The Conversation -- July 8, 2024

Emily Baumgaertner & Peter Baker of the New York Times: "An expert on Parkinson's disease from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center visited the White House eight times in eight months from last summer through this spring, including at least once for a meeting with President Biden's physician, according to official visitor logs. The expert, Dr. Kevin Cannard, is a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders and recently published a paper on Parkinson's. The logs, released by the White House, document visits from July 2023 through March of this year.... It was unclear whether Dr. Cannard was at the White House to consult specifically about the president or there for unrelated meetings.... Without discussing Dr. Cannard specifically, [White House spokesman Andrew] Bates said that the president 'has been seen by a neurologist once a year' as part of his overall annual physical checkup and 'that examination has found no sign of Parkinson's and he is not being treated for it.' He declined to provide dates of any meetings between Mr. Biden and any of his specialists.... In a six-page letter released after [a February 28] checkup, Dr. [Kevin] O'Connor [-- the White House physician --] said the president's medical team had conducted 'an extremely detailed neurologic exam' that had yielded 'no findings which would be consistent with' Parkinson's, stroke or other central neurological disorders." MB: This clarifies a Guardian story, based on New York Post reporting, that I linked with some skepticism yesterday. So now we know what we know. ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: "The White House briefing room devolved into shouting on Monday as the press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, repeatedly dodged and refused to answer questions about the president's health, and whether visits to the White House by a Parkinson's doctor were about the president.... At Monday's daily briefing, Ms. Jean-Pierre refused to talk about Dr. [Kevin] Cannard [-- a Walter Reed neurologist --] or to acknowledge his visits to the White House, even after ... news organizations reported on the logs."

Michael Shear & Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "President Biden said in a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday that he was 'firmly committed to staying in the race,' a defiant answer to allies on Capitol Hill who have said in recent days that he should drop out. He then called into 'Morning Joe' on MSNBC to underscore that message. 'The bottom line here is that we're not going anywhere -- I am not going anywhere,' he said. His pledge to remain in the race kicks off what could be the most crucial week of his presidency, as he faces crumbling support from Democratic lawmakers and mounting fears that his defiance could lead to a historic rout by ... Donald J. Trump and his followers in November's races for the White House and Congress." At 11:00 am ET, this is the pinned item in a liveblog of presidential election updates. ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's story is here. President Biden's letter to Congressional Democrats is here, via Politico. See David F.'s commentary at the top of today's thread. ~~~

     ~~~ Isabella Ramirez & Maya Ward of Politico: "President Joe Biden slammed his critics as 'elites' in a live interview on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' on Monday, daring any challengers to run against him as he doubled down on his vow to stay in the race. 'I'm getting so frustrated by the elites -- now I'm not talking about you guys -- the elites in the party, "Oh, they know so much more." Any of these guys that don't think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention,' Biden told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. During the audio-only interview, Biden shot down Brzezinski's description of him as the presumptive Democratic nominee. 'I'm more than the presumptive, I'm going to be the Democratic nominee,' Biden said, laughing." ~~~

The Best-laid Plans ... Gang Aft Agley. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "From the outset of President Biden's re-election campaign, the plan for winning was to make ... Donald J. Trump so unpalatable that voters uneasy with the incumbent would vote for him anyway. But now Mr. Biden is stuck in a political tailspin, with an abysmal debate performance highlighting his inability to make a case against Mr. Trump and prompting a collective national hand-wringing about his ability to do his job while an increasing number of House Democrats say he should leave the race. To get voters to focus on the threats posed by a second Trump administration, Mr. Biden's own allies say he first must escape his current doom loop and convince voters -- even and especially fellow Democrats -- that he is up to the job himself."

New York. Katherine Rosman of the New York Times: "Three Columbia University administrators have been removed from their posts after sending text messages that 'disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes' during a forum about Jewish issues in May, according to a letter sent by Columbia officials to the university community on Monday. The administrators are still employed by the university but have been placed on indefinite leave and will not return to their previous jobs. Nemat Shafik, the Columbia president, described the sentiments in the text messages as 'unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community.' She said the messages were 'antithetical to our university's values and the standards.' The announcement came about a month after a conservative website published photos that showed some of the text messages sent by the administrators."

Israel/Palestine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here.

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Presidential Race

Luke Broadwater, et al., of the New York Times: "President Biden's base of support among key Democrats on Capitol Hill began to crumble on Sunday as a half-dozen top members of the House privately told colleagues he should withdraw from the presidential race amid growing concerns about his age and ability to win re-election. During a virtual private meeting, the House Democrats -- all senior members of powerful committees -- discussed how to use their collective influence to convince Mr. Biden he had little chance of defeating ... Donald J. Trump, according to five people familiar with the confidential discussion.... Among those saying explicitly that Mr. Biden should end his candidacy were Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee; Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee; Mark Takano of California, the ranking Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee; and Joseph D. Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the committee on House Administration Politico's story is here.

Oh, for Pete's Sake. Jordain Carney of Politico: "House Republicans are opening an investigation into President Joe Biden's doctor in the wake of his debate performance -- the latest sign that Democrats' political headaches are only growing. House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) sent a letter to White House physician Kevin O'Connor on Sunday requesting that he appear behind closed doors for a transcribed interview with committee counsel. Comer is giving O'Connor until July 14 to contact staff to schedule the interview." MB: Funny Comer showed no such enthusiasm for investigating Dr. Ronny Jackson (that's Ronny Johnson to the Man with the Very Good Brain) and the Uppers and Downers Pill Dispensary Johnson-né-Jackson ran out of Trump's White House. (Also linked yesterday.)

