The Conversation -- September 28, 2024

⭐ "They're Bringing Drugs. They're Bringing Crime." Natalie Kitroeff & Robert Gebeloff of the New York Times: "Since 2019, when Mexico overtook China to become the dominant supplier of fentanyl in the United States, cartels have been flooding the country with the synthetic opioid. The amount of fentanyl crossing the border has increased tenfold in the past five years. Mexico has been the source of almost all of the fentanyl seized by U.S. law enforcement in recent years.... Donald J. Trump and other Republicans have blamed President Biden's border policies for the fentanyl pouring into the United States, playing on a widespread belief that undocumented immigrants are responsible for bringing it in. In reality, the largest known group of fentanyl smugglers is not made up of immigrants traversing the desert or moving through secret tunnels -- they are Americans coming through legal ports of entry. More than 80 percent of the people sentenced for fentanyl trafficking at the southern border are U.S. citizens, federal data shows.... Mexican drug cartels are turning thousands of Americans into fentanyl mules, deploying a torrent of couriers who can easily cross back and forth...." Emphasis added.

Kenneth Vogel & Susanne Craig of the New York Times: Soon after Donald Trump granted clemency to fraudster & scammer Adriana Camberos -- who had obtained access to Trump via well-placed acquaintances & a $50,000 campaign contribution from her brother -- "she and her brother Andres embarked on a new fraud, federal prosecutors in California said.... Ms. Camberos is among six people granted clemency by Mr. Trump and known to have been charged with new crimes after they received a second chance.... Other recipients of Mr. Trump's clemency grants have been investigated but not charged, The Times found. And at least three additional people have been convicted of crimes that predated their clemency grants.... According to an analysis in a law journal focused on criminal justice, only 25 of the nearly 240 clemency grants issued by Mr. Trump were vetted and recommended by the pardon attorney's office." MB: And it seems the Trumpy explanation is that the new charges are the results of vindictive prosecutors set on undoing Trump's pardons to deserving people.

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Presidential Race

Nicholas Nehamas, et al., of the New York Times: "On her first trip to the southern border as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered one of her party's toughest speeches on immigration and border policy in a generation. Even as she did, she tried to paint ... Donald J. Trump as a feckless chaos agent without the ability to deliver the hard-line results he has promised. Ms. Harris vowed to carry on President Biden's crackdown on asylum and to impose order on the southern border, demonstrating how much the politics of immigration have shifted for Democrats. Just one presidential cycle ago, Ms. Harris and most other candidates in the party's primary race had promised to decriminalize illegal border crossings." The Guardian's report is here.

A comparison of the statements made by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Ukraine over the last 24 hours pic.twitter.com/ZRvsZsLM1P

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 27, 2024

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. Via digby, who is of the view that the Orange Jesus is "The Greatest Embarrassment in American History." ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "As [Ukraine's President Volodymyr] Zelensky stood silently beside him, Mr. Trump presented the Russia-Ukraine war as one that both sides wanted to end, including its instigator, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Trump did not fault the Russian leader for the invasion or for the illegal seizure of territory or for the thousands of Ukrainians he has bombed out of existence. Instead, the former president described the situation as if it were a dispute between two parties operating in good faith that could be resolved in a 'fair deal,' but only if he returns to the White House." MB: The reporters are kindly enough not to mention that Trump suggested that it was important for both parties to come to the table because it takes two to tango." I just can't think why digby sez Trump is "The Greatest Embarrassment in American History."

The Incredible Shrinking Trumplethinskin. David Moye of the Huffington Post: As people began walking out of a rally when Trump was speaking in Walker, Michigan, Friday, Trump insisted from the podium that the people who were leaving were not really leaving. Trump "became agitated during a Sept. 10 presidential debate when ... Kamala Harris bluntly said that 'people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.'" Trump said the rally-goers Friday were just lining up in the back of the hall in hopes of getting a photo with him. Right.

Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: In a post on his failing social media site, "... Donald J. Trump threatened Friday to prosecute Google if he was elected to the presidency a second time, claiming that the tech company had been 'illegally' showing only 'bad stories' about him and only 'good' ones about Vice President Kamala Harris. It was the latest instance of Mr. Trump threatening to prosecute his perceived opponents should he return to office. This month, he called for the prosecution of lawyers, political donors and operatives if they engaged in 'unscrupulous behavior.' Mr. Trump said at a news conference on Thursday that the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be prosecuted in connection with the security lapses by which a mob of his own supporters attacked the Capitol during the transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021. And on Friday, in Michigan, he called for an attorney general 'somewhere, like in a Republican territory' to investigate Ms. Pelosi and her husband over reports that Mr. Pelosi had sold Visa stock ahead of the Justice Department's filing an antitrust lawsuit against the company.... Google said it did not manipulate search results to favor any candidate." A CNBC story is here.

Marie: I have overstayed my nonpaying welcome at TPM, but Scott Lemieux in LG&$ has republished a part of two of Josh Marshall's posts:

     ~~~JayDee Wants Goons to Monitor Your Periods, Ladies. Josh Marshall of TPM (republished in LG&$): "JD Vance is a major menstrual surveillance hawk. When the Biden administration pushed for updated HIPAA regulations to prevent sheriff's departments and other law enforcement agencies from pulling women's medical records for their menstrual surveillance programs (which they termed 'compassionate laws protecting unborn children and their mothers'), Vance was one of only 28 members of Congress (and only 8 senators) to sign a letter protesting the new regs, which, per the letter, 'interfere with valid state laws protecting life.' (You can see the letter here. It's a doozy.)" ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux: "This should also be a reminder that Alito's repeated assertions in Dobbs that the right to choose to have an abortion can be neatly separated from the entire well-established framework of personal autonomy rights is nonsensical on every level. And Dobbs did not return the country to the pre-Roe status quo; given the different surveillance capacities of the state and the greater fanaticism of the anti-abortion mob, it will be much worse." MB: The purpose of the surveillance, of course, is chilling, but the methodology is downright creepy. I doubt even the church-lady president of the Republican Women's Club would want sheriff's deputies rifling through her files at her OB/GYN's office. And, Dear, that's what will happen if JayDee gets his way.

Peter Jamison of the Washington Post: "Vice-presidential nominee JD Vance has a go-to explanation for his evolution from outspoken critic to impassioned defender of Donald Trump: He says he was converted by Trump's achievements in the White House.... But ... in the direct messages -- sent during Trump's final year in office to an acquaintance over ... Twitter -- Vance harshly criticized his future running mate's record of governance.... 'Trump has just so thoroughly failed to deliver on his economic populism (excepting a disjointed China policy),' Vance wrote in February 2020.... 'I've already turned down my appointment from the emperor,' Vance wrote ... after his interlocutor referred to the possibility of a government appointment by 'Emperor Trump.' Pressed by his acquaintance about what job he had been offered, Vance replied, 'I'm not going to say over twitter messenger.' Neither Trump nor Vance has ever disclosed that he was offered a role working [in the Trump administration." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm sure you're not surprised, but what we have in JayDee is not just a liar but a "practical politician," where "practical" means willing to roll over & repeatedly defend the indefensible if that is in his self-interest. JayDee is as trustworthy as Trump.

Mark Sherman of the AP (republished by Yahoo! News): "The Supreme Court on Friday refused an emergency appeal from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign seeking to have his name added to New York's ballot. Kennedy has been trying to get his name off ballots in key battleground states since he suspended his campaign in August and endorsed ... Donald Trump. But he has simultaneously tried to stay on the ballot in states like New York where his presence is unlikely to make a difference in the battle between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris."

Ha Ha. Ashleigh Fields of the Hill: "California Rep. Adam Schiff (D) introduced a bill on Friday that would prevent sitting presidents from dismissing criminal prosecution against themselves, including through coercion of an attorney general or anyone acting on the president's behalf. The Investigative Integrity Protection Act seeks to require a three-judge court hearing before any charges against a president are dropped, according to a release."

