The Ledes

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Washington Post: “Valérie André, a French military officer, brain surgeon and licensed pilot who was believed to be the first woman to fly helicopter rescue missions in combat zones — during the French-Indochina war of the early 1950s — and who two decades later became the first woman to reach the rank of general in the French armed forces, died Jan. 21 in Paris. She was 102.”

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Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

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OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

New York Times: “The president of MSNBC, Rashida Jones, is stepping down from that position, the company said on Tuesday, a major change at the news network just days before ... Donald J. Trump takes office. Rebecca Kutler, senior vice president for content strategy at MSNBC, will succeed Ms. Jones as interim president, effective immediately. Ms. Jones will stay on in an advisory role through March.... MSNBC is among a bundle of cable channels that its parent company, Comcast, is planning to spin out later this year into a new company.” ~~~

~~~ MSNBC: “On Monday, Jan. 20, MSNBC will present wall-to-wall coverage of the inauguration of ... Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance and will kick off special programming for the first 100 days of the new Trump administration.... On the heels of her field reporting during the last 100 days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Alex Wagner will travel the country to follow the biggest stories as they develop in real-time during Trump’s first 100 days in office, reporting on the impact of his early promises and policies on the electorate for 'Trumpland: The First 100 Days.'... During the first 100 days, Rachel Maddow will bring her signature voice and distinct perspective to the anchor desk every weeknight at 9 p.m. ET, offering viewers in-depth analysis of the key issues facing the country at the outset of Trump’s second term. After April 30, 'The Rachel Maddow Show' will return to its regular schedule of Mondays at 9 p.m. ET and Wagner will return to anchoring 'Alex Wagner Tonight' Tuesday through Friday.”

New York Times: "Neil Cavuto, a business journalist who hosted a weekday afternoon program on the Fox News Channel since the network began in 1996, signed off for the final time on Thursday[, December 19]. Mr. Cavuto could be an outlier on Fox News, often criticizing President Trump and his policies, and crediting the Covid-19 vaccination with saving his life."

Have Cello, May Not Travel. New York Times: “Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a rising star in classical music who performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 and has since become a regular on many of the world’s most prestigious concert stages, was forced to cancel a concert in Toronto last week because Air Canada refused to allow him to board a plane with his cello, even though he had purchased a separate ticket for it.... 'Air Canada has a comprehensive policy of accepting cellos in the cabin when a separate seat is booked for it,' it said in a statement. 'In this case, the customers made a last-minute booking due to their original flight on another airline being canceled.' The airline’s policy for carry-on instruments, outlined on its website, specifies that travelers must purchase a seat for their instruments at least 48 hours before departure.”

Here are photos of the White House Christmas decorations, via the White House. Also a link to last year's decorations. Sorry, no halls of blood-red fake trees.

Yes, You May Be a Neanderthal. Me Too! Washington Post: “A pair of new studies sheds light on a pivotal but mysterious chapter of the human origin story, revealing that modern humans and Neanderthals had babies together for an extended period, peaking 47,000 years ago — leaving genetic fingerprints in modern-day people.... [According to the report in Science,] Neanderthals and humans interbred for 7,000 years starting about 50,500 years ago.... Modern humans, Homo sapiens, originated in Africa about 300,000 years ago. Somewhere around 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, a key group left the continent and encountered Neanderthals, a hominin relative that was established across western Eurasia but went extinct about 39,000 years ago.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Maybe you parents were upset when you told them you planned to marry someone of a different race or religion. But, hey, think how distressed they would have been if you'd told them you were hooking up with a person of a different species!

There's No Money in Bananas. New York Times: “A week after a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur bought an artwork composed of a fresh banana stuck to a wall with duct tape for $6.2 million at auction, the man, Justin Sun, announced a grand gesture on X. He said he planned on purchasing 100,000 bananas — or $25,000 worth of the produce — from the Manhattan stand where the original fruit was sold for 25 cents. But at the fruit stand at East 72nd Street and York Avenue, outside the doors of the Sotheby’s auction house where the conceptual artwork was sold, the offer landed with a thud against the realities of the life of a New York City street vendor. [Even if it were practicable to buy that many bananas at once,] the net profit ... would be about $6,000. 'There’s not any profit in selling bananas,' [the vendor Shah] Alam said.”

Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post on what's to become of MSNBC: “In the days that followed [the November election], MSNBC began seeing a significant decline in viewership (as has CNN), as left-leaning viewers opted to turn off the channel rather than watch the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory. One of the network’s most valuable franchises, 'Morning Joe,' faced backlash after hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski revealed Nov. 18 that they had traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in an effort to 'restart communications.'... Questions about the future of the network picked up considerably Nov. 20, when parent company Comcast announced that it would spin off MSNBC and some of its other cable channels into a separate company.... The fear inside the building is about whether the move could portend a less ambitious future for MSNBC — with a smaller, lower-compensated staff and a lot less journalism, considering the network will be separated from the NBC News operation that contributes much of the reporting.”

The Washington Post introduces us to Lucy, the small, hominid ancestor of humans who lived 3.2 million years ago. American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson discovered her skeleton in Ethiopia exactly 50 years ago, beginning on November 24, 1974. Eventually, about 40 percent of Lucy's skeleton was recovered.

New York Times: “Chris Wallace, a veteran TV anchor who left Fox News for CNN three years ago, announced on Monday that he was leaving his post to venture into the streaming or podcasting worlds.... He said his decision to leave CNN at the end of his three-year contract did not come from discontent. 'I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN was very good to me,' he said.”

New York Times: In a collection of memorabilia filed at New York City's Morgan Library, curator Robinson McClellan discovered the manuscript of a previously unknown waltz by Frédéric Chopin. Jeffrey Kallberg, a Chopin scholar at the University of Pennsylvania as well as other experts authenticated the manuscript. Includes video of Lang Lang performing the short waltz. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The Times article goes into some of Chopin's life in Paris at the time he wrote the waltz, but it doesn't mention that he helped make ends meet by giving piano lessons. I know this because my great grandmother was one of his students. If her musical talent were anything like mine, those particular lessons would have been painful hours for Chopin.

New York Times: “Improbably, [the political/celebrity magazine] George[, originally a project by John F. Kennedy, Jr.] is back, with the same logo and the same catchy slogan: 'Not just politics as usual.' This time, though, a QAnon conspiracy theorist and passionate Trump fan is its editor in chief.... It is a reanimation story bizarre enough for a zombie movie, made possible by the fact that the original George trademark lapsed, only to be secured by a little-known conservative lawyer named Thomas D. Foster.”

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

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Nevada

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Ed Vogel of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, December 6: "Harry Reid won re-election because he got of a lot of Republican votes.

** NBC News projects that Nevada Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will win re-election. Las Vegas Sun story here.

NBC News projects that Nevada Republican Brian Sandoval defeated Harry Reid's son Rory Reid for the governorship. Las Vegas Sun story here.

Screenshot from Angle's "Amnesty Game" page.More last-minute hilarity from Amanda Terkel of the Huffington Post: "Toymaker Hasbro has sent Sharron Angle's Senate campaign a cease and desist letter, saying the Nevada Republican never received permission to use the rights to Monopoly for its "Harry Reid Amnesty Game" website." As of 10:45 am., the Angle site was still up.

AP: "Republicans outperformed Democrats getting to the polls in Nevada, a promising sign for Republican tea party favorite Sharron Angle in her dead-heat race with Majority Leader Harry Reid, figures showed Monday. Final tallies for two weeks of in-person voting and a preliminary count of mail-in ballots for the state's two most populous counties, Clark and Washoe, gave Democrats about a 9,000-voter edge. The slim margin stands out because Democrats hold a 60,000-voter edge in statewide registration."

Las Vegas Sun, November 1: "First Lady Michelle Obama, in North Las Vegas today to stump for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, appealed to people's parental and civic responsibility in urging them to vote Democratic...."

Greg Sargent: "Has any campaign ever been quite this direct in claiming that their opponent is, well, a complete whack-job? The Reid team has completely emptied the thesaurus":

Jon Ralston tweets, "Another run-in w/evil, lamestream media by Angle at airport in Vegas after northern/rural tour. Team Angle says TVs banned from events now."

Sam Stein: Sharron Angle says she'll talk to the press, but only after she's elected. With audio.

Las Vegas Sun: "A lawyer for the Nevada Republican Party has demanded Secretary of State Ross Miller investigate and resolve multiple issues the party is raising about early voting."

