laws, so not a great candidate to be the chief law enforcement officer in the land.
Next, Clinton was prepared to nominate Kimba Wood, but she also had hired a nanny who was an immigrant who had come to the U.S. unlawfully. Though Wood had not broken any law, her nanny problem was so similar to Baird's that she too withdrew her name from consideration. Clinton eventually hired Janet Reno, who had no children, no nannies, and evidently no other undocumented employees.
This brings me to @Patrick's translation in which he reveals to all
Trump's "child-care plan." Alas, in so doing, Patrick has highlighted a problem. I refer of course to Trump's other plan, the one we all do understand, the one where he will deport all the nannies.
P.S. No, I don't think JayDee's grandma plan will work.
"it is the decision which in this court’s view, best advances the interests of justice"
So once again Trump gets special treatment. Might as well just dismiss the case if we are not going to take these crimes seriously even after he is convicted. I also have to wonder if the judge is punting this case because he his afraid for himself and his family from the Trump terror cult. We've seen the same pattern play out again and again whenever there is a chance to hold Trump responsible for all his many criminal actions. This is the opposite of justice.
Does anyone think that were Biden or any Democrat on trial for inciting an election stealing riot, that a Trump judge (Loose Cannon, eg) would delay sentencing in order to not affect the results of an election?
Never.
This is why the traitors always win.
Akhilleus,
It wouldn't need to be a Trump judge, any judge would just follow the regular procedures and would not delay sentencing a dozen times just because a Democrat was running for office. Just look at Bob Menendez to see how this normally works and a normal time frame.
I'm just tired of being let down by so many aspects of our society and government as they bend over backwards to continually give undeserved special treatment to Trump.
Possibly in the be careful what you wish for category?
Maybe if the Pretender loses the election, it will free Judge Merchan to double the sentence....
“The prospect of damaging new information related to Trump’s effort to subvert the previous presidential election emerging in the closing days of the 2024 race adds a new, unpredictable element to the campaign’s final stretch — the definition of an October surprise.”
No. It doesn’t. All the information is out there already for anyone who cares about democracy, rule of law, and the essential idea of America to consider.
The corporate MSM won’t care. Undecided idiots won’t be swayed. The MSM won’t headline anything more than “Gee, a thing happened. But Harris and Biden would have done the same thing.”
At best, it’ll be an October Surmise.
Trump gets away with almost everything. Who thinks this will make a difference? It won’t. Proof he conspired with Russians won’t matter, proof he gobbled up millions from Egypt won’t matter, debunking of his lies—a Herculean labor, mind you—won’t matter.
And an October Surmise won’t move the needle one iota of a tenth of a percent.
I think Judge Merchan anticipated that DiJiT would appeal a decison to keep the September sentence date, within days before sentencing, and that some appeals judge(s) would grant the delay. Then the city would have spent millions in security preparations for an event that would be postpones at the last minute.
The same thing may happen in November. But, if DiJiT is not re-elected, odds of a successful appeal go down.
Or, DiJiT may have an ischemic event or arterial aneurysm. Could happen.
Yeah, it would have been great if Donald Trump, clad in an orange jumpsuit, had to give his campaign interviews over one of those jailhouse phones connecting through a staticky speaker cut into heavy unbreakable glass that divided Trump from TuKKKer Carlson of Sean Hannity.
Way down in the NYT story linked above, there's this: "Justice Merchan said that he would now rule on the immunity matter, which Mr. Trump argues should reverse his conviction, on Nov. 12, a week after the election. The new schedule will all but guarantee that Mr. Trump remains a felon when voters head to the polls."
And in that, Andrew Weissmann, speaking on MSNBC, sees an upside to Judge Merchan's decision. Weissmann, who is disgusted by the Supremes' immunity ruling, noted Merchan's ruling not only delays Trump's sentencing, but also delays the Supremes' getting hold of a Trump appeal. As the Times story says, Merchan has guaranteed Trump will still be a felon up through Election Day. Merchan's delay means the Supremes can't reverse Merchan (since he won't rule till November 12) and throw out the case against Trump before the election.
Merchan may be playing chess here.
I may have been a bit too hard on Judge Merchan. I listened to some lawyers on MSNBC saying that the DA refusing to participate in the Trump sentencing hearing forced the judge's hand. Since they took no stance they were basically siding with Trump's lawyers. And without any opposition it was harder for the judge to deny the request. But the DA absolutely should have been fighting to finish thus case. Giving gifts to Trump is political. Not fighting to put a convicted felon who behaved abominably during his trial in jail is a political gift to Trump.
A sentencing would probably have received some media coverage, but now that it is delayed until after the election the press will continue to ignore the 34 Felony Convictions. And if he had been sentenced and the Supremes stepped in it would also have been newsworthy. And it may have reminded some of the low info voters how dangerous a Trump administration would be particularly in combination with this corrupt Supreme Court.
"Everywhere you look, signs are mounting of a tinderbox election that will test the outer bounds — and breaking points — of American democracy, honesty and civility.
........A perfect storm has been brewing for years now — fueled by extreme polarization, election denial, political violence, historic prosecutions and rampant disinformation. Mayhem is bound to rain down in November." Axios.com September 8, 2024
Reading the above observation and similar ones from respected commentators upon current events gives me the Willies. Being well into my eighties and an unreconstructed, unapologetic mid-Twentieth Century man, I have, to put it mildly, seen and done a lot. Looking back from my own approaching horizon and confronting the disquieting prospect of the Great American Public about to make yet another quadrennial national political presidential choice, two questions occur to me:
"What the hell is going on?
"Why is this happening"
The answer to the first one is obvious to anyone who happens to be alive and sentient.
The answer to the second one involves the effects of rapid technological advances, especially since the year 2000, that have broadened and deepened human capabilities faster than people can individually and collectively assimilate them, evaluate their true utility and learn how to control the negative and harmful effects that accompany them.
Consequently, these advances have precipitated profound and often disturbing social and cultural changes. It's not news that a large fraction of the American public have lost interest in the value of civil discourse, have become blissfully unaware of the difference between reality and fiction, and have largely abandoned the practice of analytical thinking, a necessary element of sound personal decision making. These useful sensibilities have been unavoidably altered by simple human evolution, but hey have also been diluted, or washed away entirely by the ever accelerating fifty year tsunami of universal social training through the emulation of inane and violent television programs and video games, learning to avoid thinking by over-indulgence in distractive and addictive "smart" phones and now being enticed, and captured by the commercially generated demand for a false intellectual panacea misleadingly referred to as "Artificial Intelligence (AI)".
Oddly, with all of the capability to be electronically "in touch" with other people, information and ideas, we have lost touch with ourselves in favor of synthetic life experiences.
Of course, a real form of "AI" exists in contemporary life. The multiple generations of recent decades have become chock full of a vast accumulation of actual artificial intelligence commonly known as "popular culture". One might collectively refer to this bunch as "Generation M," The Meretricious Generation.
Contemplating Generation M about to vote, a third question comes to mind:
"What could possibly go wrong?"
The answer is:
"Everything."