The Commentariat -- March 27, 2016

Presidential Race

Primary Results -- Democrats

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders handily defeated Hillary Clinton on Saturday in the Washington State and Alaska caucuses, infusing his underdog campaign with critical momentum and bolstering his argument that the race for the Democratic nomination is not a foregone conclusion. Mr. Sanders found a welcome tableau in the largely white and liberal electorates of the Pacific Northwest...." ...

... Lisa Lerer of the AP: "Bernie Sanders has scored three wins in Western caucus contests, giving a powerful psychological boost to his supporters but doing little to move him closer to securing the Democratic nomination. While results in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii barely dented Hillary Clinton's significant delegate lead, Sanders' wins underscored her persistent vulnerabilities within her own party, particularly with young voters and liberal activists who have been inspired by her rival's unapologetically liberal message."

Alaska. With 100 percent reporting, Sanders won with 82 percent of the caucus vote. Clinton received 18 percent.

Hawaii. With 88 percent reporting, the AP has called the race for Sanders, who so far has 71 percent of the caucus vote. Clinton has 29 percent. With 100 percent counted, the totals are Sanders 70, Clinton 30.

Washington State. With 100 percent reporting, Sanders won with 73 percent of the caucus vote. Clinton received 27 percent.

David Sanger & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times interviewed Donald Trump for 100 minutes about foreign policy issues. They attempt to synthensize Trump's views: "In Donald Trump's worldview, America comes first and everybody else pays.... Mr. Trump explained his thoughts in concrete and easily digestible terms, but they appeared to reflect little consideration for potential consequences around the globe. Much the same way he treats political rivals and interviewers, he personalized how he would engage foreign nations, suggesting his approach would depend partly on 'how friendly they've been toward us,' not just on national interests or alliances." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... The reporters provide a summary, or "highlights," of the interview here. The full, edited transcript is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)...

... CW: Trump has found a clever way to avoid answering questions about international policy where he has no idea whatsoever: "I wouldn't want to say. I wouldn't want them to know what my real thinking is." Well, it beats, "And when they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan I'm going to say, you know, I don't know. Do you know?" Trump is on his way to winning the nomination, & who knows where Herman Cain is now? Don't tell me Republican voters aren't discerning. BTW, if you think Trump speaks like a 7th-grader because he is aware that's the best way to reach the great unwashed to whom he appeals, forget that. He uses just about the same level of language & lack of nuance when speaking to David Sanger, a highly-knowledgeable international policy reporter. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Devil in a Blue Suit. Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "On Saturday night, just as every year on the day before Easter, Mexicans gathered on street-corners and church squares to celebrate the holy week and set fire to their Judases, a popular ritual in this heavily Catholic country. Those demons are typically forked-tongue devils and flaming dragons, and often, like this ear, reviled politicians.... [This year], that would be Donald J. Trump. (J for Judas?)... All this Judas burning is a symbolic way to destroy evil, a night of catharsis by way of pyrotechnics. The ceremonies take place across Mexico, a symbolic way to destroy evil before Easter." ...

... Jessie Hellmann of the Hill: Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta "says GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are 'irresponsible,' 'dangerous' and a risk to national security.... Panetta, who has endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, went after the GOP candidates after remarks they made in the wake of the Brussels terrorist attacks this week. 'Both Trump and Cruz's approaches are the kind of shoot-from-the-hip slogans that demonstrate what I fear is stunning lack of knowledge about national security and fundamental values,' Panetta said during a conference call with reporters Friday, according to ABC News."

Other News & Views

Breakthrough! GOP Senators Tentatively Agree to Do a Teeny Part of Their Jobs. Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed: "Senate Republicans and the White House are signaling a tentative point of agreement on a key part of President Obama's Supreme Court nomination process: the nominee questionnaire.... Traditionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee sends a personalized questionnaire for Supreme Court nominees to the White House. This time, the White House has not received one from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democratic member of the committee. Nonetheless, on Friday evening, Grassley's spokesperson, Beth Levine, told BuzzFeed News that the Republicans 'assume the administration will fill out the standard questionnaire submitted for judicial nominations.'" CW: Yes, we'll all excited that the Senate may allow the White House to fill out a form.