Harry Reid intends to steal this election if he can't win it outright. -- Cleta Mitchell, attorney for Sharron Angle

Las Vegas Sun: "A national advocacy organization for immigrants is launching a Spanish-language media blitz in Nevada today in an attempt to use a recent stream of anti-illegal immigration ads from Sharron Angle’s campaign as a reason for Hispanics to vote.... The sixty-second spots – 154 of them – will air on Spanish-language radio from now until Election Day...." ...

... Sharron Angle's latest fearmongering, racist ad:

... Michael Scherer of Time comments: "Sadly, Sharron Angle's latest ad ... joins a long tradition of down-to-the-wire political advertising that cynically exploits racial fears to win elections.... Perhaps the best antecedent for the Angle spot is the 1988 Willie Horton spot.... The Republican Party is stuck with having to explain spots like hers to Hispanic Americans, who are the fastest growing voting demographic in the country and the likely key to winning presidential swing states for decades to come."

Shailagh Murray of the Washington Post: "Gritty and stoic, [Majority Leader Harry] Reid embodies Nevada's paradoxical relationship with the federal government, a can't-live-with-him, can't-live without-him dilemma that has turned his quest for a fifth Senate term into the fight of his long career. Win or lose, most of Reid's elections have been decided by whisker-thin margins and his battle against tea party star Sharron Angle figures to be another. But the dynamics of this one are different. Never before has Nevada been so tired of Reid - and yet so dependent on him."

Sam Stein, October 25: "Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle used a decoy to dodge members of the press at an event on Monday, a reporter on the scene tells the Huffington Post."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talks to Ed Schultz & pulls no punches against his opponent Sharon Angle:

Here's a good report from Nevada's Channel 8 on Sharron Angle's telling Hispanic high school students, "Some of you look more Asian to me":

... Susan Saulny of the New York Times takes a broader look at how race issues are playing out in 2010 campaigns.

Nicholas Lemann has a good, in-depth article in The New Yorker on Harry Reid & this year's Nevada Senatorial race.

Karoun Demirjian of the Las Vegas Sun recaps the debate/smackdown between Harry Reid & Sharron Angle. CW: rhymes with "witch." You can watch it on C-SPAN. Here's Angle telling Reid to "man up."

Adam Nagourney & Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times on the Nevada Senate race. Here's a factoid: "records analyzed by CQ Moneyline show that 80 percent of the money donated to both campaigns has come from outside of Nevada, a near mirror image of the other major Senate races."

KTVN (Reno), October 11: Ana Padilla, who is now a U.S. citizen, claims she worked for Nevada's Republican gubernatorial nominee Brian Sandoval while she was in the country illegally & the Sandovals never asked her for documentation. She says she is coming forward now because of Sandoval's opposition to amnesty for undocumented aliens. Sandoval denies that Padilla worked for his family & blames his Democratic opponent Rory Reid for manufacturing the story.

Las Vegas Sun, October 10: Super-PACS are pouring money into Nevada.

AP, October 10: "In a dramatic shift, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle says she won't privatize Veterans Affairs, dismantle Social Security or dismiss unemployment benefits as welfare." ...

... Angle Publicly Calls Reid a "Whore." Las Vegas Sun: "Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle on Saturday bashed 'favor-buying whore' politicians, seemingly oblivious to the hypocrisy of her remarks given that she offered her own political 'juice' as leverage in trying to persuade a third-party candidate to drop out of the race. While talking about the health care reform bill that Congress passed this year, Angle said: 'We don’t need some kind of favor-buying whore ... Harry Reid isn’t just another vote. He pushed it, he promoted it, he made the deals.'”

Stupid Candidate Tricks. Jeff Simon of CNN: "Nevada GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle told a crowd of Tea Party rally-goers last week that two cities — Dearborn, Michigan and Frankford, Texas — are under Sharia law, the sacred law of Islam.... Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly told the Associated Press that Angle’s comments were 'shameful' and 'totally irresponsible.'" Another problem? "Well, Frankford, Texas doesn’t really exist."

Brent Budowsky of The Hill, October 8: "Bill Raggio, the minority leader in the Nevada state Senate and a leading Silver State Republican, added a major new dimension to the U.S. Senate race there by blasting Sharron Angle for being radical and extreme, and endorsing Sen. Harry Reid (D) for reelection.... Raggio has never before endorsed a Democratic candidate in a major race. His political viewpoint is Republican-conservative."

