The Conversation -- September 9, 2024

⭐ Jess Bidgood of the New York Times: "... the only man to have run against two female nominees in two presidential elections is one with a long and explicit record of denigrating women. From the earliest days of his presidential candidacy in 2015 to a Trump Tower news conference on Friday, Donald J. Trump has repeatedly attempted to attack, embarrass and threaten the women standing in his way -- especially on the debate stage.... A review of his onstage clashes with women shows how, over nine years in politics, he has honed a playbook of explicitly gendered attacks against both female candidates and journalists that he is likely to draw from on Tuesday when he debates Vice President Kamala Harris. Mr. Trump has used his physical presence and body language to intimidate women, made veiled threats, complained that they were uniquely mean and belittled their qualifications...."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Monday announced that his panel will hold a hearing on the Supreme Court's controversial 6-3 ruling giving former President Trump broad immunity from prosecution for crimes related to his official acts as president.... 'Congress can't turn a blind eye to the dangers of the Donald Trump immunity decision by the Supreme Court. We're going to highlight the blaring dangers of this far-right ruling for the American people,' he said in statement posted on the social media site X. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has warned the court's conservatives placed the president of the United States above other Americans in applying criminal laws and created in essence a two-tier justice system."

Sophia Cai of Axios: "Ten generals and admirals are mobilizing to defend Vice President Kamala Harris from Republican attempts to tie her to the chaotic 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.... 'Without involving the Afghan government, [Trump] and his Administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban that freed 5,000 Taliban fighters,' the retired military officials wrote in a National Security Leaders for America letter.... The group accused Trump of leaving Biden and Harris with no plans to execute a withdrawal and little time to do so." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The report is 354 pages. According to one of the generals who signed the letter and later appeared on MSNBC to discuss it, the report mentions Harris only three times. So it sounds to me as if what Rep. McCaul did when Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket was call up the draft report in his word-processing program, hit find-and-replace and change "Biden administration" to "Biden-Harris administration." Excellent work!

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Jennifer Hansler & Kylie Atwood of CNN: "Republicans and Democrats released dueling documents on the deadly August 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan on Monday, as ... Donald Trump's campaign seeks to make the decisions surrounding the exit a key issue in the final weeks before the presidential election. The release -- after years of investigation by the Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee -- of the report by GOP Chairman Rep Michael McCaul and a minority memorandum by Democratic Ranking Member Rep. Gregory Meeks underscore how partisan the debate over the frenzied US exit from Afghanistan has become.... The Republican report is highly critical of the Biden administration and pins the blame for the chaotic exit exclusively on its decisions. It also aims to implicate Harris, now the Democratic nominee for president, in its accusations by referring to the current government as 'the Biden-Harris administration.'... 'Everything we have seen and heard of Chairman McCaul's latest partisan report shows that it is based on cherry-picked facts, inaccurate characterizations, and pre-existing biases that have plagued this investigation from the start,' said Sharon Yang, a White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations."

Presidential Race

Tal Axelrod of ABC News: "Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo..., slammed [Donald Trump] ... in her call for other Republicans to vote against him this year. 'We see it on a daily basis, somebody who was willing to use violence in order to attempt to seize power, to stay in power, someone who represents unrecoverable catastrophe, frankly, in my view, and we have to do everything possible to ensure that he's not reelected,' Cheney told 'This Week' co-anchor Jonathan Karl. 'You have many Republicans out there who are saying, "Well, you know, we're not going to vote for him, but we will write someone else in." And I think that this time around, that's not enough, that it's important to actually cast a vote for Vice President Harris,' Cheney added."

Grifter-in-Chief. Josh Dawsey & Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "No presidential candidate has ever so closely linked his election with personal for-profit enterprises, selling a staggering array of merchandise that includes signed Bibles where he receives a royalty for hawking them, pricey sneakers, gold necklaces, cryptocurrency cards, pens, books, licensing fees on overseas properties and more. His company's website also sells a variety of political merchandise at higher prices than his campaign charges for the same items." (Also linked yesterday).

digby: "Trump excited the crowd [Saturday] with promises of bloodshed with his mass deportation policy.... And his followers are thrilled at the prospect."

The Company He Keeps. Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "On his most recent financial disclosure form, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. reported a single gift: $900 concert tickets from a German princess known for her links to conservative activists. The disclosure does not list the event's details, including the concert's name, location or how many tickets the princess provided. But in an interview with a German news organization, the gift provider, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, described Justice Alito and his wife as 'private friends' and said the tickets were for the Regensburg Castle Festival, an annual summer celebration she hosts at her 500-room Bavarian castle. The princess, known in earlier decades as a party-loving, art-collecting aristocrat and who was once christened Princess TNT for her explosive personality, has become known in recent years for her close relationships with several high-profile people who oppose the current pope, as well as with Stephen K. Bannon...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you read through the article, I think you'll conclude that VanSickle has given new depth to the meaning of "conservative." I expect there's a lot of Wagner on the Regensburg Castle Festival program, and perhaps some serious group goose-stepping about the castle's courtyard preceding private dinners. If you'd like to know what the old pile looks like, here are a couple of pages of snapshots. Not only does it appear that Princess von Thurn has not given up her party days after all, someone in a crowd outside the castle displays a homemade sign which reads, in German, "Nazis dine secretly in the [Thurn und Taxis] castle."