Nabih Bulos, et al., of the Los Angeles Times, in the Chicago Tribune: "Syrian militias armed by different parts of the U.S. war machine have begun to fight each other on the plains between the besieged city of Aleppo and the Turkish border, highlighting how little control U.S. intelligence officers and military planners have over the groups they have financed and trained in the bitter 5-year-old civil war. The fighting has intensified over the past two months, as CIA-armed units and Pentagon-armed ones have repeatedly shot at each other as they have maneuvered through contested territory on the northern outskirts of Aleppo, U.S. officials and rebel leaders have confirmed." CW: What we need right now is for President Cruz to get in there & carpet-bomb them all. Sorry, innocent bystanders. You see, there are easy answers.

Stephanie Goodman of the New York Times: "Facing a storm of criticism over its plan to show a documentary about the widely debunked link between vaccines and autism, the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday pulled the film from its schedule next month. In a statement, Robert De Niro, a founder of the festival, wrote: 'My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for.' The film, 'Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe,' was directed and co-written by Andrew Wakefield, the author of a study that was published in the British medical journal The Lancet and then retracted in 2010. Mr. Wakefield's medical license was also revoked over his failure to disclose financial conflicts of interest and ethics violations."

Beyond the Beltway

John Myers & Liam Dillon of the Los Angeles Times: California "Lawmakers and labor unions have struck a tentative deal to raise the statewide minimum wage to $10.50 an hour next year and then gradually to $15, averting a costly political campaign this fall and possibly putting California at the forefront of a national movement. The deal was confirmed Saturday afternoon by sources close to the negotiations who would speak only on condition of anonymity until Gov. Jerry Brown makes a formal announcement as early as Monday."

Ian Lovett of the New York Times: "When the University of California's Board of Regents unanimously adopted a statement condemning anti-Semitism on its campuses, it became the first public university system to do so since the push for economic boycotts of Israel emerged on campuses across the nation. But the measure -- an attempt to combat hostility toward Jewish students amid this growing opposition to Israel -- softened a proposed flat-out condemnation of anti-Zionism, or opposition to the creation of a Jewish state."

Sarah Posner in the Washington Post: "The South Carolina Senate on Thursday passed a controversial bill targeting refugees in the state, prompting concern that it may portend a wave of anti-refugee legislation around the country, particularly in the tense climate following the terrorist attacks in Brussels. The bill, if passed by the South Carolina House and signed into law by Gov. Nikki Haley, would require refugees' sponsors to register them in a database maintained by the state's Department of Social Services. It would also impose strict liability on a refugee's sponsor if the refugee, at some point in the future, commits a terrorist or criminal act." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

     ... CW: I'd like to be a confederate so I could sit up nights thinking up draconian, repressive bills to punish minorities & women. Still, I'm not sure my best efforts could have dreamed up this one, which aims not to punish any miscreant refuges but the likely kindhearted people who took them in. Of course the idea of the legislation is to intimidate the kindhearted to the point that they fear helping others. Welcome to Right Wing World. Next stop, Trumpsylvania.

Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow -- But Cops. Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post: Four New York City plainclothes policemen cuffed & placed in an unmarked car Glen Grays, a black USPS worker. They left his postal truck unattended. Cellphone "footage was released this week by Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, who said Grays had been 'carrying out his normal duties' as a mail carrier when he got out of his truck and 'a vehicle passed by him, almost striking him. He made comments to the vehicle, as any New Yorker would,' Adams said at a news conference Wednesday. 'The occupants of the vehicle [-- the plainclothesmen --] stopped, backed up when he was crossing the street delivering the package.'... Grays, who said he was issued a summons for disorderly conduct, is engaged to a New York police officer.... Adams ... said that after the police vehicle drove away, it rear-ended another car and that Grays, who wasn't placed in a seatbelt, was injured in the crash." CW: New York's finest are there to protect & serve, people. If, in the course of a half-hour one of them happens to nearly kill a pedestrian, then rear-end a vehicle, well, you know, driving in NYC is a bitch.

Florida's Pro-Cancer Law. New York: "Florida is the latest state to effectively defund Planned Parenthood and enact stricter regulations on abortion providers. Florida had already cut off any state funding for actual abortions, so this law went after preventive care provided by abortion-performing organizations. Essentially this means women who need things like cancer screenings, pap smears, and birth control, cannot seek it from providers like Planned Parenthood, which says it serves 67,000 women in Florida each year. During discussion of the bill in the state senate, the law's proponents provided a list of alternative places Florida women could seek providers, most of which turned out to be medical professionals, like dentists, who had no particular expertise with women's health." CW: Need a pelvic exam, dear? Ask the dentist. ...

... Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Yes, it's a war on women."

CW: Unless you're a rich, white, straight, Christian guy, the only parts of the country where the government might be on your side are on the coasts, West & Northeast. Even there, you'd better watch out. Ask Glen Grays about that.

Way Beyond

NEW. Griff Witte, et al., of the Washington Post: "The investigation into last week's deadly attacks in Brussels extended farther across Europe on Sunday after Italian police arrested a new suspect thought to have helped Islamic State militants slip into Western Europe unnoticed. Italian police said late Saturday that they had arrested an Algerian man suspected of providing several Islamic State supporters with false identification documents, allowing them to evade authorities as they plotted attacks in Belgium and France."

NEW. Tim Arango of the New York Times: "The indictment of a prominent Turkish businessman unsealed last week has made an unlikely hero of a man most Turks had never heard of: Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, who brought the charges against the tycoon, Reza Zarrab. In recent days, as news of Mr. Zarrab's arrest circulated [in Turkey], Mr. Bharara became a social media sensation among Turks who have increasingly lost confidence in the independence of their country's institutions, particularly the judiciary, after a Tuesday morning post on Twitter: 'Reza Zarrab to soon face American justice in a Manhattan courtroom.'... Mr. Zarrab, a flamboyant gold trader who is married to a Turkish pop star, was once a constant in the gossip pages of [Istanbul]'s newspapers. He became a household name in Turkey in late 2013 when a corruption inquiry became public with dawn police raids against Mr. Zarrab, several other businessmen and the sons of three cabinet ministers."

Albert Aji of the AP: "Government forces backed by Russian airstrikes drove Islamic State fighters from Palmyra on Sunday, state media and an opposition monitoring group said, ending the group's reign of terror over a town whose famed 2,000-year-old ruins once attracted tens of thousands of visitors. Government forces had been on the offensive for nearly three weeks to try to retake the central town, which fell to the extremists last May. Their advance marks the latest setback suffered by IS, which has come under mounting pressure on several fronts in Iraq and Syria."

Michael Birnbaum & Griff Witte of the Washington Post: "Belgian authorities announced Saturday that they had charged a man in connection with this week's suicide bombings, saying they believe he participated in the attacks. Two others were also charged with terrorism-related offenses. The man, identified by a European official as Fayçal Cheffou, appeared before a judge after he was detained Thursday night while sitting in a car in front of the Belgian prosecutor's office.... Prosecutors did not say whether Cheffou -- whom they identified only as 'Fayçal C.' -- was the third man [in the airport surveillance videos circulated after the attacks]. Belgium's Le Soir newspaper reported that he was, citing an unidentified source...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Lede

Washington Post: "An American airlines pilot was arrested Saturday on the runway as shocked passengers looked on after he failed a breathalyzer test at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Flight 736, scheduled to leave Detroit about 7 a.m. en route to Philadelphia, was immediately canceled, according to ABC affiliate WXYZ. A transportation security agent was the first person to spot the pilot acting suspiciously, the station reported. Minutes before the flight was to take off, airport police were called."

Yiddish Curses For Jews Who Vote Republican

Ophelia M. passed along the following in Saturday's Comments. She got it from a friend, which is one of the ways the jokes have found their way into the light. Before republishing Ophelia's comment, I looked for the jokes' provenance. They seem to have many mothers & fathers, all of them anonymous. Paul Krugman published a few lines some while back, along with a link to others, but Krugman's "original" got disappeared. So thanks to Ophelia & all you Anonymous Wits. And Curses, Republicans! -- Constant Weader

May you be reunited in the world to come with your ancestors, who were all socialist garment workers.

May you have a large store, and have it all dismantled by vulture capitalists.

May you grow so rich that your widow’s second husband is thrilled they repealed the estate tax.

May you feast every day on chopped liver with onions, chicken soup with dumplings, baked carp with horseradish, braised meat with vegetable stew & latkes, and may every bite of it be contaminated with E. Coli, because the government gutted the E.P.A.

May you sell everything and retire to Florida just as global warming makes it uninhabitable.

May you have a rare disease and need an operation that only one surgeon in the world, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, is able to perform. And may he be unable to perform it because he doesn’t take your insurance. And may that Nobel Laureate be your son.

May your state outlaw the morning-after pill the day before your daughter returns home from the NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) convention.

May your son be elected President, and may you have no idea what you did with his goddamn birth certificate.