Alan Feuer & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The special counsel, Jack Smith, has asked a federal judge to make public a substantial amount of the evidence that he and his deputies have collected during nearly two years of investigating ... Donald J. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a court filing unsealed on Friday. In the filing, Mr. Smith described the sorts of information about Mr. Trump that he would like to reveal in a public version of a lengthy secret brief that he submitted under seal on Thursday evening to Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who is overseeing the election interference case in Federal District Court in Washington.... Mr. Smith told Judge Chutkan that the public version of his brief should include quotations and summaries of grand jury testimony from -- and interviews with -- several chief witnesses in the case, including top White House officials like former Vice President Mike Pence. But to protect lesser-known witnesses from harassment, Mr. Smith said the names of people not already identified in the indictment should be redacted." An ABC News story is here. ~~~

~~~ Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: A federal judge [Tanya Chutkan] on Friday gave lawyers for Donald Trump four days to challenge the partial public release of a nearly 200-page special counsel filing on why the former president can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election."

Laurie Brookins of the Hollywood Reporter: "On Thursday, [Donald] Trump debuted a pair of watches available for sale: a dive model ... that is limited to 1,000 pieces and retails for $499 or $799 depending on style, and a seemingly high-end tourbillion design that is depicted as being crafted of 18-karat gold and embellished with diamonds on the bezel. Limited to 147 pieces, that model is listed for an astounding $100,000. All pieces display Trump's name prominently on the dial.... Word quickly spread among the status-watch community, which was overwhelmingly unimpressed. 'This is cobbled together, patently unoriginal and vastly overpriced,' says Ariel Adams, founder and editor of A Blog to Watch.... A marketing director of a well-known Swiss brand..., [said], everyone [in my collectors' group chat] was laughing' ... [at] the more expensive piece. 'When you look at all of them, they scream Chinese-made watch. None of them is worth the asking price.'... '[The tourbillon watch] is as ersatz as the man himself,' added Adam Craniotes, founder ... of ... an international network of watch collectors...."

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Alabama. Hansi Lo Wang of NPR: “The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday against Alabama and its top election official, alleging a state program violated federal law by removing voters from its election rolls too close to this fall's general election.... The National Voter Registration Act sets what's known as a 'quiet period' before federal elections for most states. Alabama and other states covered by the federal law are not allowed to systematically remove names fewer than 90 days before a federal election. On Aug. 13, 84 days before this fall's Election Day, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, a Republican, announced an effort to 'remove noncitizens registered to vote' in the state. According to a press release, Allen identified and instructed county election officials to remove from their voter rolls 3,251 registered Alabama voters who had been 'issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security.'... But in a statement, the Justice Department characterized this process as a 'systematic voter removal program' that has ensnared U.S. citizens, both those born in the United States and those who were naturalized...."

New York. Dana Rubinstein, et al., of the New York Times: "A muted but defiant [New York City] Mayor Eric Adams, in back-to-back appearances inside a federal courthouse in Manhattan and outside its granite facade on Friday, professed his innocence of criminal charges including bribery and fraud and stood by as his lawyer railed against the evidence in a case that threatens to topple his embattled administration. 'I am not guilty, your honor,' Mr. Adams said at his midday arraignment before Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker in a 26th-floor courtroom in Lower Manhattan, as reporters looked on from the gallery and via livestreams in several overflow courtrooms." ~~~

~~~ Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of bribery, wire fraud and taking illegal campaign donations, even as state investigators seized the electronic devices of one of his top advisers at the airport -- the latest indication of multiple, wide-ranging corruption probes related to City Hall.... The Manhattan district attorney's office and the New York City Department of Investigation met Adams's top adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, at an arrivals gate at JFK International Airport, Lewis-Martin's lawyer said. The law enforcement personnel intercepted her electronics as part of a separate investigation, said a person with knowledge of the matter...." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times live-updated developments Friday in the NYC Mayor Eric Adams indictment matter: "Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday in a Lower Manhattan courtroom to five felony counts, including bribery and fraud charges. Mr. Adams is accused of accepting more than $100,000 in illegal gifts in exchange for using his political influence to help Turkey." (Also linked yesterday.)

North Carolina. Ashleigh Fields of the Hill: "The North Carolina Court of Appeals on Friday overturned a lower court's decision to accept the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's mobile One Card as valid voter identification. The ruling supported the plaintiff's argument that the digital ID would make it easier for ineligible voters to cast ballots and violate a state law that prohibits mobile use during voting. An unnamed group of three judges approved the appeal from the Republican National Committee and the N.C. Republican Party unanimously today which can be appealed at the federal level. DNC attorneys say that preventing its use could confuse or even disenfranchise up to 40,000 people who work or attend the school so close to the election according to ABC."

Virginia, et al. Hi, I'm Having a Fabulous Family Dinner with My Fake Wife & Fake Daughters. Annie Karni & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "... male Republicans struggling to appeal to female voters ... are unleashing their spouses to make the pitch on their behalf. Their ads often feature women in softly lit living rooms and pristine kitchens vouching for their husbands' characters.... Other times, candidates film footage of a wholesome family gathering around the dining room table. In at least one case, such a gathering includes a candidate at the dinner table in a family-like tableau with a woman and children who are not related. The campaign of Derrick Anderson, a former Army Green Beret who is running in a competitive race for an open seat in Virginia's Seventh District, has posted footage of him posing with a woman and her three daughters in what looks like a photo that might be used for an annual holiday card. In another scene filmed for potential use in a campaign ad, Mr. Anderson is seated around the dining room table with the same woman and three girls, chatting and smiling. But the people ... are the wife and children of a longtime friend. Mr. Anderson, who announced this month that he was engaged, does not have any children of his own. His campaign website says he lives with his dog and does not display any of the photos."

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Saturday in Israel's wars are here. "Hezbollah on Saturday confirmed the death of Hassan Nasrallah, its longtime leader, in an airstrike on the organization's underground headquarters near Beirut, hours after Israel said he had been killed in a major escalation of its rapidly expanding campaign against the Iran-backed group. After two weeks of back-and-forth attacks that have threatened to spiral into an all-out regional war, Israel said that Mr. Nasrallah was killed in a major airstrike on Friday, when its air force dropped more than 80 bombs on a group of residential buildings in the Hezbollah-dominated area known as the Dahiya."

Bassem Mroue & Melanie Lidman of the AP: "Israel said Saturday that it killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, dealing its most significant blow to the Lebanese militant group after months of fighting. There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah. If the claim is true, Nasrallah is by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah. The military said it carried out a precise airstrike on Friday while Hezbollah leadership met at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut."

Michael Crowley of the New York Times: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamiin "Netanyahu bulldozed his way through his visit [to the United Nations], castigating Israel's critics and the United Nations itself, offering no diplomatic concessions, and ordering an airstrike in Beirut that may have killed Israel's long hunted archnemesis, the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The strike landed even as Mr. Netanyahu delivered defiant remarks to a U.N. General Assembly hall -- largely emptied after dozens of diplomats walked out in protest -- in which he triumphantly declared of Israel's multiple conflicts: 'We are winning.'"

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Israel's wars are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

News Lede

Washington Post: "Rescue teams raced to submerged homes, scoured collapsed buildings and steered thousands from overflowing dams as Helene carved a destructive path Friday, knocking out power and flooding a vast arc of communities across the southeastern United States. At least 40 people were confirmed killed in five states since the storm made landfall late Thursday as a Category 4 behemoth, unleashing record-breaking storm surge and tree-snapping gusts. 4 million homes and businesses have lost electricity across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, prompting concerns that outages could drag on for weeks. Mudslides closed highways. Water swept over roofs and snapped phone lines. Houses vanished from their foundations. Tornadoes added to the chaos. The mayor of hard-hit Canton, N.C., called the scene 'apocalyptic.'" An AP report is here.

The Conversation -- September 27, 2024

A comparison of the statements made by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Ukraine over the last 24 hours pic.twitter.com/ZRvsZsLM1P

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 27, 2024

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. Via digby, who is of the view that the Orange Jesus is "The Greatest Embarrassment in American History."

The New York Times is live-updating developments Friday in the NYC Mayor Eric Adams indictment matter: "Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday in a Lower Manhattan courtroom to five felony counts, including bribery and fraud charges. Mr. Adams is accused of accepting more than $100,000 in illegal gifts in exchange for using his political influence to help Turkey."