Yasmeen Abutaleb, et al., of the Washington Post: "When questions about his age and ability to serve another four-year term have surfaced -- whether from the news media, lawmakers or the general public -- the president's aides have been quick to deny any problem.... Aides have increasingly shielded Biden from unscripted encounters -- shortening his interactions with the news media and installing teleprompters at virtually all of his appearances where he would give remarks, even small private events -- sparking suspicion among those who interact with him less often that his aging and decline may be worse than aides have acknowledged."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times knocks President Biden's verbal gaffes. MB: That's all well and good, but I am reminded that for at least a year after Donald Trump became president, MSM reporters went out of their way to "translate" his incoherent remarks and turn them into complete sentences. They also have not complained in print about Biden's delivery, even though it's obviously been substandard for a couple of years.

Timothy Snyder on Substack: "It should seem odd that media calls to step down were not first directed to Trump. If we are calling for Biden to step aside because someone must stop Trump from bringing down the republic, then surely it would have made more sense to first call for Trump to step aside? (The Philadelphia Inquirer did).... When media folks describe discussions among Democrats as chaos and disarray, they are implicitly suggesting that it is better for a leader of a party to never be questioned."

Azi Paybarah of the Washington Post: "The head of a Philadelphia radio station said Sunday it has parted ways with a host who acknowledged that she interviewed President Biden with questions submitted by his campaign, going against the station's practice and those of most news outlets. 'On July 3, the first post-debate interview with President Joe Biden was arranged and negotiated independently by WURD radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders without knowledge, consultation or collaboration with WURD management,' Sara M. Lomax, president and CEO of WURD Radio said in a statement.... Later on Saturday, people familiar with the Biden booking operation said the campaign will not continue the practice of offering 'suggested questions.'" MB: I dunno, but it seems that once again the "littlest person" pays the price for a mistake and everybody else get away with it.

J.D. Vance Figures He Is Entitled to His Own Facts. Tom Boggioni on AlterNet: "In just the first half of Sen. J.D. Vance's interview with 'Meet the Press' host Kristen Welker, the Ohio Republican waved his hands and snapped at her as she attempted to fact-check him." Vance first claimed that the Biden administration engineered the New York prosecution against Trump; then claimed that Democrats want to fund abortions up to the time of birth. Welker pushed back against both false assertions.

Washington Post Editors: "... the GOP has an ambitious agenda, and much of it is unpopular. That is likely why Mr. Trump doesn't want it written down in an official document -- and why the party's platform committee also plans to meet behind closed doors, even though sessions have traditionally been televised on C-SPAN.... To be sure, Mr. Trump is an apparent menace even without detailing every weird plan his far-right administration-in-waiting wants to impose on the nation.... He gets away with [incendiary] talk [and disastrous proposals] in part because he does not let himself get pinned down on specifics. Voters should demand better than such cynical strategic ambiguity."

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law. -- U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 3 (emphasis added)

That's unconstitutional! -- John Roberts, Trump v. U.S.

Eileen Sullivan & Danielle Kaye of the New York Times: "Boeing agreed on Sunday to plead guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to defraud the federal government over two fatal crashes of the 737 Max in 2018 and 2019, according to a late-night court filing. In the deal with the department, outlined in part in the court filing, Boeing also agreed to pay a $487.2 million fine -- the maximum allowed by law -- and invest at least $455 million over the next three years to strengthen its compliance and safety programs. The company will be put on probation, supervised by the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas, for three years. As part of the probation, the Justice Department will appoint an independent compliance monitor who will make sure that safety measures are in place and followed, submitting annual reports to the government.... The company's board of directors will also be required to meet with crash victims' families.... The company has not been convicted of a federal felony in decades. In the filing, the department described the charge of conspiring to defraud the federal government as 'the most serious readily provable offense.'" ~~~

     ~~~ David Koenig & Alanna Richer of the AP: "Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years, the Justice Department said Sunday night. Federal prosecutors gave Boeing the choice last week of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine as part of its sentence or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States."

Ajit Niranjan of the Guardian: "The world has baked for 12 consecutive months in temperatures 1.5C (2.7F) greater than their average before the fossil fuel era, new data shows. Temperatures between July 2023 and June 2024 were the highest on record, scientists found, creating a year-long stretch in which the Earth was 1.64C hotter than in preindustrial times."

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France. Roger Cohen of the New York Times: "France faced a hung parliament and deep political uncertainty after the three main political groups of the left, center and right emerged from snap legislative elections on Sunday with large shares of the vote but nothing approaching an absolute majority. The preliminary results upended widespread predictions of a clear victory for the National Rally, Marine Le Pen's anti-immigrant party that dominated the first round of voting a week ago. Instead, the left-wing New Popular Front won 178 seats. The centrist coalition of President Emmanuel Macron, who cast the country into turmoil a month ago by calling the election, was in second place with 150 seats. Trailing it was the National Rally and its allies, which took 142 seats." Politico's report is here.

Israel. Isabel Kershner of the New York Times: "Israelis on Sunday marked nine months since the devastating Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7 and the start of the ensuing war in Gaza with a nationwide day of anti-government protests.... Primarily calling for a cease-fire deal with Hamas that would see hostages return from captivity and for new elections in Israel, protesters brought traffic to a standstill at several major intersections in cities and on highways across the country. Much of central Tel Aviv was blocked in one of the biggest protests in months."

News Lede

Washington Post: "Beryl, now a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to make landfall in Texas in the coming hours after tearing through parts of the Caribbean, where it killed at least 11 people, wrecked homes and tore down power lines. It is projected to hit Matagorda, a small town between Corpus Christi and Houston, before bringing destructive winds inland." This is a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the New York Times' liveblog.