May the state of Arizona expand their definition of 'suspected illegal immigrants' to 'anyone who doesn't hunt.'

May you live to a hundred and twenty without Social Security or Medicare.

May you grow like an onion with your head in the ground, and then may that ground be fracked.

May you make a fortune, and lose it all in one of Sheldon Adelson's casinos.

May your child give his Bar Mitzvah speech on the genius of Ayn Rand.

May your insurance company decide constipation is a pre-existing condition.

May God give you a daughter-in-law who is as kind as she is beautiful, as patient as she is rich, as wise as she is devoted: a virtuous woman in every way. And then may a ballot initiative invalidate her marriage to your Rebecca.

May the secretary you're schtupping depend on Planned Parenthood for her birth control.

The Commentariat -- March 26, 2016

If you are interested in taking over Reality Chex -- that is, owning it to do with as you will -- please contact me. I am looking forward to discontinuing my work on the site but would like to see it continue "under new management." I'll help you get started. Thank you to all who have contributed over the years. If I don't find a suitable "buyer," I'll close down next Friday, April 1. -- Constant Weader

Afternoon Update:

Sarah Posner in the Washington Post: "The South Carolina Senate on Thursday passed a controversial bill targeting refugees in the state, prompting concern that it may portend a wave of anti-refugee legislation around the country, particularly in the tense climate following the terrorist attacks in Brussels. The bill, if passed by the South Carolina House and signed into law by Gov. Nikki Haley, would require refugees' sponsors to register them in a database maintained by the state's Department of Social Services. It would also impose strict liability on a refugee's sponsor if the refugee, at some point in the future, commits a terrorist or criminal act." ...

     ... CW: I'd like to be a confederate so I could sit up nights thinking up draconian, repressive bills to punish minorities & women. Still, I'm not sure my best efforts could have dreamed up this one, which aims not to punish any miscreant refuges but the likely kindhearted people who took them in. Of course the idea of the legislation is to intimidate the kindhearted to the point that they fear helping others. Welcome to Right Wing World. Next stop, Trumpsylvania.

Michael Birnbaum & Griff Witte of the Washington Post: "Belgian authorities announced Saturday that they had charged a man in connection with this week's suicide bombings, saying they believe he participated in the attacks. Two others were also charged with terrorism-related offenses. The man, identified by a European official as Fayçal Cheffou, appeared before a judge after he was detained Thursday night while sitting in a car in front of the Belgian prosecutor's office.... Prosecutors did not say whether Cheffou -- whom they identified only as 'Fayçal C.' -- was the third man [in the airport surveillance videos circulated after the attacks]. Belgium's Le Soir newspaper reported that he was, citing an unidentified source...."

David Sanger & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times interviewed Donald Trump for 100 minutes about foreign policy issues. They attempt to synthensize Trump's views: "In Donald Trump's worldview, America comes first and everybody else pays.... Mr. Trump explained his thoughts in concrete and easily digestible terms, but they appeared to reflect little consideration for potential consequences around the globe. Much the same way he treats political rivals and interviewers, he personalized how he would engage foreign nations, suggesting his approach would depend partly on 'how friendly they've been toward us,' not just on national interests or alliances." ...

... The reporters provide a summary, or "highlights," of the interview here. The full, edited transcript is here. ...

... CW: Trump has found a clever way to avoid answering questions about international policy where he has no idea whatsoever: "I wouldn't want to say. I wouldn't want them to know what my real thinking is." Well, it beats, "And when they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan I'm going to say, you know, I don't know. Do you know?" Trump is on his way to winning the nomination, & who knows where Herman Cain is now? Don't tell me Republican voters aren't discerning. BTW, if you think Trump speaks like a 7th-grader because he is aware that's the best way to reach the great unwashed to whom he appeals, forget that. He uses just about the same level of language & lack of nuance when speaking to David Sanger, a highly-knowledgeable international policy reporter.

*****

The President's Weekly Address

White House: "In this week's address, President Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to the people of Belgium and to families of the victims of the terrorist attacks in Brussels, including at least two Americans":

George Lardner & P. S. Ruckman, in a Washington Post op-ed: President Obama "has granted just 70 pardons, the lowest mark for any full-term president since John Adams, and 187 commutations of sentence. Meanwhile, 1,629 pardon petitions have been denied (more than five of the previous six presidents), as well as 8,123 requests for commutations (a new record). An additional 3,444 requests have been 'closed without presidential action.'... If current patterns persist, Obama will go down as one of the most merciless presidents in history." ...