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Florida. DeSantis Thugs at the Door. Charles Davis of Salon: "Florida voters who signed a petition to place a pro-choice abortion referendum on the ballot this November say they have been visited by police who are investigating claims of fraud at the behest of Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, the Tampa Bay Times reported Saturday. Last year, DeSantis, a Republican, signed into a law a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. In response, pro-choice campaigners gathered and submitted nearly one million signatures to place on the ballot Amendment 4, a referendum that would overturn the ban and restore reproductive rights in the state. Now Florida's Department of State is claiming it suspects fraud in the signature-gathering process. In an email to county election officials, the department's Brad McVay requested that they hand over their already-verified petitions so that the signatures can be reexamined, claiming without evidence that those who circulated the petitions 'represent known or suspected fraudsters,' Tampa Bay television station WTVT reported." MB: This really is quite scary.

Tennessee. Emily Holzknecht & Taige Jensen of the New York Times post a video describing how the state keeps half a million people from voting. "While nearly all states suspend or withdraw people's right to vote when they are convicted of felonies, most allow restoring that right after they have served their sentences. Many states have made that process easier in recent years -- one of them being New York, to the advantage of felon-of-the-moment Donald Trump, who retains his right to vote as long as he's not incarcerated. But Tennessee has moved in the opposite direction, making the process significantly more difficult. (Think: bureaucratic maze from hell.)"

Texas. David Goodman of the New York Times: "Days before the 2020 election, supporters of ... Donald J. Trump driving in vehicles festooned with flags as part of a so-called 'Trump Train' surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign bus as it sped along a Texas interstate highway. Images of the impromptu convoy of antagonists were memorable.... Now those same images from Interstate 35 will be used as evidence in a federal civil trial that seeks to hold the Trump supporters responsible for assault and political intimidation tactics. Opening arguments begin on Monday.... Lawyers for the plaintiffs have argued that in organizing to harass and intimidate the campaign bus, the defendants violated state law and the federal Enforcement Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act."

News Lede

New York Times: "James Earl Jones, a stuttering farm child who became a voice of rolling thunder as one of America's most versatile actors in a stage, film and television career that plumbed race relations, Shakespeare's rhapsodic tragedies and the faceless menace of Darth Vader, died on Monday at his home in Dutchess County, N.Y. He was 93." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I was walking down Fifth Avenue one spring day in the 1990s when I thought I was hearing the voice of god. (Okay, slight exaggeration.) But no. NYU was holding its commencement exercises in Washington Square Park (which sits at the bottom of Fifth Avenue), and James Earl Jones was accepting (with a boost from amplifiers) an honorary degree.

The Conversation -- September 8, 2024

Grifter-in-Chief. Josh Dawsey & Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: "No presidential candidate has ever so closely linked his election with personal for-profit enterprises, selling a staggering array of merchandise that includes signed Bibles where he receives a royalty for hawking them, pricey sneakers, gold necklaces, cryptocurrency cards, pens, books, licensing fees on overseas properties and more. His company's website also sells a variety of political merchandise at higher prices than his campaign charges for the same items.:

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Presidential Race

Marie: Thanks to NiskyGuy, I ordered a sign like this. I will plant it on the right-of-way next to the federal/state road that runs through my town. ~~~

Tim Balk of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign released a TV advertisement on Saturday reminding voters that ... Donald J. Trump has taken credit for helping overturn Roe v. Wade, and targeting the growing share of voters who say that abortion is their top issue. The new 30-second ad will appear on broadcast and cable networks in seven swing states -- Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin -- and in Nebraska's competitive Second Congressional District, the campaign said." ~~~