The Conversation -- July 7, 2024

The New York Times is liveblogging the results of the French elections: ~~~

Roger Cohen & Aurelien Breeden: "The left was set to surge in legislative elections in France on Sunday and the far right to come up short of expectations, according to early projections, as no party secured an absolute majority. In a surprising performance, the left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, emerged as a front-runner for the most seats in two early projections, though the final results could change the picture. Several polls had the left and [Prime Minister Emmanuel] Macron's centrist coalition jockeying for the largest number of seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament where most legislative power resides. Five projections had the far right in the third position.... Voter participation at 5 p.m. local time was the highest in over two decades, at nearly 60 percent, the Interior Ministry said." At 3:00 pm ET Sunday, this is the pinned item.

Breeden: "Although the picture is still murky, most early projections by French pollsters put the far-right National Rally in third place. That would be an extremely disappointing result for its supporters -- and a sigh of relief for President Emmanuel Macron, who many critics blamed for calling the snap election that could have brought the far right to power."

Oh, for Pete's Sake. Jordain Carney of Politico: "House Republicans are opening an investigation into President Joe Biden's doctor in the wake of his debate performance -- the latest sign that Democrats' political headaches are only growing. House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) sent a letter to White House physician Kevin O'Connor on Sunday requesting that he appear behind closed doors for a transcribed interview with committee counsel. Comer is giving O'Connor until July 14 to contact staff to schedule the interview." MB: Funny Comer showed no such enthusiasm for investigating Dr. Ronny Jackson (that's Ronny Johnson to the Man with the Very Good Brain) and the Uppers and Downers Pill Dispensary Johnson-né-Jackson ran out of Trump's White House.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law. -- U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 3 (emphasis added)

That's unconstitutional! -- John Roberts, Trump v. U.S.

Sunday Reads

Carlos Lozado of the New York Times explores the oscillating meanings of "American exceptionalism" and a "shining city upon a hill." Very much worth a full read, right down to the last graf.

Joyce Vance writes on Substack about Trump's and the Heritage Foundation's attempts to pretend they're totally independent of one another. A good read, including this bit: "Project 2025 doesn't contain overt references to Trump. In that regard, it reminds me of the Supreme Court's opinion in the immunity appeal, Trump v. U.S. The Court pretended it was writing rules for theoretical future presidents. They tried to divorce their decision from the reality that it could let Donald Trump, whom they dismissed without naming him as 'present exigencies,' escape from his effort to overturn the election with no consequences."

The Diabolical Cunning of Donald Trump. Philip Kennicott of the Washington Post homes in on the way Trump is attempting to inoculate the public against outrage at his aggressive deportation plans. "Paraphrased into English, Trump is saying: For every 10 (or 10,000 or 10 million) bad people we deport, the media will fixate on images that depict the suffering of a few good people, perhaps an attractive woman with beautiful children, which will cause outrage and make it difficult to continue the deportation.... He is extending his frequent dehumanization of immigrants -- as animals and criminals -- into what might be called the photographic conscience, the visceral power of images to galvanize public sentiment and reorder the priorities of political life.... [By anticipating disturbing images of migrant suffering, Trump is setting us up, so that] no longer do we see an image of terrible suffering and say, never again. Rather, we imagine the dreadful details of terrible suffering, and then steel ourselves to look away."

Presidential Race

Katie Glueck, et al., of the New York Times: "Numerous officials, lawmakers and strategists in President Biden's own party increasingly see his candidacy as unsustainable -- and their private anxieties are slowly but steadily spilling into public view, interviews with more than 50 Democrats this week showed. Growing swaths of Democrats now believe that by remaining on the ticket, the president is jeopardizing their ability to maintain the White House and threatening other candidates up and down the ballot. The moment is setting up an extraordinary clash between a defiant president of the United States who insists he is not abandoning his re-election campaign and members of his party who are beginning to suggest that he should. 'I have less and less confidence in this campaign's ability to win this race,' Representative Scott Peters, Democrat of California, said in an interview. 'If we know we're going to lose, we would be foolish not to look at another course.'"

Lisa Kashinsky & Kelly Garrity of Politico: "One of Joe Biden's high-profile campaign surrogates is publicly urging him to consider exiting the presidential race. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a member of Biden's national campaign advisory board who earlier this spring headlined a big-dollar fundraiser for him in Boston, said in a statement Friday that he should 'carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.'" Also linked yesterday.

Matt Viser & Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who is in a competitive race and among the more endangered Democrats, on Saturday morning called on [President] Biden to drop out of the race, saying 'there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win.... Given what I saw and heard from the President during last week's debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the President himself following that debate, I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump,' she said in a statement." Politico's story is here. Also linked yesterday.

Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats have been a bulwark of support for [President] Biden.... But as Biden's hold on the Democratic nomination has weakened after his poor debate performance against ... Donald Trump, Senate Democrats have grown less boisterous about the president's future. As of late Saturday, not a single Democratic senator had publicly called for Biden to step aside.... That's in stark contrast to the House, where five Democrats have formally asked him to step aside and at least 10 others have raised concerns publicly about whether he should reconsider his plans. But those same Senate Democrats have remained relatively quiet in a manner that could suggest a more ominous future."

Michael Scherer, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden's top aides awoke after debate night with a plan to contain the damage: A raucous North Carolina crowd, a message of resilience, a demonstration of vibrancy.... Rather than take [supporters'] concerns head-on, Biden followed the speech and rally by retreating from public view -- a series of private fundraisers awkwardly using his teleprompter, a retreat with his family to take pictures with photographer Annie Leibovitz, short scripted addresses at the White House -- just 32 minutes of combined public comments over five days, none of it off the cuff. Sentiment on Capitol Hill soured, donors organized against him and some public polls showed significant erosion. Independent Democratic strategists circulated plans to build up Vice President Harris. His own advisers and staff began to speak out, alarmed by what one called the 'deafening silence.' Then began the drip-drip of elected and former leaders asking him to step aside."