     ... CW: And remember, the general U.S. population in Adams' time was about 1.5 percent of what it is now, & the prison population was probably one percent or less of today's prison population.

Charles Pierce: "... there's some serious McCarthyite damage being done to medical research by a congressional committee chaired by a member of Congress whose brains are leaking out of her shell-pink ears. You should pay attention if you or any members of your family has been struck by diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or ALS. I think, at this point, former NFL football players should take special note, too." The anti-choice wackos have "moved on from the people who actually perform abortions to the people who use fetal tissue in medical research." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Chico Harlan of the Washington Post: "Just a few years ago, the U.S. oil industry reveled in a surge of production fueled by new technologies. Now it's bracing for the greatest wave of financial defaults since the subprime mortgage crisis -- and the consequences are far-reaching."

Alan Neuhauser of US News: "Citing 'morally reprehensible conduct on the part of Exxon Mobil,' the Rockefeller Family Foundation -- whose namesake, John D. Rockefeller, founded Exxon's precursor, Standard Oil -- will dump its holdings in America's largest oil conglomerate, plus coal and tar sands companies, the charity announced Wednesday. The nonprofit pointed to both economics and ethics: Amid a huge surplus of oil and sluggish global demand, oil prices are in the middle of a 19-month slump, spurring hundreds of thousands of layoffs from the energy sector worldwide. Climate change, meanwhile, has created a moral imperative to decrease the planet's reliance on fossil fuels like oil, the fund said."

Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post: "The highest-ranking U.S. Navy officer convicted so far in a massive bribery scandal was sentenced to almost four years in prison Friday for selling military secrets to an Asian defense contractor in exchange for prostitutes, stays at luxury hotel and other favors. Capt. Daniel Dusek, the former commander of the USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship, received a 46-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $100,000 in fines and restitution during a hearing in federal court in San Diego."

Presidential Race

Alaska, Hawaii & Washington state hold Democratic caucuses today.

Gabriel Debenedetti of Politico: "Without a big win in Washington Saturday, there's no path forward for Bernie Sanders. And that cold political reality has turned this state into an unlikely battleground between the Vermont senator and Hillary Clinton."

Jason Horowitz of the New York Times: "Regardless of the results on the scoreboard, the state on the map, the year or even the decade, [Bernie] Sanders has talked with clockwork consistency about an economy rigged against the working class, a campaign finance system that corrupts politicians and a corporate media that obscures the truth.... While other candidates have been lampooned for robotic redundancies or caricatured as cut-and-paste campaigners, Mr. Sanders has made oratorical consistency his calling card."

Harper Neidig of the Hill: "Bernie Sanders's campaign lashed out at Hillary Clinton on Friday for a lavish fundraising dinner her campaign has planned with actor George Clooney.... Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in an email to supporters, '... Hillary Clinton ... is now enlisting the support of George Clooney ... at a dinner event that will cost people up to $353,400 to attend.' Weaver added that the price of admission an 'obscene amount of money. It's a sum that would require an employee making the federal minimum wage to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for more than 5 years.'..." ...

... CW: The figure $353,400 seems like an odd number. Why not $350K or $400K? Brendan O'Connor of Gawker has some details on the planned Clinton fundraiser.

In case you were wondering, Ralph Nader is still a narcissistic, unrepentant prick.

Donald Trump's major endorsers are "Catty, Fatty & Batty":

Gail Collins on the GOP candidates: "One thing that all these guys have in common is a desire to put themselves in charge of the reproductive rights of the entire female half of the country."

Amy Chozick & Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: Donald "Trump's nasty skirmish with [Ted] Cruz, including his warning to 'spill the beans' about Mrs. Cruz, without offering specifics, and his re-posting of a message that mocked her looks, have played into a crucial Democratic strategy to defeat Mr. Trump in November: to portray him as an unabashed sexist. [Hillary] Clinton's allies hope to sway suburban and independent women, who will play an outsized role in deciding the fall election, to support her candidacy by pushing this theme. These Democrats say the matchup would be historic: one pitting the first female nominee of a major political party against a Republican rival who has repeatedly dismissed and disparaged women and their looks." ...

     ... CW: Be sure to read Franklin Foer's little history of Trump's misogyny, linked yesterday. Clinton has plenty of material to work with.