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Israel's wars are here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

Katie Rogers & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Thursday at the White House, a sign that President Biden's administration is positioning her to take over a politically fraught diplomatic relationship if she wins the election in November. The meeting, held shortly after Mr. Biden announced $8 billion worth of military support to the war-torn country, was Ms. Harris's second this week with a key world leader -- even as she runs a presidential campaign focused on domestic issues. Ms. Harris, who has met with Mr. Zelensky a half-dozen times since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, said at the White House on Thursday that ... those who would have Ukraine trade territory fo peace were supporting 'proposals of surrender' -- a dig at ... Donald J. Trump ... and his skepticism of aid for Kyiv." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, in a New York Times op-ed: "... I have already cast my ballot for character -- and voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.... Character is the ultimate measure of leadership for those who seek the highest office in our land.... Regardless of what a person says, character is ultimately laid bare in his or her actions. So I pay attention to what a leader does.... Ms. Harris has the strength, the temperament and, importantly, the values to serve as commander in chief. When she sits down with world leaders like President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, representing the United States on the global stage, I have no doubt that she is working in our national interest, not her own. I would urge others to vote as I have." (Also linked yesterday.)

Filip Timotija of the Hill: :Former Kansas Republican Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.) is endorsing Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election, stating the White House contest 'presents a stark choice that is not easy for any of us.' Kassebaum, who served three terms in the upper chamber, announced her backing of the Democratic nominee in a Thursday statement alongside two other GOP officials, former Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger and retired federal circuit judge Deanell Reece Tacha."

In a New York Times article titled, "Harris Has a Lot of Strengths. Giving Interviews Isn't One of Them," reporter Rebecca O'Brien concedes (in Graf 10), "It is a fundamental imbalance of the campaign, not lost on Ms. Harris's supporters, that while her every remark is scrutinized, her opponent..., Donald J. Trump, seems to suffer few consequences for his public remarks, which are often undisciplined explorations of grudges, rumors and preoccupations, laden with innuendo and outright falsehood, often untethered from standard syntax and, at times, reality.... Consider an answer Mr. Trump gave last month in an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, in response to a question about what he thought about Ms. Harris: ~~~

"She's a Marxist. Well, I can see, by action, she;s a person that wanted to defund the police very strongly, bailed out a lot of people in Minnesota from jails who did some really bad things. I saw that very loud and clear then, when that took place, a lot of bad things. She's done a lot of bad things. There will be no fracking. There'll be no drilling. She doesn't want to drill, which will mean our country is going to shrivel up and die. You can't run the country without fossil fuel, at least not for quite a while because you don't have the power. They don't have the power. You have all sorts of nice contraptions, but they don't have -- wind is fine, but it kills the birds. It destroys the fields. Destroys the fields, what it does."

     ~~~ Marie: See yesterday's Comments for a discussion of the NYT's/media's criticisms of Harris versus their coddling of Trump. I can't recall ever seeing a NYT story dedicated to criticizing Trump's verbal skills, whereas the paper made careers for reporters writing about Joe Biden's garbled speech. Now, for a second time and based on the same interview, is taking digs at Harris's responses. In that interview, it should be noted, Harris' performance was a bit rocky, IMO, but it by no means approached Trump's incoherent stream-of-unconsciousness babble. I'm not saying the critiques of Harris are wrong; what I am saying is that if a paper publishes criticisms of the Democratic presidential candidates, they should pan the Republican candidate every time he makes disastrous remarks -- which is every damned time he opens his mouth or writes a comment on his failing social media site. The excuse, "But 'Trump's a Shambolic Nitwit' Isn't News" is not good enough. ~~~

~~~ Still, all this unpleasantness could have been avoided if only the interview had gone like this: ~~~

     ~~~ But Wait! The Unpossible Is Possible! Michael Gold & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: At a Trump Tower event billed as a news conference about the U.S.-Mexico border, "Mr. Trump quickly appeared to grow bored with the remarks he read from, and drifted repeatedly toward other topics. He talked about inflation, accused [Vice President] Harris of lying about working at McDonald's years ago and nursed his fury over how the ABC News debate moderators handled his face-off with Ms. Harris nearly three weeks ago. At the beginning of the news conference, Mr. Trump struggled at times to articulate his thoughts or make a point clearly. He stumbled over some words as he read from remarks he had plainly not written. He bootstrapped one thought onto another based on whether the words associated with something else, as opposed to having a clear through line. ~~~

"And you know, you can go to California, where she ruined San Francisco.... She destroyed. San Francisco may have been the greatest city in the world, 16, 18 years ago, and now it;s a practically unlivable place. And I hate to say that. I have property in San Francisco. It's not a good thing to say, but this far supersedes my ownership of property. It’s an unlivable place. It was the best city. Bob Tisch, of Loews, a friend of mine. Great guy. Wonderful man. He was in San Francisco. He was in Chicago. He had big businesses all over, the Tisch family. Bob Tisch used to tell me that he thinks San Francisco is the greatest city in the country. He passed away, quite a while ago. But, and San Francisco probably was. And now it's not even livable."

     ~~~ Read on. It's almost as if some New York Times editor read your criticisms yesterday. ~~~

~~~ Here's Trump at the presser deftly dealing with a question about his endorsement of self-described "Black NAZI" Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina: ~~~

Me: “Are you going to pull your endorsement of Mark Robinson?”

Trump: “I don’t know the situation.” pic.twitter.com/Y3orTxf9Ku

— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) September 26, 2024

Seb Starcevic & Csongor Körömi of Politico: "... Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday for not making concessions to Russia, giving his strongest indication to date he would stop backing Kyiv if he wins the U.S. presidential election. Trump, speaking at a campaign event in North Carolina, said Ukraine should have 'given up a little bit' to appease Moscow and avoid a bloody conflict with its invading neighbor, which he said 'didn't need to happen.... 'We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelenskyy,' Trump railed in a lengthy tirade." AP story linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)

New York Times Editors: "Dozens of people who know [Donald Trump] well, including the 91 listed here, have raised alarms about his character and fitness for office -- his family and friends, world leaders and business associates, his fellow conservatives and his political appointees -- even though they had nothing to gain from doing so. Some have even spoken out at the expense of their own careers or political interests. The New York Times editorial board has made its case that Mr. Trump is unfit to lead. But the strongest case against him may come from his own people. For those Americans who are still tempted to return him to the presidency or to not vote in November, it is worth considering the assessment of Mr. Trump by those who have seen him up close." The editorial includes derogatory assessments of Trump from his closest associates. (Also linked yesterday.)

New York Times Editors republish their July 11 editorial, titled "Donald Trump Is Unfit to Lead." (Also linked yesterday.)

Matt Egan of CNN: "... a new analysis finds that ... [Donald Trump]'s plans for tariffs, deportations and the Federal Reserve would ... cause weaker economic growth, higher inflation and lower employment, according to a working paper released Thursday by the Peterson Institute for International Economics. In some cases, the damage could continue through 2040. 'We find that ironically, despite his "make the foreigners pay" rhetoric, this package of policies does more damage to the US economy than to any other in the world,' the Peterson Institute working paper from researchers Warwick McKibbin, Megan Hogan and Marcus Noland concluded. The paper represents the most comprehensive analysis to date on the combined impact of Trump's trade, immigration and Fed proposals. The findings are stark."