Biden's Blind Spot Is Shakespearean. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "King Lear gave up power too early. President Biden will give it up too late. And that is Joe's tragedy.... Biden's contention that he alone can beat Trump was never true. And now he has lost some moral high ground because he hid the evidence of cognitive deterioration.... We don't know now who is running the country. We only know who shouldn't be -- the president and the former president.... Let's open the convention and check out all the Democratic stars." MB: Dowd doesn't write anything I haven't written since reading the debate reviews and seeing about 30 seconds of Biden's performance. But she writes it better. Also linked yesterday.

Sanjay Gupta of CNN: "The consensus from the doctors reaching out to me ... [following President Biden's debate performance] was that the president should be encouraged to undergo detailed cognitive and movement disorder testing, and those results should be made available to the public." MB: See also Paul Campos in LG&$. (Thanks to RAS for the link.) And see my comment near the top of Saturday's thread. Also linked yesterday. ~~~

~~~ Edward Helmore of the Guardian: "Joe Biden's doctor met with a leading Washington DC neurologist at the White House this year, it was reported on Saturday. The report came after Biden on Friday ruled out taking an independent cognitive test and releasing its findings publicly.... According White House visitor logs reviewed by the New York Post, Dr Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson's disease expert at Walter Reed medical center, met with Dr Kevin O'Connor, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who has treated the president for years. The visit took place at the White House residence clinic on 17 January. Cannard has visited the White House house eight times since August 2023.... Biden has consistently rejected taking any cognitive test, including in August 2020 when he dismissed a reporter's question with: 'Why the hell would I take a test?' He has continued to dismiss the need for one and, according to aides, has not received one during his three annual physical exams during his term in the White House. The Washington Post on Saturday reported a White House aide saying that O'Connor, who has been Biden's doctor since 2009, has never recommended that Biden take a cognitive test." Also linked yesterday. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Okay, it's the New York Post, but the Guardian is willing to accept the reporting, so maybe the Post didn't just make up the story out of whole cloth.

Michael Kranish & Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "Since winning the White House, [President] Biden has continued to dismiss the need for a cognitive exam, and aides have said he has never taken one as president -- not in three annual physical exams, and not in the week since a halting debate performance raised more urgent questions about the now-81-year-old's mental acuity. That decision has been overseen by a key figure largely unknown to the public: Kevin O'Connor, the physician to the president, who has grown extraordinarily close to Biden since becoming his personal doctor in 2009. A White House official said O'Connor has never recommended that Biden take a cognitive test.... Unlike some physicians to a president, O'Connor, 58, a doctor of osteopathic medicine and a retired Army colonel, has not appeared at the White House podium to take questions about Biden's annual physicals and other medical events....

"Three of O'Connor's former colleagues in the White House medical unit, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe confidential relationships, said Biden's debate performance suggested to them that the president should undergo cognitive screening. In addition, Ira Monka, the president of the American Osteopathic Association, who visited with O'Connor at the White House this year, also told The Post that he thinks Biden's performance should prompt an initial cognitive review to see if more tests are needed." Also linked yesterday.

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "The questions asked of President Biden by two radio interviewers this week were provided in advance to the hosts by members of Mr. Biden's team, one of the hosts said Saturday morning on CNN.... And yet, despite knowing the questions in advance, Mr. Biden still stumbled over some of them.... Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of 'The Source' on WURD in Philadelphia, said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of the interview on Wednesday. 'The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,' she told Victor Blackwell ... on CNN. Asked if it was the White House that sent the questions to her in advance, she said it was. 'I got several questions -- eight of them,' she said. 'And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.' Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for the Biden campaign, said it was actually campaign aides, not White House officials, who sent the list of questions.... Ms. Lawful-Sanders said later on Saturday that she 'never once felt pressured to ask certain questions' from the campaign." A Mother Jones story is here. Also linked yesterday.

Brian Schott of the Salt Lake Tribune: "On Friday evening, Utah Sen. Mike Lee used his personal X/Twitter account to amplify a baseless claim that President Joe Biden was having a 'medical emergency' on Air Force One.... The claim started with far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who posted without attribution that 'Joe Biden is reportedly having a medical emergency on Air Force One. Press access has been removed. 'A Community Note, a tool on X ... that empowers people to add context to misleading posts, debunked Loomer's claim, noting journalists traveling with the president reported there was no incident, and Biden exited the plane on his own.... After Loomer's false claim made its way to [MB: right-wing] podcaster Monica Crowley, Lee ran with it. A few hours after helping to spread disinformation online, Lee attacked the [MB: 'Left-wing'] media for being untrustworthy. He also claimed that Biden was being run like a puppet by former President Barack Obama." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Mike Lee is the worst form of scum. A U.S. senator is supposed to have at least a minimal level of integrity. Instead, after spreading a false story for which he had no credible source, he blamed "left-wing media" for a fake rumor that only righty-right liars promoted. And he never took responsibility for his own actions.

Philip Nieto of Mediaite: "A former staffer on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign revealed bombshell texts claiming that the former president's 2020 campaign 'settled multiple suits' related to gender discrimination and sexual harassment. A.J. Delgado made the revelation as part of her ongoing discrimination lawsuit against the current campaign, alleging she was raped by Trump advisor Jason Miller. The motion she filed Thursday included a thread of texts she claims are between herself and Jenna Ellis, another former Trump staffer.... Read more from The New Republic here." In the text exchange, Ellis says claims settled -- through middlemen -- were against "Boris," possibly Trump pal Boris Epshteyn. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, why or why am I thinking Ellis's blubbery "deep remorse" for her participation in the Georgia election fraud scheme was a dramatic exhibition of crocodile tears.

Delay, Delay, Delay. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Saturday postponed a few deadlines in ... Donald J. Trump's classified documents case to allow prosecutors time to respond to his request for a broader pause in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling this week on executive immunity.... In a brief order on Saturday, Judge [Aileen] Cannon told prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, that they had until July 18 to respond to Mr. Trump's request for a broad delay. In the meantime, she pushed back two approaching deadlines in the case related to filings about expert witnesses the two sides plan to introduce at trial and to the defense's obligation to provide discovery information to the government." Also linked yesterday.