Manuel Roig-Franzia of the Washington Post: In 1996, when Donald Trump was trying to take by the home of an Atlantic City widow by eminent domain, he called the woman's lawyer Glenn Zeitz & tried to hire Zeitz to represent him in another case: "Trump, who had been championing the use of eminent domain to take the home of Zeitz's client, Vera Coking, suddenly wanted him to help fight the use of eminent domain for a project that would have benefited one of his rivals." An associate of Zeitz said, 'It's like, if we can't beat you, we'll buy you."

Six months ago, Dana Milbank promised to eat his column if Donald Trump got the Republican nomination. Now Milbank is looking for recipes for newsprint.

Jesse Byrnes of the Hill: "An aide to Donald Trump on Friday fulfilled the businessman's threat to 'spill the beans' on Republican presidential rival Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi. Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson rattled off a list of attacks three days after Trump first made the threat. 'Spilling the beans is quite simple when it comes to Heidi Cruz,' Pierson said in an interview with MSNBC's Steve Kornacki. 'She is a Bush operative; she worked for the architect of NAFTA, which has killed millions of jobs in this country; she was a member on the Council on Foreign Relations who -- in Sen. Cruz's own words, called a nest of snakes that seeks to undermine national sovereignty; and she's been working for Goldman Sachs, the same global bank that Ted Cruz left off of his financial disclosure,' Pierson said." CW: Some beans. I think all of this is public knowledge.

Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Ted Cruz on Friday accused 'Donald Trump and his henchmen' of planting the seeds behind a 'garbage' National Enquirer report alleging that the Texas senator has had extramarital affairs. 'This National Enquirer story is garbage. It is complete and utter lies,' Cruz said after a campaign event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 'It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... CW: Earlier today, I seriously considered skipping the reports of the National Enquirer story, but it seemed to be part-and-parcel of the Nasty Boys' Sleaze-Throwing Fight, so I didn't want to deprive readers of the escalation of said fight. If I made an error, Cruz has retroactively justified my error by addressing it. (And I don't think he had a choice.) If it was just crap earlier; it's crap news now. ...

... Donald Trump on Facebook: "I have no idea whether or not the cover story about Ted Cruz in this week's issue of the National Enquirer is true or not, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it, did not know about it, and have not, as yet, read it.... Ted Cruz's problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin' Ted Cruz." ...

.. Asawin Suebsaeng & Betsy Woodruff of the Daily Beast: "A half-dozen GOP operatives and media figures tell The Daily Beast that Cruz's opponents have been pushing charges of adultery for at least six months now -- and that allies of former GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio were involved in spreading the smears. For months and months, anti-Cruz operatives have pitched a variety of #CruzSexScandal stories to a host of prominent national publications, according to Republican operatives and media figures. The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg News, Politico, and ABC News -- reporters at all those outlets heard some version of the Cruz-is-cheating story.... The Cruz campaign team has been aware of the sex-scandal rumors for months." Trump is a friend of the publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker. ...

... CW: The other day, I suggested Marsha Blackburn as Trump's running mate. Now I'm liking a Trump Pecker ticket. ...

... Ed Kilgore thinks Trump might make a "unity pick" for veep: "Even if Donald Trump nails down a majority of delegates on June 7 with a solid showing in California and New Jersey, naming a running mate whose characteristics show a conciliatory attitude toward the rest of the GOP could be just what the doctor ordered to head off some party coup to deny him the nomination, via a rules change or some other devilish device." B-o-o-ring.

... Alex Griswold of Mediaite: "A CNN debate between a Donald Trump supporter and former Ted Cruz communications director Amanda Carpenter went off the rails Friday when the Trump supporter suddenly accused Carpenter of having an illicit affair with her former boss.... 'What's out there is tabloid trash. If someone wants to comment on it, they can talk to my lawyer,' [Carpenter] responded. 'It's categorically false,' she continued angrily. 'You should be ashamed for spreading this smut. Donald Trump supporters should be held to account for it.'" Includes video of the segment. CW: Yep, this is what passes for presidential today.

Andrew Kaczynski & Nathan McDermott of BuzzFeed: "Don Black, the founder of the first major white supremacist website Stormfront.com and a former Ku Klux Klan member, said on his radio program earlier this month that he wanted his listeners to vote for and support Donald Trump."

Shootout at the Quicken Arena. Fox8 Cleveland: "Support is growing for an online petition to allow guns inside Quicken Loans Arena during the Republican National Convention. More than 4,000 people have signed the Change.org petition since it was started two days ago." ...