Marie: I spoke too soon when way back yesterday I let on that Trump's Grift of the Week was hawking $100 "Trump coins" for three times the value of their silver content: ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Contorno & Alejandra Jaramillo of CNN: "Donald Trump is now hawking a new line of watches, some with an eye popping six-figure price tag -- the latest example of the former president cashing in on his name like no presidential candidate ever has. The GOP nominee announced his latest branded merchandise, Trump Watches, on social media Thursday -- 40 days before the election and on a day when he did not appear on the campaign trail. He told his supporters the watches would make good Christmas gifts and then directed them to a link where they could be purchased. The watches retail for $499 but one series == Tourbillon -- is priced at $100,000. They come in three different colors and are limited in number to 147." ~~~

~~~ Ah, the Family That Grifts Together. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "While promoting a memoir, [Melania Trump] told Fox News that she blamed Democrats and members of the news media for the assassination attempts against her husband." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jimmy Kimmel has some thoughts about the Trump Family Grift:

So first, RAS learns this about the Center for Free Speech Absolutism, Elon Musk, Proprietor: ~~~

     ~~~ Elizabeth Lopatto of the Verge: "X is preventing users from posting links to a newsletter containing a hacked document that's alleged to be the Trump campaign's research into vice presidential candidate JD Vance. The journalist who wrote the newsletter, Ken Klippenstein, has been suspended from the platform. Searches for posts containing a link to the newsletter turn up nothing.... Though other news outlets have received information from the hack, they declined to publish. Klippenstein says in his newsletter that a source called 'Robert,' with an AOL email address, offered him the document." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ But then Ken W. finds this: ~~~

     ~~~ "The Vance Dossier." Ken Klippenstein: "Behold the dossier. It reportedly comes from an alleged Iranian government hack of the Trump campaign, and since June, the news media has [have!] been sitting on it (and other documents), declining to publish in fear of finding itself at odds with the government's campaign against 'foreign malign influence.' I disagree. The dossier has been offered to me and I've decided to publish it because it's of keen public interest in an election season. It's a 271-page research paper the Trump campaign prepared to vet now vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. As far as I can tell, it hasn't been altered, but even if it was, its contents are publicly verifiable. I'll let it speak for itself." The page has a link to the dossier (or you can download it). As Klippenstein points out, there are "No Jason Bourne style capers appear, and there's no sleaze." MB: So sorry to say there are no fun/gross revelations about JayDee having his way with Grandma's sofa. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Betsy Swan & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A grand jury has indicted multiple Iranians on charges related to hacking Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. The federal charges stem from an Iranian operation that allegedly stole internal Trump campaign communications this summer.... Stolen materials from the Trump campaign were later sent to journalists and individuals associated with President Joe Biden&'s reelection campaign before Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee. The names of the defendants and the specific criminal charges were not immediately available. A grand jury secretly approved the indictment on Thursday afternoon. The Justice Department is expected to announce the charges as soon as Friday."

Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "... the tech bro style in American politics has emerged as a major force, one that, in my view, is pushing our democracy closer to catastrophe." Krugman concentrates on Elon Musk, JD Vance, and the emergence of cryptocurrency as a major source of campaign financing.

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A nearly 200-page special counsel filing of facts and legal argument on why Donald Trump can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election landed Thursday in D.C. federal court, triggering a process that could end in the public seeing significant new details of the case before the November election. The massive brief on special counsel Jack Smith's case against the former president -- which could run up to 180 pages, plus more in exhibits -- was filed under seal, per the court's order, a spokesman for Smith's office said. It will remain that way until U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan decides what she wants to do with a redacted version, which prosecutors also planned to file under seal with the expectation that it will later be released publicly. Here's what we know about what happens next." Politico's report is here.

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "... Rudy Giuliani had his law license permanently revoked in the nation's capital, following similar action by a New York court earlier this year over Giuliani's role in ... Donald Trump's attempt to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election.... A disciplinary panel of the D.C. Bar's Board of Professional Responsibility in 2022 recommended Giuliani's disbarment, triggering the indefinite suspension of his law license. Giuliani had been fighting that proposal when the appeals court made its decision Thursday."

Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "Voting technology company Smartmatic and conservative cable channel Newsmax have reached a settlement, averting a defamation trial that would have begun Monday over allegations that Newsmax personalities and guests spread lies about the 2020 election and Smartmatic's role in it. Details of the 'confidential' settlement were not released. The settlement came as the process of picking a jury was underway...."

Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: "An investment company formed by two former contestants on 'The Apprentice' TV show sold almost all of their 5.5 percent stake in ... Donald J. Trump's social media company, according to a regulatory filing on Thursday. United Atlantic Ventures sold roughly 7.5 million shares of Trump Media & Technology Group within the past few days, after a lockup provision that had barred large investors, including Mr. Trump, from selling any shares ended on Sept. 19. The two principals of United Atlantic, Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss, were founders of Trump Media and its flagship social media product, Truth Social. They were both contestants on the second season of 'The Apprentice,' the reality TV show that helped raised Mr. Trump's national profile.... At the stock's current price of about $14 a share, the two men's entire equity stake was worth roughly $100 million.... Both Mr. Litinsky and Mr. Moss were 'fired' by Mr. Trump from the show, but Mr. Litinsky later went to work for Mr. Trump as the head of his television production company. Shortly after Mr. Trump left the White House in 2021, Mr. Litinsky and Mr. Moss approached him with the idea of founding his own social media company." A CBS News story is here.

Justin Jouvenal & Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: "A sweeping bill introduced by a Democratic senator Wednesday would greatly increase the size of the Supreme Court, make it harder for the justices to overturn laws, require justices to undergo audits and remove roadblocks for high court nominations. The legislation by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is one of the most ambitious proposals to remake a high court that has suffered a sharp decline in its public approval after a string of contentious decisions and ethics scandals in recent years. It has little chance of passing at the moment, since Republicans have generally opposed efforts to overhaul the court. Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said the goal of the bill is to restore public confidence in a battered institution. He said he hopes to get parts of the bill passed, even if the whole package is not embraced by lawmakers."

Steward, led by its founder and CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre and his corporate enablers, looted hospitals across the country for their own profit. While they got rich, workers, patients and communities suffered. Nurses paid out of pocket for cardboard bereavement boxes for the babies to help grieving parents who had just lost a newborn. -- Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), on the Senate floor, Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to hold Steward Health Care chief executive Ralph de la Torre in contempt of Congress, asking the Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against the hospital executive for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena. It is the first time since 1971 that the Senate has asked the Justice Department to pursue criminal contempt charges against an individual, lawmakers said. Steward, a for-profit company that owns about two dozen hospitals across the country, is engaged in bankruptcy proceedings and has been seeking to sell its hospitals. Community leaders and health workers in states served by Steward's facilities have blamed the company's leaders for extravagant paydays even as hospitals struggled to meet mortgage payments and cover other expenses. The Justice Department also has been investigating the company regarding allegations of fraud."

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Mississippi. Still Dickensian. David Nakamura & Robert Klemko of the Washington Post: "A tiny police department in Lexington, Miss., whose chief was fired two years ago for using a racial epithet, has engaged in the systemic use of excessive force, jailed suspects improperly and targeted Black people, the Justice Department said in a report released Thursday. The results of a nearly 11-month federal civil rights investigation found that the Lexington police force, which has fewer than 10 officers, pursued overly aggressive tactics in response to relatively minor infractions, in part as a strategy to drive up revenue through fines and processing fees. During the past several years, the police department's revenue grew sevenfold in a jurisdiction in one of the poorest counties in the nation, as officers routinely violated suspects' civil rights, federal authorities said.... The police 'turned the jail into the kind of debtor's prison that Charles Dickens wrote about in his novels written in the 1800s -- only this happened in Mississippi in 2024,' [U.S. Attorney Todd] Gee said."

New York. Dana Rubinstein & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, a former police captain who ran on a law-and-order platform but whose tenure has been consumed by accusations of corruption, spent years accepting free airline tickets, lavish overseas accommodations and illegal campaign donations from Turkey, federal prosecutors said on Thursday. In return for the gifts and donations, Mr. Adams used his influence as Brooklyn borough president and later as mayor to assist Turkish officials with issues they were facing in the city, prosecutors said -- most notably in obtaining safety clearances from the Fire Department for a new high-rise Turkish consulate building."

From the New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams (related stories as well as the NYT liveblog linked yesterday):

"Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. The indictment, which was unsealed on Thursday morning, follows an investigation that started in 2021 and has focused at least in part on whether he conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign campaign contributions and whether he took official actions on its behalf. Federal prosecutors said that Mr. Adams 'sought and accepted improper valuable benefits' for at least a decade, when he was then the Brooklyn borough president, according to the indictment.

"Federal agents searched the official residence of Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday morning, hours before prosecutors were expected to announce the details of a federal indictment against him.... At about 6 a.m. on Thursday, nearly a dozen men and women dressed in business attire arrived in S.U.V.s outside the entrance of Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, on the Upper East Side. At least one vehicle had a federal law enforcement parking placard on its dashboard. They carried briefcases, backpacks and bags. Many agents were still at Gracie Mansion later in the morning when some of the mayor's top advisers and his former chief counsel, Brendan McGuire, walked inside." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ NBC News updates are here. A CNBC story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the indictment, via Politico. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Dana Rubinstein & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "The indictment of Mayor Eric Adams unsealed on Thursday provides a banquet of strange, amusing and troubling vignettes unearthed during the investigation by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the F.B.I. Here are 10 of them[.]" Funniest: No. 10: "After F.B.I. agents seized Mr. Adams's personal phone in November 2023, he claimed he was unable to remember the password because he had recently changed it. He had changed it, he said, to prevent staff members from inadvertently or intentionally deleting anything because of the investigation." MB I wonder if it was little Eric who coined the dog-ate-my-homework excuse. An AP report is here.

Bill Mahoney & Nick Reisman of Politico: "Gov. Kathy Hochul [D] has begun to examine a long-dormant power that lets governors remove local officials such as New York City mayors, following Thursday's indictment of Eric Adams [D]. Lawyers in Hochul's office on Thursday internally discussed the legal and constitutional framework for removing an elected official, according to two people familiar with the conversations...."

New York Times Editors: "To serve the city that elected him, Mr. Adams should immediately resign and turn City Hall over to someone untainted by criminal charges and endless investigations.... The challenge of governing the city is daunting for even the best mayors, and the specter of widespread corruption in the Adams administration has little precedent."

North Carolina. Ashleigh Fields of the Hill: "North Carolina's State Board of Elections has removed 747,000 people from its list of registered voters within the last 20 months, officials announced Thursday in a press release. The State Board of Elections in the release said the majority of those stripped from the rolls were deemed ineligible to be registered because they had moved within the state and did not register their new address, or because they did not participate in the past two federal elections, prompting an inactive status. Other reasons for removal included death, felony convictions, out-of-state moves and personal requests for removal, the board said."