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The federal judge overseeing ... Donald J. Trump's classified documents case on Saturday rejected an effort by one of his co-defendants to have the charges he is facing dismissed by claiming that he was the victim of a vindictive prosecution by the government. The co-defendant, Walt Nauta, who works as a personal aide to Mr. Trump, had accused prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, of unfairly indicting him because he declined to help their efforts to build a case against the former president by testifying against him in front of a grand jury. Mr. Nauta's lawyer, Stanley Woodward Jr., also claimed that at a meeting at the Justice Department two years ago, prosecutors had threatened to derail a judgeship he was seeking if he did not prevail on his client to turn on Mr. Trump. But in an order issued on Saturday night, Judge Aileen M. Cannon rejected those arguments, ruling that even though Mr. Nauta had refused to provide testimony against Mr. Trump, there was 'no evidence suggesting that charges were brought to punish him for doing so.'"

Radley Balko in a Substack essay: "Faced with the most potent threat to democracy in more than a century, our most revered institution didn't just fail to hold, it aligned itself with the threat. The Supreme Court's ruling in Trump v. United States is its worst decision of my lifetime. John Roberts's sloppy, arrogant, contradictory majority opinion provides license for any future president to lie, cheat, steal, suppress dissent, and -- if they have the stomach for it -- assassinate. It obliterates a guardrail for executive power that's fundamental to a functioning democracy. So fundamental, in fact, that until the country elected an aspiring autocrat brazen enough to engage in open-air corruption, it was a guardrail few thought necessary to actually define. Of course the president can be prosecuted for actual crimes.... This opinion isn't a stain on Roberts's legacy. It is his legacy. He will be remembered as the 'institutionalist' who destroyed the legitimacy of the institution entrusted to his care." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Balko is a seasoned journalist whose political ideology is all over the map.

Marie: Speaking on MSNBC this morning, Jill Wine-Banks pointed out perhaps the only funny by-product of Supreme Court's presidential* immunity ruling: it blows up the fake purpose of Jim Jordan's infamous House Weaponization Committee where the House was supposed to be investigating how Joe Biden had "weaponized" the Justice Department and other federal agencies. Why? Because the Supremes made all that supposed weaponization (which, admittedly, is a right-wing fiction) is now totally legal. Thanks, Supremes!/p>

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California. Shannon Osaka of the Washington Post: "At first glance, one of the world's oldest living organisms doesn't look like much -- a collection of shrubs nestled atop a hill in a rocky gully. But those shrubs are just the crown of a giant, spreading oak tree, 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. Most of the tree is underground. Estimated to be 13,000 to 18,000 years old, the tree -- known as the Jurupa Oak -- is older than almost any other plant on Earth. It has survived an ice age and rapid climate warming. Its leaves may have brushed against saber-toothed cats and 500-pound ground sloths. But now, environmentalists and locals worry that the ancient tree is under threat from a more quotidian force in modern California: development. The Planning Commission of Jurupa Valley, a city of 100,000 an hour east of Los Angeles, is poised to approve a 1.4-square-mile development that includes a business park, 1,700 homes and an elementary school. Light-industry buildings would stand just a few hundred feet from the ancient tree.... Environmentalists believe that the construction and resulting development could be deadly to the Jurupa Oak." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Read on. This is so not the type of decision that should be left to local yokels. Ever. The WashPo reporters write, "Jurupa Valley is also not known for its environmental quality: The city is best known nationally for a set of polluted acid pits that catapulted it into the news in the 1980s."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Former hurricane Beryl ... is gearing up for its third and final landfall, this time in Texas. The forecast is tricky, but meteorologists are expecting the tropical storm to come ashore as an intensifying hurricane Sunday night into Monday. The National Hurricane Center is projecting Beryl to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane along the lower or middle Texas coast. That's where it warns of 'a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation,' and 'damaging hurricane-force winds.'"

New York Times: "Millions of people across the Western United States were broiling under record-breaking heat on Saturday, with little relief in sight over the coming days, according to forecasters. From Oregon to California to the deserts of Arizona, several cities have seen stifling temperatures in recent days. Jacob Asherman, a forecaster for the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center, said the blistering temperatures were being fueled by a ridge of high-pressure air that had parked over much of the West, preventing hot air near the surface from rising higher in the atmosphere."

The Conversation -- July 6, 2024

Biden's Blind Spot Is Shakespearean. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "King Lear gave up power too early. President Biden will give it up too late. And that is Joe's tragedy.... Biden's contention that he alone can beat Trump was never true. And now he has lost some moral high ground because he hid the evidence of cognitive deterioration.... We don't know now who is running the country. We only know who shouldn't be -- the president and the former president.... Let's open the convention and check out all the Democratic stars." MB: Dowd doesn't write anything I haven't written since reading the debate reviews and seeing some 30 seconds of Biden's performance. But she writes it better.

Lisa Kashinsky & Kelly Garrity of Politico: "One of Joe Biden's high-profile campaign surrogates is publicly urging him to consider exiting the presidential race. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a member of Biden's national campaign advisory board who earlier this spring headlined a big-dollar fundraiser for him in Boston, said in a statement Friday that he should 'carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.'"

Matt Viser & Shane Harris of the Washington Post: "Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who is in a competitive race and among the more endangered Democrats, on Saturday morning called on [President] Biden to drop out of the race, saying 'there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win.... Given what I saw and heard from the President during last week's debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the President himself following that debate, I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump,' she said in a statement." Politico's story is here.

Sanjay Gupta of CNN: "The consensus from the doctors reaching out to me ... [following President Biden's debate performance] was that the president should be encouraged to undergo detailed cognitive and movement disorder testing, and those results should be made available to the public." MB: See also Paul Campos in LG&$. (Thanks to RAS for the link.) See my comment near the top of Saturday's thread. ~~~