CW: I don't do polls, BUT ... from Rasmussen: "Republican challenger Sharron Angle has now moved to a four-point lead over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada’s bare-knuckles U.S. Senate race." In November 2008, I really thought we had moved out of a country that could ever again elect an insane, lying right-wing extremist to Congress. We have not.

AP: "U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle told a crowd of supporters that the country needs to address a "militant terrorist situation" that has allowed Islamic religious law to take hold in some American cities."

The Party of Racists. Andrea Nill of Think Progress: Republicans Sharron Angle & David Vitter use the same photo of menacing-looking young Hispanic men in their scary video ads. In Angle's ad she seems to be attacking Harry Reid for his support of the DREAM bill which would offer a path to citizenship for young people who served in the military or went to college (the ad copy is so misleading, tho it's hard to tell what she's talking about). Igor Volsky of Think Progress posts the ad pictures ...

     ... then writes that beneficiaries of the DREAM legislation would look more like this:

     ... "Angle's 'Willie Horton' Ad. Adam Serwer, writing in the Washington Post, elaborates.

New York Times, October 5: Syd James, "the head of the Nevada Tea Party, resigned Tuesday after its candidate for Senate leaked a recording of Sharron Angle – the Republican running to replace Senator Harry Reid, the leader of the Democratic majority — in which she complained about Republican leaders and confessed that she does not know if she can win." James set up the meeting between Angle her Tea Party rival Scott Ashjian.

New York Times: "The largest union of registered nurses in the country will begin a $200,000 advertising campaign on Monday aimed at defeating Sharron Angle, the Republican challenger to Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader.... The advertising campaign is the largest ever expenditure on a political race by the union, National Nurses United, officials said."  Here are the ads:

The Republicans have lost their standards, they’ve lost their principles.... Really that’s why the machine in the Republican Party is fighting against me.... They have never really gone along with lower taxes and less government. -- Sharron Angle, in a closed-door meeting with a tea party opponent

Scoop! Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun (October 3) obtained a tape of a meeting among Sharron Angle, her Tea Party of Nevada opponent Scott Ashjian, & their minions. Pretty raw stuff. Includes audio of the meeting. ...

     ... Update from Shira Toeplitz of Politico: "Nevada Tea Party candidate Scott Ashjian admitted Sunday that he secretly recorded a conversation with Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle, at a meeting in which she asks him to get out of the race, and that he leaked the tape to a journalist." The recording, according to a Harvard Law professor, was illegal.

     ... Update: or maybe Ashjian isn't a teabagger at all. Here's an  the Tea Party Express produced:

     ... AND Christiana Bellantoni of Talking Points Memo adds, "Cleta Mitchell, a top Republican lawyer representing Sharron Angle's Senate bid in Nevada, told TPM ... that the meeting [with Ashjian] ... was 'a setup.'"

Las Vegas Review Journal: "Supporters of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and his GOP challenger Sharron Angle brawled at the end of a Senate race forum at a local Christian school."

Sharron Angle sided with the abuser:

Jon Ralston in the Las Vegas Sun, September 12: "... former Senate hopeful, Danny Tarkanian, said he disagreed with those who suggest a civil uprising might be necessary -- a reference to Sharron Angle's quote in January on another conservative talker's program." Notice that his right-right radio host Mike Wiley thinks revolution is cool: when Tarkanian says, "I’m not going to take the position that we need a civil uprising to overthrow our government," Wiley butts in & counters, "The Declaration of Independence gives us that right." [Here one presumes he means the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution, but, hey, why quibble?] Tarkanian says it doesn't.

What Works in Las Vegas May Only Work in Las Vegas. Adam Sorensen of Time on why Harry Reid's negative campaign against Sharron Angle may not work for other Democratic candidates.

Greg Sargent: "In an interview with a conservative talk show host yesterday, Sharron Angle was given two clear chances to disavow the claim that there are 'domestic enemies' within Congress, an assertion she previously expressed unequivocal agreement with. Both times, Angle refused."

Black Is the Color of the Devil. Jonathan Chait of The New Republic: "Sharron Angle ... is not merely a candidate with extremely radical views, like Rand Paul, she inhabits an ideological grey area where radicalism starts to become indistinguishable with actual mental illness." ...

     ... Chait cites this post by Bill Roberts of the Pahrump Valley News (great name!), who recount a 20-year-old episode in which, on religious grounds, Angle opposed a high school coach's decision to change the football team's jerseys to black; Angle's group associated black with the devil & the supernatural.