~~~~~~~~~~

Japan. Motoko Rich of the New York Times: "The elite power brokers of Japan's governing party appeared to take public sentiment into account on Friday when they elected Shigeru Ishiba, 67, to become the next prime minister of Japan. Mr. Ishiba, a former defense minister who has long been popular with rank-and-file members of the Liberal Democratic Party but less favored by parliamentary lawmakers, had run for the leadership four times before finally attaining victory on Friday. In a runoff between Mr. Ishiba and Sanae Takaichi Mr. Ishiba, who is known for his plain-spoken opinions and extreme interest in military equipment, defeated Ms. Takaichi 215 to 194 in voting at the party's headquarters in Tokyo. He will officially take over as prime minister next Tuesday, replacing Fumio Kishida, the outgoing prime minister."

Ukraine, et al. Yasmeen Abutaleb & Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, appealing urgently to President Joe Biden on Thursday to let the country extend its use of American weapons, waded into a heightened partisan divide over the Russia-Ukraine war, with the U.S. presidential election weeks away. Biden met with Zelensky at the White House on Thursday, but he did not grant Kyiv's request for permission to fire American-made missiles deeper into Russia. Instead, he announced the delivery of more military aid and new air defense capabilities, as the White House sought to show strong support for Ukraine while rejecting the country's primary plea.... Donald Trump, meanwhile, announced that he would meet with Zelensky on Friday morning, apparently a last-minute addition to the Ukrainian leader's schedule following growing tensions between Zelensky and Republican leaders." An AP story is here.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Maggie Smith, one of the finest British stage and screen actors of her generation, whose award-winning roles ranged from a freethinking Scottish schoolteacher in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' to the acid-tongued dowager countess on 'Downton Abbey,' died on Friday in London. She was 89."

The Washington Post's live updates of developments related to Hurricane Helene are here: "Hurricane Helene left one person dead in Florida and two in Georgia as it sped north. One of the biggest storms on record to hit the Gulf Coast, Helene slammed into Florida's Big Bend area on Thursday night as a Category 4 colossus with winds of up to 140 mph before weakening to Category 1. Catastrophic winds and torrential rain from the storm -- which the National Hurricane Center forecast would eventually slow over the Tennessee Valley -- were expected to continue Friday across the Southeast and southern Appalachians." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here.

Mediaite: "Fox Weather's Bob Van Dillen was reporting live on Fox & Friends about flooding in Atlanta from Hurricane Helene when he was interrupted by the screams of a woman trapped in her car. During the 7 a.m. hour, Van Dillen was filing a live report on the massive flooding in the area. Fox News viewers could clearly hear the urgent screams for help emerging from a car stuck on a flooded road in the background of the live shot. Van Dillen ... told Fox & Friends that 911 had been called and that the local Fire Department was on its way. But as he continued to file the report, the screams did not stop, so Van Dillen cut the live shot short.... Some 10 minutes later, Fox & Friends aired live footage of Van Dillen carrying the woman to safety, walking through chest-deep water while the flooding engulfed her...."

The Conversation -- September 26, 2024

Katie Rogers & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Thursday at the White House, a sign that President Biden's administration is positioning her to take over a politically fraught diplomatic relationship if she wins the election in November. The meeting, held shortly after Mr. Biden announced $8 billion worth of military support to the war-torn country, was Ms. Harris's second this week with a key world leader -- even as she runs a presidential campaign focused on domestic issues. Ms. Harris, who ha met with Mr. Zelensky a half-dozen times since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, said at the White House on Thursday that ... those who would have Ukraine trade territory for peace were supporting 'proposals of surrender' -- a dig at ... Donald J. Trump ... and his skepticism of aid for Kyiv." ~~~

     ~~~ You can see video of Vice President Harris's and President Zelensky's remarks here.

Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, in a New York Times op-ed: "... I have already cast my ballot for character -- and voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.... Character is the ultimate measure of leadership for those who seek the highest office in our land.... Regardless of what a person says, character is ultimately laid bare in his or her actions. So I pay attention to what a leader does.... Ms. Harris has the strength, the temperament and, importantly, the values to serve as commander in chief. When she sits down with world leaders like President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, representing the United States on the global stage, I have no doubt that she is working in our national interest, not her own. I would urge others to vote as I have."

So first, RAS learns this about the Center for Free Speech Absolutism, Elon Musk, Proprietor: ~~~