~~~ Edward Helmore of the Guardian: "Joe Biden's doctor met with a leading Washington DC neurologist at the White House this year, it was reported on Saturday. The report came after Biden on Friday ruled out taking an independent cognitive test and releasing its findings publicly.... According White House visitor logs reviewed by the New York Post, Dr Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson's disease expert at Walter Reed medical center, met with Dr Kevin O'Connor, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who has treated the president for years. The visit took place at the White House residence clinic on 17 January. Cannard has visited the White House house eight times since August 2023.... Biden has consistently rejected taking any cognitive test, including in August 2020 when he dismissed a reporter's question with: 'Why the hell would I take a test?' He has continued to dismiss the need for one and, according to aides, has not received one during his three annual physical exams during his term in the White House. The Washington Post on Saturday reported a White House aide saying that O'Connor, who has been Biden's doctor since 2009, has never recommended that Biden take a cognitive test." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Okay, it's the New York Post, but the Guardian is willing to accept the reporting, so maybe the Post didn't just make up the story out of whole cloth.

Michael Kranish & Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "Since winning the White House, [President] Biden has continued to dismiss the need for a cognitive exam, and aides have said he has never taken one as president -- not in three annual physical exams, and not in the week since a halting debate performance raised more urgent questions about the now-81-year-old's mental acuity. That decision has been overseen by a key figure largely unknown to the public: Kevin O'Connor, the physician to the president, who has grown extraordinarily close to Biden since becoming his personal doctor in 2009. A White House official said O'Connor has never recommended that Biden take a cognitive test.... Unlike some physicians to a president, O'Connor, 58, a doctor of osteopathic medicine and a retired Army colonel, has not appeared at the White House podium to take questions about Biden's annual physicals and other medical events....

"Three of O'Connor's former colleagues in the White House medical unit, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe confidential relationships, said Biden's debate performance suggested to them that the president should undergo cognitive screening. In addition, Ira Monka, the president of the American Osteopathic Association, who visited with O'Connor at the White House this year, also told The Post that he thinks Biden's performance should prompt an initial cognitive review to see if more tests are needed."

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "The questions asked of President Biden by two radio interviewers this week were provided in advance to the hosts by members of Mr. Biden's team, one of the hosts said Saturday morning on CNN.... And yet, despite knowing the questions in advance, Mr. Biden still stumbled over some of them.... Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of 'The Source' on WURD in Philadelphia, said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of the interview on Wednesday. 'The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,' she told Victor Blackwell ... on CNN. Asked if it was the White House that sent the questions to her in advance, she said it was. 'I got several questions -- eight of them,' she said. 'And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.' Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for the Biden campaign, said it was actually campaign aides, not White House officials, who sent the list of questions.... Ms. Lawful-Sanders said later on Saturday that she 'never once felt pressured to ask certain questions' from the campaign." A Mother Jones story is here.

Delay, Delay, Delay. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Saturday postponed a few deadlines in ... Donald J. Trump's classified documents case to allow prosecutors time to respond to his request for a broader pause in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling this week on executive immunity.... In a brief order on Saturday, Judge [Aileen] Cannon told prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, that they had until July 18 to respond to Mr. Trump's request for a broad delay. In the meantime, she pushed back two approaching deadlines in the case related to filings about expert witnesses the two sides plan to introduce at trial and to the defense's obligation to provide discovery information to the government."

Marie: Speaking on MSNBC this morning, Jill Wine-Banks pointed out perhaps the only hilarious by-product of Supreme Court's presidential* immunity ruling: it blows up the fake purpose of Jim Jordan's infamous House Weaponization Committee where the House was supposed to be investigating how Joe Biden had "weaponized" the Justice Department and other federal agencies. Why? Because the Supremes made all that supposed weaponization (which is a right-wing fiction) is now totally legal. Thanks, Supremes!

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Presidential Race

I have a cognitive test every single day.... Everything I do. Not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world. -- President Joe Biden, to George Stephanopoulos, in response to a question about whether or not he would agree to independent cognitive tests & evaluations ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden on Friday dismissed concerns about his age, his mental acuity and polls showing him losing his re-election bid, saying in a prime-time interview that his sharpness is tested every day while he is 'running the world.' He vowed to drop out only if 'the Lord Almighty' told him to. During a 22-minute interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, which aired unedited, Mr. Biden, 81, said there was no need for him to submit to neurological or cognitive testing. He said he simply did not believe the polls showing him losing. And asked how he would feel if ... Donald J. Trump were elected in November, he brushed off the question.... Again and again, Mr. Biden told Mr. Stephanopoulos that voters should consider his accomplishments in office.... Mr. Biden consented to the ABC interview -- one of the few that he has given to news organizations during his presidency -- and traveled to Madison, Wis., for a campaign rally in the hopes that strong performances could help rescue his teetering presidential campaign." ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Peoples of the AP: "The president and his team were hopeful that this first interview would help rally his party and generate momentum for the long road ahead. It's unclear if he was successful.... If people were looking for further signs of trouble, they were easy to find.... He needed to do much more than clear the incredibly low bar he set on national television last week. And the ABC interview had several examples of awkward pauses, garbled words and moments where he meandered.... Biden does not have a good explanation for his dismal debate performance.... Biden appeared flustered at times.... Even before the interview was over, it was clear it would take much more to win over a party that is suddenly open to Biden alternatives just four months before Election Day." Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the transcript, via ABC News.