Adam Nagourney of the New York Times interviews! Sharron Angle & assesses her campaign & her prospects of winning the Senate race.

Keach Hagey of Politico profiles Nevada journalist & "one-man media franchise" Jon Ralston, who is far & away the most influential political reporter & pundit in Nevada.

Chris Matthews, Eric Boehlert of Media Matters & Ryan Grim of the HuffPost elaborate on Sharron Angle's relationship with the press:

 

Angle Gaffe #98. In a vid that deserves to become a classic, Sharron Angle explains to Fox "News"' Carl Cameron that the media should report the news the way she wants them to. She explains that she wants to take only pre-approved questions & be able to use the media to tout her campaign donations site:

Angle Gaffe #97. Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun: Sharron Angle says the DISCLOSE bill, which the Senate failed to even bring to a vote, is settled law.

Roll the Video Tape. Steve Benen: I've never said I want to eliminate, I always said I want to save Social Security by paying back. -- Sharron Angle, July 24, 2010....

     ... Sharron Angle, way back in June 2010. Who could remember?

Anjeanette Damon of the Las Vegas Sun: Nevada tea party groups do their own thing, not always to their advantage.

Las Vegas Sun: "After more than a month dodging the press, Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle on Wednesday invited reporters to an event intended to amplify her campaign message.... Angle delivered a three-minute speech on her desire to permanently repeal the estate tax. When invited by the final speaker to stay and answer a few questions, she turned on her heel and rushed out a back door with a small cadre of staff members. Reporters, including one who is six months pregnant, chased after her, calling out questions...."

... Angle refuses to answer media questions ... at her own "press conference":

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. The Reid campaign cuts a new ad:

"The only job Sharron Angle wants to fight for is hers":

Sam Stein has more on Sharron Angle's theory of "God's plan" for rape victims -- women should use their pregnancies to improve their situations. Or something about "making lemonade from lemons."

Greg Sargent, July 8: "During a radio appearance [Sharron Angle] labeled the $20 billion BP escrow fund secured by the White House as a 'slush fund.' Angle also seemed to agree with a caller who flatly described the fund as extortion, and added: 'Government shouldn't be doing that to a private company.' For good measure, she said Dems are exploiting the crisis to push energy reform and are following 'Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.'" ...

     ... Update: Angle tries to walk back the "slush fund" remark. ...

     ... The Gift that Keeps on Giving. Alex Altman of Time comments on Angle's latest gaffe.

Greg Sargent, July 7: Sharron Angle says she will "pursue" her claim that Harry Reid's campaign is misusing (or something) her "intellectual property." Sargent sees Angle's strategy, whatever it is, as a really bad idea. CW: besides, Reid could win the case by merely demonstrating that Angle & "intellectual" were mutually exclusive concepts. ...

... Las Vegas Sun, July 6: "Nevada Democrats today re-launched their version of GOP senate candidate Sharron Angle’s old campaign website. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s campaign yanked the website over the weekend after Angle’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter, claiming Reid abused 'proprietary materials' from Angle’s old site. This afternoon, however, the Nevada Democratic Party put the site back up, claiming protection under the First Amendment." Reid's "The Real Sharron Angle" page is here.

Jon Ralston: during my interview of her, a new, fake Sharron Angle emerged, one who parrots scripted, more moderate talking points on some issues in which she has been "out there."

Angle Speaks! to Jon Ralston:


     ... Here's a related Las Vegas Sun story.

Think Progress: in a January 25 radio interview, Sharron Angle said that abortions for victims of rape & incest would interfere with "God's plan." CW: because one of the mysterious ways god works is through rape & incest?

Brian Stelter of the New York Times: Nevada reporters are playing a game of "Where's Sharron?" ...

... BUT Sharron Angle will talk to political reporter Jon Ralston this afternoon, June 29.

Jay Newton-Small of Time on why Harry Reid's chances are improving -- Sharron Angle.

"This Is Crazy." Harry Reid is up with a new hard-hitting spot against Sharron Angle:

Dave Weigel of the Washington Post: Sharron Angle's campaign denies a staffer called a reporter an "unprintable." CW: I wish the MSM would at least let us fill in the blanks on these "unprintable" epithets. Was it "fuckhead" or "my good man"? The backstory, in which Weigel is even less specific, is interesting: Angle refuses to endorse her own stated positions.