     ~~~ Elizabeth Lopatto of the Verge: "X is preventing users from posting links to a newsletter containing a hacked document that's alleged to be the Trump campaign's research into vice presidential candidate JD Vance. The journalist who wrote the newsletter, Ken Klippenstein, has been suspended from the platform. Searches for posts containing a link to the newsletter turn up nothing.... Though other news outlets have received information from the hack, they declined to publish. Klippenstein says in his newsletter that a source called 'Robert,' with an AOL email address, offered him the document." ~~~

~~~ But then Ken W. finds this: ~~~

     ~~~ "The Vance Dossier." Ken Klippenstein: "Behold the dossier. It reportedly comes from an alleged Iranian government hack of the Trump campaign, and since June, the news media has [have!] been sitting on it (and other documents), declining to publish in fear of finding itself at odds with the government's campaign against 'foreign malign influence.' I disagree. The dossier has been offered to me and I've decided to publish it because it's of keen public interest in an election season. It's a 271-page research paper the Trump campaign prepared to vet now vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. As far as I can tell, it hasn't been altered, but even if it was, its contents are publicly verifiable. I'll let it speak for itself." The page has a link to the dossier (or you can download it). As Klippenstein writes, there are "No Jason Bourne style capers appear, and there's no sleaze." MB: So sorry to say there are no fun/gross revelations about JayDee having his way with Grandma's sofa.

New York Times Editors: "Dozens of people who know [Donald Trump] well, including the 91 listed here, have raised alarms about his character and fitness for office -- his family and friends, world leaders and business associates, his fellow conservatives and his political appointees -- even though they had nothing to gain from doing so. Some have even spoken out at the expense of their own careers or political interests. The New York Times editorial board has made its case that Mr. Trump is unfit to lead. But the strongest case against him may come from his own people. For those Americans who are still tempted to return him to the presidency or to not vote in November, it is worth considering the assessment of Mr. Trump by those who have seen him up close." The editorial includes derogatory assessments of Trump from a few of his closest associates.

New York Times Editors republish their July 11 editorial, titled "Donald Trump Is Unfit to Lead."

Ah, the Family That Grifts Together. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "While promoting a memoir, [Melania Trump] told Fox News that she blamed Democrats and members of the news media for the assassination attempts against her husband."

From the New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams (related stories as well as the NYT liveblog linked below):

"Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. The indictment, which was unsealed on Thursday morning, follows an investigation that started in 2021 and has focused at least in part on whether he conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign campaign contributions and whether he took official actions on its behalf. Federal prosecutors said that Mr. Adams 'sought and accepted improper valuable benefits' for at least a decade, when he was then the Brooklyn borough president, according to the indictment.

"Federal agents searched the official residence of Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday morning, hours before prosecutors were expected to announce the details of a federal indictment against him.... At about 6 a.m. on Thursday, nearly a dozen men and women dressed in business attire arrived in S.U.V.s outside the entrance of Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, on the Upper East Side. At least one vehicle had a federal law enforcement parking placard on its dashboard. They carried briefcases, backpacks and bags. Many agents were still at Gracie Mansion later in the morning when some of the mayor's top advisers and his former chief counsel, Brendan McGuire, walked inside."

     ~~~ NBC News updates are here. A CNBC story is here. (MB: I've been looking for a facsimile of the indictment itself with no luck yet. Update: here is is now, via the NYT, but I'll still look for one directly from the prosecutor or from a non-subscriber site.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Okay, here's the indictment, via Politico.

Seb Starcevic & Csongor Körömi of Politico: "... Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday for not making concessions to Russia, giving his strongest indication to date he would stop backing Kyiv if he wins the U.S. presidential election. Trump, speaking at a campaign event in North Carolina, said Ukraine should have 'given up a little bit' to appease Moscow and avoid a bloody conflict with its invading neighbor, which he said 'didn't need to happen.... 'We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelenskyy,' Trump railed in a lengthy tirade." AP story linked below.

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

I intend to chart a new way forward and grow America's middle class. Donald Trump intends to take America backward to the failed policies of the past. You see, for Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers. Not those who actually build them. Not those who wire them. Not those who mop the floor. -- Vice President Kamala Harris, in a speech in Pittsburgh, Pa. yesterday about her economic plan ~~~

~~~ Matt Viser & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "Vice President Kamala Harris, seeking to further erode Donald Trump's advantage on economic issues, announced plans Wednesday for a broad expansion of investment in American industries from semiconductors to clean energy. But she was light on specifics, instead focusing much of her speech on emphasizing that she understands the struggles of middle-class Americans. The account ... [which tied] her economic philosophy to her own biography..., was intended to create a contrast with Trump, who grew up wealthy and has made a career of showcasing his lavish lifestyle." A Politico report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Liz Skalka of the Huffington Post: "Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump a 'loser' who failed to grow domestic manufacturing under his watch in one of her strongest speeches yet against the former president. 'All told, almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during his presidency, starting before the pandemic hit, making Trump one of the biggest losers ever on the economy,' Harris said in remarks Wednesday that channeled Trump's own hyperbole.... '... Not everybody was handed, on a silver platter, $400 million and then filed for bankruptcy six times.'"

Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "As Vice President Kamala Harris parses out the details of her agenda, she has favored broad strokes over detailed policy papers.... Little about that careful approach changed during a 25-minute interview with Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC that was broadcast on Wednesday night. It was Ms. Harris's first one-on-one interview on cable television since becoming the Democratic nominee. In her discussion with a friendly interviewer, the vice president again presented herself as a champion of the middle class and hit many of the same themes from her pro-business economic speech earlier in the day." Epstein goes on to list his takeaways. ~~~

      ~~~ Marie: It's true that Harris -- like most politicians -- often does not answer questions directly. For instance, Epstein criticizes her refusal to answer Ruhle's question about why voters aren't buying her economic plan. I too think she could have handled this better. Instead of dodging the question, she could have said something mealy-mouthed about how voters don't know her yet, blah blah. Of course, the real answer -- and one Harris mustn't share -- is that those who say they favor Trump's "plan" are either dumb as rocks, uninformed, misinformed, or maybe are homing in on something else like, "never gonna vote for no Black chick." ~~~

     ~~~ You can watch the full interview, as aired, here. ~~~

~~~ Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: "Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday criticized ... Donald Trump's recent comments about reproductive rights.... 'I don't think the women of America need him to say he's going to protect them,' Harris said during an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle, referring to previous comments from Trump. 'The women of America need him to trust them.'... [In a post on his failing social media site, Trump wrote in all caps,] 'I will protect women at a level never seen before.'... 'They will finally be healthy, hopeful, safe, and secure.'... Harris separately pointed to Trump's previous comments suggesting women should be punished for having abortions.... '... He also then chose three members of the United States Supreme Court who did as he intended, undid the protections of Roe v Wade.'" ~~~

~~~ Harris "Fact-checked" Ruhle's Fact-check. Kathleen Culliton of the Raw Story: "Stephanie Ruhle grilled [Vice President] Harris about her new economic policy plan in an exclusive interview during which she tried to fact-check Harris -- and found herself checked in return. 'Donald Trump,' said Harris, 'left us with the worst economy since the Great Depression when you look at, for example, the employment numbers.' Ruhle cut it to remind Harris about the COVID-19 global pandemic. 'Unemployment was so high because we shut down the government, we shut down the country,' said Ruhle. [Harris replied,] 'Even before the pandemic, he lost manufacturing jobs by most people's estimates at least 200,000,' Harris said. This number appears in an analysis from the BlueGreen Alliance, a group that represents the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club." MB: Harris also said Trump lost auto plants before the pandemic hit. ~~~

     ~~~ BUT. Notice the difference between Harris's remarks during her prepared speech -- recited above in the HuffPost story -- and in her pushback against Ruhle. As Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post notes, "This is a good example of how a cleverly phrased line in a speech can get bungled when a politician tries to repeat it later off the cuff. In the speech, Harris's phrasing was defensible. But the wording in the interview was wrong.... In 2019, the year before the pandemic, manufacturing went into a mild recession, and the number of manufacturing jobs fell nearly 50,000 from January 2019 to February 2020.... From February 2017, the first month of jobs data in his presidency, to the time the pandemic struck in March 2020, manufacturing jobs increased about 400,000...." ~~~

~~~ That is, before the pandemic, there was a hefty increase in manufacturing jobs during Trump's presidency*, though that number was beginning to fall shortly before the pandemic caused an economic crisis. Obviously, it's impossible to know what would have happened to manufacturing jobs absent the Covid virus: if the numbers would have continued to increase as they had in the first years of Trump's term or continued to decrease as they had shortly before the pandemic hit. ~~~

~~~ Josh Boak & other AP reporters try to analyze and contrast Harris's & Trump's economic "plans." MB: Good luck with that. Harris at least has a theme; Trump has a disastrous grab-bag of policies meant to help the rich, pander to the struggling poor & middle-class, and generally cause a recession or depression.

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "President Biden on Wednesday delivered a blunt assessment of the character of his predecessor, telling the hosts of 'The View' on ABC that 'there's not a lot of redeeming value' to... Donald J. Trump. Asked if he would have won if he stayed in the presidential race, Mr. Biden replied: 'Yes. I was confident I would beat Trump. He's a loser.' But in an appearance that was part personal, part policy and part political, Mr. Biden said he was 'at peace' with his decision not to run again. He also made an enthusiastic pitch for Vice President Kamala Harris: 'She is smart as hell, No. 1,' he said. He added that 'she's tough, she's honorable, and the thing I like about her -- and one thing to share in common -- is that we have an optimistic view in the future.' Mr. Biden's appearance on the 'The View,' his 10th, was the first time a sitting president has appeared live on the show." (Also linked yesterday.)