     ~~~ Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "... many Democrats who spoke out after the interview, which aired on ABC News on Friday night, signaled that it had done little to shift their stances, regardless of whether they thought [President] Biden should remain in the race or drop out.... The president's critics among the Democrats, including those asking him to step aside, said Mr. Biden appeared to be out of touch or in denial about his prospects for re-election.... Representative Mike Quigley, Democrat of Illinois..., said Mr. Biden should step aside, telling CNN that he found points in the interview 'disturbing' and that it was clear 'the president of the United States doesn't have the vigor necessary to overcome the deficit here.'... Former Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, who also has said that Mr. Biden should step aside, said after the interview, 'I don't think he moved the needle at all...,' Mr. Ryan said on MSNBC. 'I think there was a level of him being out of touch with reality on the ground.'... A handful of Democratic lawmakers who have consistently supported Mr. Biden said soon after the interview that they would stick with the president." MB: Quigley is the fourth member of the House to call for President Biden to withdraw his candidacy.

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Biden's prime-time interview with Stephanopoulos will do nothing to reassure people worried about a Biden defeat. Stephanopoulos hectored him with nonstop and repetitive questions about his mental acuity for the full 22-minute session, which undoubtedly made Biden defensive. But the president seemed to be in denial about the magnitude of the problem facing him, unwilling even to acknowledge the obvious truth that he has lost a step over the last 3½ years.... Biden's determination not to give an inch was belied by his delivery: some of the same mouth-agape looks while listening to the question, a couple of meandering answers where he seemed to lose his train of thought. Incredibly, he said he hadn't re-watched the debate that threatens to sink his candidacy. 'I don't think I did, no,' he said after a pause."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "One of America's political parties has a presidential candidate who is really old and showing it. The other has a presidential candidate who is a convicted felon, adjudicated sexual abuser, business fraudster and self-described aspiring dictator for a day.... After Mr. Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies by a Manhattan jury in May -- a verdict that came after civil judgments against him for personal and professional misdeeds -- there was no significant groundswell within the Republican Party to force him out of the race.... Even though many Republican officeholders and strategists privately loathe him, they fell in line and made clear they would stick with him no matter how many scandals piled up.

"Until last week, Democrats had also ... effectively squelched any internal dissent, forcing Democrats to stay quiet despite fears that his age would ultimately undercut his campaign. After last week's debate showcased concerns about his mental sharpness, however..., a wide swath of Democrats concluded that he was no longer viable and mounted an effort to pressure him to step aside.... 'While Biden had the worst debate performance in all of presidential history, Trump's was likely the second-worst," said Jeffrey A. Engel ... [of] Southern Methodist University. 'Yet we hear crickets from Republicans after their presumptive nominee was incoherent, rambling and utterly divorced from the truth. Oh, and also a convicted felon.'... Mr. Trump ... has turned shortcomings into power, at least among his own partisans." (Also linked yesterday.)

Leigh Ann Caldwell & Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post: "Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) is attempting to assemble a group of Democratic senators to ask Joe Biden to exit the presidential race, according to two people with direct knowledge of the effort.... The Virginia senator has told others that he is deeply concerned Biden is not able to run a campaign that could beat ... Donald Trump." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Kate Santaliz, et al., of NBC News: "Some key House and Senate Democrats are planning meetings next week where they're expected to discuss the path forward for President Joe Biden. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., will convene a virtual meeting with Democratic committee ranking members on Sunday, three sources told NBC News. The meeting is expected to focus on President Biden, one of the sources said, as he faces calls to step aside as the party's nominee.... The House committee leaders' meeting, set for 2 p.m. Sunday., is not part of any regularly scheduled gathering of ranking members.... Jeffries has been fairly quiet about Biden in recent days and very little has leaked from his conference call with top House Democratic leaders before the July 4 holiday." (Also linked yesterday.)