Matt Yglesias: according to Sharron Angle, Scientology is natural homepathic medicine.

The Las Vegas Sun has a big ol' feature on Sharron Angle's Second Amendment Solution to fixing the federal government. 

Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun says Harry Reid's attack ad on Sharron Angle "rings true."


The Reid operation is gearing up to paint Angle as, well, a nutjob, as a cross between Rand Paul and Orly Taitz. There doesn't appear to be a shortage of material. -- Greg Sargent

Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: Sharron "Angle said in a recent interview that the Gulf spill was an 'accident' and opined that we need to further 'deregulate' the oil industry in the wake of the disaster."

Washington Post: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said "reporters would have 'complete access' to Sharron Angle... 'in a few weeks,' but not now." Cornyn said Angle "needed to get 'prepared.'"

AP: "Nevada Senate nominee Sharron Angle, a tea party favorite who describes herself as a conservative's conservative, left the Republican Party at the height of the Reagan revolution and became a Democrat for at least several years, government records show."

Talking Points Memo: "The peculiar ideology of Sharron Angle, the Republican nominee challenging Sen. Harry Reid in Nevada, is perhaps no better illustrated than by her embrace of the patriot group Oath Keepers, whose membership of uniformed soldiers and police take an oath to refuse orders they see as unconstitutional -- including enforcement of gun laws, violations of states' sovereignty, and 'any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.'"

First, Kill Harry Reid. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: in an interview she gave earlier this year, Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle advocated armed insurrection against the federal government. The Las Vegas Review-Journal also carried the story.

You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years. I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out. -- Sharron Angle

Odd Couple. Alex Pareene of Salon: John Ensign takes Sharron Angle to lunch, forgets to tell other Republicans he invited her to join them. Pareene has fun with this one. ...

... AND, as Ryan Grim reports, so is Nevada's Democratic party, who have prepared a little introductory speech for Ensign to deliver. It covers all of Ensign's AND Angle's good points.

Fox & Friends "interview" Sharron Angle, Harry Reid's nutty opponent, so they can all lie about Angle's nutty views. Jon Ralston, the Sun's political reporter & columnist, for one was not amused. Think Progress has video of the "interview."

Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Former President Bill Clinton said Thursday that Nevadans are right to be angry about record high unemployment and home foreclosures, but he said voters shouldn't punish U.S. Sen. Harry Reid because Republicans -- not Democrats -- caused the economic crisis."

Read It & Weep. Talking Points Memo: "The new Rasmussen poll of the Nevada Senate race shows Republican nominee Sharron Angle leading Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in the wake of her big win in Tuesday's primary. The numbers: Angle 50%, Reid 39%."

Dana Milbank: "Only weeks ago, [Harry Reid] the Senate majority leader was...facing a seemingly inevitable defeat in his reelection battle in Nevada. But then came Tuesday's primary, and Republicans selected as their candidate Sharron Angle, a woman who, among other things, favors bringing more nuclear waste to Nevada, floated the idea of outlawing alcohol, and wants to abolish the Education Department, the Energy Department, the EPA, the United Nations and most of the IRS. She's not so keen on Social Security, Medicare or unemployment insurance, either." ...

... Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times profiles Sharron Angle.

Las Vegas Sun: Jim Gibbons becomes the first governor in Nevada's history to lose a primary race.

Las Vegas Sun: "...Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid got the race he wanted. Sharron Angle, a former Reno assemblywoman and Tea Party favorite, emerged from Tuesday’s Republican primary..., but carrying political baggage that experts say gives the embattled Reid a new lease on political life."

"A...tea party-backed contender..., Sharron Angle, led a crowded field for the right to challenge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada in the fall."

AP: Gov. Jim Gibbons lost "to Brian Sandoval, a former federal judge.... Rory Reid, Harry Reid's son, won the Democratic nomination."

John Bresnahan & Manu Raju of Politico: Harry Reid is "angling" to pick his Republican foe: Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle. "On her website — full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors — Angle" says

She wants to privatize Social Security; cut federal spending by hundreds of billions of dollars; build nuclear power plants inside Yucca Mountain; abolish the federal income tax and institute a 'simpler, fairer, flatter tax system'; 'defund Obamacare'; pull the United States out of the United Nations; ban nearly all abortions; get rid of the Energy and Education departments as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and remove all campaign finance restrictions, requiring instead immediate reporting of donations.