Washington Post Editors: "The one thing worse than high credit card rates is Trump's plan to cut them.... He promised that interest rates would be held down to roughly 10 percent.... The impact of a plan like Mr. Trump's would be to worsen the plight of debt-strapped consumers.... When you restrict the price of credit, which is all the interest rate is, the supply of credit falls. And supply shrinks especially sharply for the riskiest borrowers.... In short, this supposed help for the little guy would disproportionately harm consumers of relatively modest means.... When struggling families can't tap credit cards for emergency expenses such as car repairs or utility bills, they can be forced to use alternative sources of credit, such as pawnshops, that offer money on even less attractive terms than credit card companies." The editors go on to decry Trump's entire package of proposals, which Trump's alma mater Penn Wharton estimates "would increase the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: My guess is that Trump has economic advisors who occasionally give him good advice (though "conservative" economists tend not to be very sensible). And Trump just ignores them. It appears that since her initial goof-up of mounting the Trump no-tax-on-tips bandwagon, Harris seems to be making proposals that are at least reasonable, though she ought to get a bit more open on who would pay for the giveaways.

Our Own Neville Chamberlain. Jonathan Cooper of the AP: At a North Carolina event that was supposed to be about the economy, "... Donald Trump described Ukraine in bleak and mournful terms Wednesday, referring to its people as 'dead' and the country itself as 'demolished'... Trump argued Ukraine should have made concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the months before Russia's February 2022 attack, declaring that even 'the worst deal would've been better than what we have now.' Trump, who has long been critical of U.S. aid to Ukraine, frequently claims that Russia never would have invaded if he was president and that he would put an end to the war if he returned to the White House. But rarely has he discussed the conflict in such detail.... On Tuesday, Trump touted the prowess of Russia and its predecessor Soviet Union, saying that wars are 'what they do.'... [Trump], notoriously attuned to slights, began his denunciation of Ukraine by alluding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent criticism of Trump and running mate JD Vance.... '... the president of Ukraine is in our country and he's making little nasty aspersions toward your favorite president, me.... Biden and Kamala allowed this to happen by feeding Zelenskyy money and munitions like no country has ever seen before,' Trump said.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What would Trump do if Russia, visible from Sarah Palin's house," invaded Alaska & declared that Seward's Folly deal null & void? Would Trump cede Alaska to Russia, like his suggestion that Ukraine roll over for Russian aggression? No way to know. Really.

Jamie Frevele of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump declared this week that he would be a 'protector' of women. In a pair of campaign ads, two women described how the ex-president sexually assaulted them. People Magazine was the first to report on the ads, which were backed by George Conway's Anti-Psychopath PAC, and one of their own journalists, Natasha Stoynoff, recounted what happened when she visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2005[.]" The ads are embedded in yesterday's Commentariat & in Frevele's post. (Also linked yesterday.)

A Libertarian and a Libertine walk into a Manhattan crypto-bar. The Libertarian, Nick Gillespie, an editor at Reason, says to the Libertine, Donald Trump, an aging, lying, totally disreputable SOS, "You signed legislation adding $7.8 trillion to the deficit in your first four years. Why will it be different if you're reelected?" "Well, we had a thing called Covid," the Libertine replied. "But you added it before Covid," the Libertarian countered. "And we were getting the country all set with our liquid gold and all the other assets that we have. We were going to bring that way down," the Libertine said, making no sense at all. (Also linked yesterday.)

This Week's Big Grift: "Trump Is Hawking Silver Coins at a 210% Markup." Michael Luciano of Mediaite: Donald Trump is promoting silver 'Trump Coins.'... On Tuesday, Trump retweeted a post by @realtrumpcoins1, whose profile states it is an 'Official Partner of The Trump Organization.' The post contains a 48-second video showing the coin, which has Trump's face on the obverse. On the reverse is the White House, Trump's signature, and the motto 'In God We Trust.' The coin is one troy ounce of silver. The post also contains a link to a website where people can 'preview the coin' and join a waitlist to buy them for a cool $100. As of this writing, the spot price for an ounce of silver is $32.... Typically, custom-made silver coins sell for less than $10 above the spot price of silver...." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Candidates' Debate. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "CNN reported this week that former Fox News personality and Trump administration official Monica Crowley is helping Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) prepare for his vice presidential debate next week against Gov. Tim Walz (D). Crowley is playing the moderator during the debate prep sessions, while House GOP Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), who is a longtime colleague of Walz's, is playing the Democratic nominee for VP. News that Vance enlisted Crowley for debate prep raised eyebrows as she is a prominent contributor to the much-maligned Project 2025, which Donald Trump and his campaign are working overtime to distance themselves from." (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Kathryn Watson, et al., of CBS NEWS: "Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is standing in for Vance in [Gov. Tim] Walz's debate prep sessions, according to a campaign official familiar with the prep. Buttigieg was praised for his debating skills during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary process, and was a stand-in for former Vice President Mike Pence's in Harris' [2020] debate prep.... Buttigieg has also made frequent appearances on Fox News, earning the nickname 'Slayer Pete' by the Los Angeles Times for being a 'rhetorical assassin' on cable news." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ryan Grenoble of the Huffington Post finds a number of Republicans who really have killed family pets, in contrast to Haitian refugees whom Trump, Vance & other Republicans (see, for instance, reports on Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La. below) falsely claim are killing & eating their neighbors' pets.

Here are the New York Times' live updates in developments at the U.N. General Assembly today. (Also linked yesterday.) See also entry under "Ukraine, et al." below.