Robert Scalese & John Bender of WBUR (Boston): "Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton says President Biden should bow out of the upcoming election. Speaking with WBUR on Thursday, Moulton said he does not have confidence Biden could defeat former President Trump in November. 'President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our founding father, George Washington's footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump,' Moulton said. Moulton is the third sitting member of Congress to publicly say Biden shouldn't run again -- and the first from the Massachusetts delegation." A New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Contingency Plans. Theodoric Meyer of the Washington Post: "Bill Harris, a former chief executive of Intuit and PayPal, said he is leading a small group of Democratic donors who have pledged $2 million to help fund presidential debates among potential nominees if President Biden decides to step aside. The group of donors is pressing for an open competition for the Democratic nomination that would draw public attention if Biden drops out. The group is looking for robust debates rather than merely coalescing around Vice President Harris or another nominee, according to Bill Harris, who declined to name the other donors. Bill Harris described the vice president -- a likely front-runner to replace Biden if he bows out -- as 'a very strong candidate.' But he and the other donors financing the effort favor a 'mini-primary' similar to what Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) outlined Wednesday." ~~~

~~~ Edward-Isaac Dovere of CNN: "Amid the ongoing fallout from Joe Biden's debate performance, talk in many top Democratic circles has already moved to who Kamala Harris' running mate would be. That's how certain a widening group of leading party officials, operatives and donors are that the president's slow start to salvage his campaign just won't work, with several close allies skeptical that he is up to the reelection campaign he has pledged to stay in, based on CNN's conversations with two dozen Democratic politicians and operatives."

Yasmeen Abutaleb, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden, who at 81 is the oldest person ever to hold the office, has displayed signs of accelerated aging in recent months, said numerous aides, foreign officials, members of Congress, donors and others who have interacted with Biden over the last 3½ years, noting that he moves more slowly, speaks more softly and has moments when he loses his train of thought more often than even just a year ago. None of those who spoke to The Washington Post said they had seen Biden appear as lost and confused as he did at the presidential debate against Donald Trump on June 27, where his halting performance sent panic through the Democratic Party. They largely did not question his mental acuity, and several senior White House aides who interact with Biden regularly said that he continues to ask probing, detailed questions about complicated policy matters and can recall facts from previous briefings in minute detail."

Adriana Licon of the AP: "Donald Trump distanced himself Friday from Project 2025, a massive proposed overhaul of the federal government drafted by longtime allies and former officials in his administration, days after the head of the think tank responsible for the program suggested there would be a second American Revolution. 'I know nothing about Project 2025,' Trump posted on his social media website. 'I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.'... Some of the people involved in Project 2025 are former senior administration officials. The project's director is Paul Dans, who served as chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under Trump. Trump's campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt was featured in one of Project 2025's videos. John McEntee, a former director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office in the Trump administration, is a senior adviser." The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Obviously, you can (a) know "nothing" about a subject, then (b) say you disagree/agree with the subject. I guess it takes a stable genius to admit ignorance in the same breath he disavows that about which he knows nothing.

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Lawyers for ... Donald J. Trump on Friday asked the judge overseeing his classified documents case to put that proceeding almost entirely on hold as they sort through whether Mr. Trump enjoys immunity from the charges based on a landmark Supreme Court ruling this week.... In a 10-page motion, they asked Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who is overseeing the proceedings, to allow them to file additional briefings on immunity and to freeze nearly all pretrial activity until she resolves the issue.... Mr. Trump's lawyers have already asked Judge Cannon to grant him immunity to the charges...." Politico's report is here.

Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "The Social Security Administration's recently departed inspector general abused her authority and undermined the integrity of her office while under investigation for misconduct, a report from a committee of federal watchdogs found. Gail Ennis, who left her post last week, repeatedly refused to steer clear of an inquiry into her leadership of an anti-fraud program that issued extraordinary fines on disabled and elderly people accused of disability benefit fraud, investigators found. The report said she obstructed the probe by refusing to be interviewed, ordering subordinates and witnesses to limit access to information, and at times seeking to mislead investigators." The committee has not yet released its report. MB: Ennis was a Trump appointee, so her obstruction and lies were perfectly consistent with Trump's MO.

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Kansas. John Hanna of the AP: "Kansas' highest court strongly reaffirmed Friday that the state constitution protects abortion access, striking down a ban on a common second-trimester procedure and laws regulating abortion providers more strictly than other health care providers. The pair of 5-1 decisions suggests that other restrictions -- even ones decades on the books -- might not withstand legal challenges.... 'This is an immense victory for the health, safety, and dignity of people in Kansas and the entire Midwestern region, where millions have been cut off from abortion access,' said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented the abortion providers challenging the two laws."

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "Liberals on the Wisconsin Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the use of absentee-ballot drop boxes, changing the rules for voting four months before the presidential election and reversing a decision made by conservatives two years ago when they controlled the court. The 4-3 ruling came a year after liberals took a majority on the top court in a crucial swing state and six months after they undid a gerrymander that had long given Republicans huge majorities in the state legislature.... Ballot drop boxes were available for years in some Wisconsin communities, and their use was greatly expanded for the 2020 presidential election as voters turned to absentee voting because of the covid-19 pandemic. Top Wisconsin Republicans supported them at the time but turned against them after Joe Biden narrowly beat ... Donald Trump in the state.... The decision leaves it to local officials to decide whether to use drop boxes." The AP's report is here.

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Hungary. Two Members of Dictators' Club Meet in Moscow. Emily Rauhala & Mary Ilyushina of the Washington Post: "Fresh off his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Moscow on Friday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin -- a striking break with the European Union's collective foreign policy just days after Hungary took over the bloc's rotating presidency. Even before Orban's plane touched down Friday, the trip drew sharp disavowals from Brussels. Josep Borrell, the E.U.'s top diplomat, preemptively noted that the Hungarian leader's travel is not official E.U. business and 'takes place exclusively in the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia.' But with Hungary now holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the trip represented a diplomatic triumph for Putin...."

Iran. Farnaz Fassihi & Cassandra Vinograd of the New York Times: "In an election upset in Iran, the reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, who advocated for moderate policies at home and improved relations with the West, won the presidential runoff election, beating his hard-line rival, the Ministry of Interior said on Saturday morning. Mr. Pezeshkian, 69, a cardiac surgeon, got 16.3 million votes to defeat the hard-line candidate, Saeed Jalili.... Mr. Jalili received 13.5 million votes. After polls closed at midnight, turnout stood at 50 percent, about 10 percentage points higher than in the first round of the election with about 30.5 million ballots cast in total, according to Iran's interior ministry. The first round saw a record-low turnout because many Iranians had boycotted the vote as an act of protest." The AP's report is here.

Vatican. Excommunication Comes to the Archbishop. Emma Bubola & Elisabetta Povoledo of the New York Times: "The Vatican said on Friday that it had excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the church's former ambassador to the United States, after finding him guilty of schism for refusing to recognize the authority of Pope Francis and the liberal reforms enacted after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Archbishop Viganò has emerged as one of the most unbridled conservative critics of Francis, calling him in public statements a 'false prophet' and a 'servant of Satan,' while embracing right-wing conspiracy theories and lauding ... Donald J. Trump. Though excommunicated, Archbishop Viganò will be able to keep his title, but he will not be allowed to celebrate Mass, receive or administer sacraments and hold official positions within the church's hierarchy."

News Lede

New York Times: "Texas was bracing for Tropical Storm Beryl as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico early Saturday, and a hurricane watch was issued for the state's southern coast. Hours earlier, the storm made landfall in Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane. Damaging winds and storm surge battered the Mexican coast, leaving snapped trees and power outages in its wake. Beryl, which then weakened to a tropical storm, was expected to become a hurricane before reaching the Texas coast as soon as late Sunday. In the past week, the storm flattened islands and killed 12 people in Grenada, Jamaica and Venezuela."