... digby: "... but seriously, these people want the rest of us to be subjected to a bunch of loons and crackpots armed to the teeth everywhere we go, they ought to be forced to do it too. What are they so afraid of? If everyone has a gun, they'll all be ready to fire into the crowd if someone loses their cool, right? Isn't that what they always say will keep everyone safe?" ...

... CW: C'mon, digby. They're not going to shoot each other. They're going to shoot Islamic terrorists. ...

... Bethania Markus of the Raw Story: "The petition claims that 'Cleveland, Ohio is consistently ranked as one of the top ten most dangerous cities in America.' But, 'This doesn't even begin to factor in the possibility of an ISIS terrorist attack on the arena during the convention. Without the right to protect themselves, those at the Quicken Loans Arena will be sitting ducks, utterly helpless against evil-doers, criminals or others who wish to threaten the American way of life.'" CW: digby should be ashamed of herself for suggesting people dedicated to preserving "the American way of life" might be "loons & crackpots."

Beyond the Beltway

Gray Rohrer of the Orlando Sentinel: "Planned Parenthood and other health clinics that provide abortions in Florida will go without taxpayer funds and face increased regulations for the procedure, under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Rick Scott.... A similar law in Texas, which women's health activists say has helped shut down several abortion clinics there, is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court."

Amy Yurkanin of AL.com: "An Alabama judge has permanently stripped from state law a requirement that abortion providers have admitting privileges at local hospitals. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued the ruling Friday. He ruled against the state in 2014 in a lawsuit filed by providers, but the latest development extends that decision to all abortion clinics." CW: There are currently 380 comments on this story. I'm not reading a one, but I'll wager there are some real doozies.

Howard Koplowitz of AL.com: "A complaint into possible misuse of state property by Gov. Robert Bentley and potential violations by his alleged mistress and senior political advisor, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, was filed Friday by State Auditor Jim Zeigler. Both Bentley and Mason have denied an affair, although the governor admitted earlier this week that he made sexually inappropriate remarks to his senior political advisor after audio of Bentley's side of the conversation was leaked." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Al.com has published another audio recording of Bentley declaring his love for, presumably, Rebekah Mason.

New York Times Editors: "Officials in Charlotte, N.C., spent more than a year carefully considering and debating an antidiscrimination ordinance that was passed in February to promote the city's culture of inclusiveness. State lawmakers quashed it on Wednesday by passing an appalling, unconstitutional bill that bars transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity and prohibits cities from passing antidiscrimination ordinances that protect gay and transgender people." Gov. Pat McCrory (R), who signed the bill into law, "is running for re-election.... Voters should reject the candidate who made the state a pioneer in bigotry."

Way Beyond

Reuters: "A third man caught on CCTV footage with two bombers who attacked Brussels airport on Tuesday was named as Faycal Cheffou in Belgian media on Saturday." ...

... Lilia Blaise & Aurelien Breeden of the New York Times: "Counterterrorism officials widened a sweep targeting suspected Islamic State operatives to several European countries on Friday, reporting newly uncovered links between the Brussels and Paris massacres, at least five arrests and the foiling of what France described as an advanced plan for another attack. The actions reflected both new momentum from information uncovered since the Brussels bombings on Tuesday and deep worries about missed opportunities to thwart the attacks. European officials, particularly in Belgium, have come under strong criticism for lapses that might have enabled the Brussels plotters to succeed."

Jon Henley & Angelique Chrisafis of the Guardian: "A veteran Belgian fighter and bomb-maker with Islamic State whose DNA was found on two of the explosive belts used in last November's carnage in Paris has been confirmed as one of the suicide bombers in Tuesday's Brussels attacks. Belgian prosecutors said that DNA evidence had confirmed that Najim Laachraoui, 24, was one of two jihadis who blew themselves up at Brussels airport, killing 11 people."

AP: "A suicide bomber has blown himself up in a football stadium south of the Iraqi capital, killing 29 people and wounding 60, security officials said, as the military announced new gains on the ground against Islamic State. The bombing took place during a match in the small stadium in the city of Iskanderiyah, 30 miles from Baghdad, the officials said. Medical officials confirmed the death toll." CW: Will Republicans urge President Obama to go to Baghdad? Nope. I forgot they don't care about Iraqi civilian deaths. You likely won't hear a peep out of them.