Sorry, meant to link this earlier: ~~~

~~~ Sheryl Stolberg & David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Biden used his final speech to the United Nations on Tuesday to celebrate his defense of Ukraine against Russia's invasion and his work to restore the United States' global alliances, but he also warned that the advances of his administration could easily fall apart if America returned to isolationism. In an address of a little more than 20 minutes to the U.N. General Assembly, Mr. Biden combined personal touches with policy imperatives and an impassioned defense of democracy. He traced the arc of his own political career, from election to the Senate in 1972 at age 29, to his 'difficult' decision two months ago to drop his bid for re-election -- a decision he framed as a lesson for other heads of state. 'My fellow leaders,' Mr. Biden said, 'let us never forget: Some things are more important than staying in power.'" CNN's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Democrats Save the Republic! Again. Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The House on Wednesday passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown just ahead of the November elections, punting a bigger funding fight to the end of the year. Speaker Mike Johnson again turned to Democrats to supply the bulk of the votes to keep federal funding flowing through Dec. 20, after conservatives in his own conference said they would not support the legislation because it would not cut spending and did not include a measure imposing new proof-of-citizenship requirements on voter registration. The vote was 341 to 82, with a majority of the Republican conference voting in favor of the legislation. Mr. Johnson had brought the legislation to a vote using a special procedure to pass the bill that requires the support of two-thirds of those voting in an effort to circumvent any attempt by hard-liners to block consideration of the measure. All Democrats present voted in support of the legislation.... Senator Chuck Schumer ... said on Tuesday night that the Senate would take up and pass the measure mere hours after it passed the House." CNN's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ NYT Update: "In a pair of votes in quick succession, lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly voted to pass the measure to keep federal funding flowing through Dec. 20. The Senate vote was 78 to 18. All the 'no' votes were Republicans. [President] Biden is expected to sign the legislation before the Sept. 30 deadline." ~~~

     ~~~ Mychael Schnell & Emily Brooks of the Hill reported on Trump's last-minute attempt to tank the stopgap measure since it no longer contains his demand that people provide proof-of-citizenship in order to register to vote. Had Trump succeeded, of course, the Congress would have shut down the government.

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "A bipartisan House majority passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and 13 other current and former members of the administration over their roles in the chaotic and deadly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, after 10 Democrats joined all Republicans in delivering the rare and sweeping rebuke. The 219-to-194 vote was the House's final roll call before members departed Washington to focus on the election, in which control of the chamber is up for grabs. Though the resolution was uniquely broad and direct in condemning the president, members of his cabinet and top advisers in a personal capacity, instead of as an administration, the vote was symbolic because the measure carries no force of law. Still, the participation of 10 Democrats -- almost all of them facing tight re-election contests -- buoyed the Republicans behind the effort to formally hold senior administration officials primarily responsible for the failures of the withdrawal in the summer of 2021...."

Justine McDaniel of the Washington Post: "Republican Rep. Clay Higgins (La.) published racist comments about Haitians on Wednesday -- only to delete them after being confronted by House colleagues. In a post on X..., Higgins called Haitians 'thugs,' called Haiti the 'nastiest country in the western hemisphere,' and repeated false and dehumanizing claims about pet-eating.... He has not yet issued an apology.... Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) confronted Higgins on the floor and asked him to take down the post. House Speaker Mike Johnson, also a Louisiana Republican, told reporters Higgins was approached by colleagues who told him the post was 'offensive.' Johnson said he then spoke to Higgins about it, after which Higgins 'prayed about it and he regretted it and he pulled the post down.'... On the House floor, Horsford introduced a censure resolution against Higgins. In a statement shortly thereafter, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Higgins 'must be held accountable for dishonorable conduct that is unbecoming of a Member of Congress.'... Higgins resigned from the St. Landry Parish sheriff's office in 2016 after he described alleged gang members as 'heathens' and 'animals' in a viral video. He won his House seat months later."

     ~~~ Marie: That is to say, Higgins is a lifelong raving bigot, but God & Mike Johnson are helping him find his way now. Very uplifting. ~~~

     ~~~ Oops! Higgins Scrapes God & Johnson Off His Boot, Like You-Know-What. Annie Grayer, et al., of CNN: "Despite the backlash and ultimate decision to take down the post after he said he prayed on it, Higgins told CNN he stood by his demeaning comments. 'It's all true,' Higgins said. 'I can put up another controversial post tomorrow if you want me to. I mean, we do have freedom of speech. I'll say what I want.' Digging in, Higgins continued: 'It's not a big deal to me. It's like something stuck to the bottom of my boot. Just scrape it off and move on with my life.' Horsford said on [CNN's] 'AC360' that he will 'follow through' on the effort to censure Higgins over the post, which he called 'divisive, racially charged, hateful rhetoric.'"

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Kentucky. David Chen of the New York Times: "A Kentucky sheriff charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a judge pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in a case that has shaken the small rural community of Letcher County. Sheriff Shawn Stines, also known as Mickey, made his first court appearance as a defendant in the case at his virtual arraignment. He is accused of fatally shooting Judge Kevin Mullins last Thursday in his chambers in the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg in southeastern Kentucky, not far from the Virginia border."

⭐ New York. Wowza! William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Eric Adams, a retired police captain who was elected as New York City's 110th mayor nearly three years ago on a promise to rein in crime, has been indicted in a federal corruption investigation, people with knowledge of the matter said. The indictment remained sealed on Wednesday night, and it was unclear what charge or charges Mr. Adams will face. But the federal investigation has focused at least in part on whether Mr. Adams and his campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations. When the indictment is made public, Mr. Adams, a Democrat, will become the first New York City mayor to face a federal charge while in office. It was not clear when he will surrender to the authorities. Federal prosecutors were expected to announce more details on Thursday.... Mr. Adams struck a defiant tone in a video statement issued Wednesday, insisting that he had done nothing wrong. 'I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target -- and a target I became,' he said. 'If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.'" CNN's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ New York Times reporters are live-updating developments in the case. ~~~

~~~ Everybody Eric Adams Knows Is Suspicious. Hurubie Meko & Elena Shao of the New York Times: "Several federal corruption investigations have reached people in the orbit of Mayor Eric Adams of New York, with Mr. Adams -- who faces re-election in 2025 -- and some of the highest-ranking officials in his administration [are] coming under scrutiny.... Here are people with ties to Mr. Adams that are related to the investigations and other legal issues[.]" The report goes on to name a fairly astounding list of 20 individuals, a number of whom have served in his administration. ~~~

~~~ Dana Rubinstein of the New York Times: "... after the news of the mayor's indictment, the calls for his resignation promptly surged. Mr. Adams is not required to resign."

~~~ Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on Wednesday said Eric Adams should resign as mayor of New York City, becoming the most prominent Democrat to push for his ouster amid federal corruption investigations involving his administration. In a statement to The New York Times Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a national leader of her party's progressive wing, said she could 'not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City.... 'The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening government function,' she said. 'Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.'" (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's story is here. MB: AOC made her remarks before Adams' indictment.

North Carolina. Rats ... Ship. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Senior staff members in the office of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina have said they will resign on Oct. 1, becoming the latest people to abandon Mr. Robinson, the state's Republican nominee for governor, in the wake of a CNN report that linked him to disturbing comments on a porn site. Those resigning include Brian LiVecchi, the chief of staff and general counsel; Jonathan Harris, the policy director; John Wesley Waugh, the director of communications; and Nathan Lewis, the director of government affairs. Mr. LiVecchi confirmed the resignations in a brief phone call on Wednesday afternoon. On Sunday, most of the senior employees of Mr. Robinson's campaign for governor also resigned." (Also linked yesterday.)

Wisconsin. Scott Bauer of the AP: "The mayor of a central Wisconsin city who ran for office on his opposition to absentee ballot drop boxes said Wednesday he did nothing wrong when he put on work gloves, donned a hard hat and used a dolly to cart away a drop box outside City Hall. Wausau Mayor Doug Diny posed for a picture Sunday to memorialize his removal of the city's lone drop box that had been put outside City Hall around the same time late last week that absentee ballots were sent to voters. The city's election clerk, Kaitlyn Bernarde, said she has reported the issue to the Marathon County district attorney a well as the state elections commission.... It is a felony in Wisconsin to impede or prevent 'the free exercise of the franchise at an election.'"

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in Israel's wars are here: "Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants exchanged more fire Thursday, as Biden administration officials awaited Israeli and Lebanese action on a 21-day cease-fire proposal formulated by the United States and other nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced himself from the proposal, emphasizing that Israel has not yet responded to it and instructing his forces to 'continue fighting with full force.' The proposal, which does not directly include Hezbollah as a signatory, came after Israel said it was preparing for a potential ground incursion into Lebanon.: ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: "The United States, its allies in Europe and several Arab nations on Wednesday unveiled a joint cease-fire proposal to temporarily end the recent deadly fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, hoping to avert a wider war and bolster stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Gaza." ~~~

The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Israel's wars are here. CNN's live updates are here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Erika Solomon, et al., of the New York Times: "Over two weeks, Palestinians watched as Israeli military bulldozers tore up mile after mile of their streets and alleys, sewage seeping into the dusty ruts left behind. The people of Tulkarm and Jenin, the two West Bank towns that were the focus of Israel's latest military raids, said they had never before experienced such a scale of destruction. Residents pointed to one video that shows an Israeli armored bulldozer flattening a decorative roundabout and nearby vegetation." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Surely I'm not the only wild-eyed conspiracy theorist who suspects Bibi is laying down all this death and destruction at least partially in order to undermine the Biden administration, thus Vice President Harris's election bid. Bibi can't want an honorable, intelligent U.S. president when Trump is the alternative.

Ukraine, et al. Neil MacFarquhar & Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged the United Nations on Wednesday to prevent Russia from freezing the war as it is now, saying that the Kremlin 'still wants even more land -- more land, which is insane, and is seizing it day by day while wanting to destroy its neighbor.' Those nations pushing to end the conflict were ignoring the wishes of the Ukrainian people, he said in an address to the General Assembly, and were encouraging President Vladimir V. Putin's expansionary aims."

News Ledes

The New York Times:' live updates of Hurricane Helene developments today are here. "Hurricane Helene was barreling through the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday en route to Florida, where residents were bracing for extreme rain, destructive winds and deadly storm surge ahead of the storm's expected landfall. The storm could intensify to a Category 4, if not higher, before making landfall late Thursday, and forecasters warned Helene's anticipated large size could make its impacts felt across an extensive area. Areas as distant as Atlanta and the Appalachians are at risk for heavy rains.... Many forecast models show the storm making landfall late Thursday near Florida's Big Bend Coast, a sparsely populated stretch...." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post has forecasts for some cites in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina & Tennessee that are in or near the probable path of Helene. ~~~

     ~~~ This morning, an MSNBC weatherperson said Tallahassee (which is inland) would experience wind gusts of up to 120 m.p.h. and that the National Weather Service said expected 20-foot storm surges near the coast would be "unsurvivable."