How Racist Is Trump? Oh, Way Racist. ~~~

~~~ Donald JimCrow Trump. Alex Woodward of the Independent (Sept. 3): "During a campaign stop at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell, Michigan, Donald Trump suggested that deputies there should be deployed to the majority-Black city of Detroit. 'I'd love to have them working there during the election,' he told the group on August 20, standing in front of law enforcement officials and squad cars. A week later, Trump held a 'town hall' in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The next day, he rallied in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He will speak in the town of Mosinee, Wisconsin, on September 7. These relatively small cities -- spread across midwestern swing states and far from dense metropolitan areas -- all have one thing in common: They are former 'sundown' towns, where threats of Jim Crow-era violence enforced racial segregation.... Viral criticism across social media has argued that Trump's latest campaign stretch [is] ... a 'dogwhistle' to racist supporters. Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign accused the former president of deliberately campaigning in the former 'KKK capital of Michigan' [Howell]."

Voter Suppression on Steroids. Jillian Frankel of NBC News: "... Donald Trump ... warned Saturday that he would attempt to imprison anyone who engages in 'unscrupulous behavior' during the 2024 race results. The threat was issued in a post on Truth Social ... and repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, accusing Democrats of 'rampant Cheating and Skullduggery.' 'The 2024 Election, where Votes have just started being cast, will be under the closest professional scrutiny and, WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again,' he wrote.... 'Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials. Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country.'" MB: This is a bald-faced attempt to discourage anyone from voting for or advocating for Kamala Harris or other Democrats.

Abbie Cheeseman & Marianne LeVine of the Washington Post: "A day after spending much of a 49-minute news conference revisiting -- and denying -- sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him, Donald Trump used part of a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Saturday to discuss another subject that has bedeviled his campaigns for president: Russian interference in U.S. elections.... But Trump, who has repeatedly described the probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election as a 'hoax,' is dismissing [Russia's 'more sophisticated covert efforts'] this time around, too. 'The Justice Department said Russia may be involved in our elections again,' Trump told the crowd at his rally. 'And, you know, the whole world laughed at them this time.'... Trump's rally, at the airport in Mosinee, Wis..., featured a stump speech that meandered from familiar attack lines about inflation and jobs to falsehoods about sex-change operations for minors, conspiracy theories about government employment statistics and dismissals of Russian interference in American elections.... 'I knew Putin, I knew him well,' Trump said at the rally Saturday. 'The other day he endorsed Kamala. He endorsed Kamala. I was very, offended by that ... I think it was done maybe with a smile.'" More on Russia's support for Trump linked below. ~~~

~~~ Michael Gold of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump vowed to vastly reshape the federal bureaucracy on Saturday in a wide-ranging, often unfocused speech at a rally in Wisconsin. He pledged to ultimately eliminate the Department of Education, redirect the efforts of the Justice Department and fire civil servants charged with carrying out Biden administration policies that he disagreed with. And he told his supporters that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading vaccine skeptic who recently endorsed him, would be 'very much involved' in a panel on 'chronic health problems and childhood diseases.'... Many of the proposals in Mr. Trump's speech align with [his] plans reported by The New York Times to conduct a broad expansion of presidential power over government, and to effectively concentrate more authority within the White House, if he wins in November. And many of his pledges dovetailed with the stated goals and proposals of Project 2025, an effort by a group of conservative organizations to develop policies for the next Republican president." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I too am developing a list of personnel for Trump's 2nd administration, based on some statements he has made. So far I've got Bobby Junior for HHS Secretary, Elon for Commerce Secretary & TuKKKer for press secretary. ~~~

~~~ Lisa Kashinsky of Politico: "Donald Trump on Saturday floated changing the 25th Amendment to allow Congress to impeach a vice president for covering up a president's incapacity.... 'I will support modifying the 25th Amendment to make clear that if a vice president lies or engages in a conspiracy to cover up the incapacity of the president of the United States..., it's grounds for impeachment immediately and removal from office, because that's what they did,' the former president said during a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin.... [Trump] has repeatedly, and without evidence, accused Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats more broadly of covering up the state of [President] Biden's health -- particularly his mental fitness -- after the president's disastrous June debate performance that ultimately led to his exit from the race.... Trump's remarks on Saturday are also the latest sign of his continued struggle to adjust to running against a new opponent. Trump has repeatedly lamented the change at the top of the Democratic ticket, and has at times even appeared to confuse who he is competing against."

Yes, the Rich Are Different from You and Me. Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "The decision [by Judge Juan Merchan to delay Donald Trump's sentencing] ... is a surprising validation of the former president's legal strategy to use his wealth and political status -- and an assist from the Supreme Court -- to drag out the case and diminish its impact on his campaign. The delay all but guarantees that, on Election Day, Mr. Trump will remain a felon, but also a free man.... Mr. Trump's critics perceive a justice system that treats normal defendants one way, and the singular Mr. Trump another." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Judge Merchan delayed Trump's sentencing until November 26, after the election, of course, and two days before Thanksgiving. As Jimmy Kimmel said the other night, "This will be the first time in history that the turkey had to pardon the president*."

Ken Bensinger & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: The Heritage Foundation has pumped several videos into social media this election season that falsely claim noncitizens are voting in droves. In one video, Heritage featured seven Georgia men saying in Spanish that they were not U.S. citizens but had registered to vote. The video concluded falsely that 14 percent of noncitizens in Georgia were registered voters. But "State investigators found no evidence that any of the seven people on the tape had ever registered to vote. A spokesman for Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, called the video 'a stunt.'... While the once-staid think tank has received attention recently for Project 2025, the right-wing blueprint for a future Trump administration that the group funded, it has also made its mark with an aggressive effort to shape public opinion, seeding falsehoods about the integrity of the 2024 election across social media and conservative news outlets.... Borrowing from covert tactics used by the group Project Veritas, [Heritage's] Oversight Project has published videos about the supposed threat of migrant voting in shelters on the Texas border, in New York City and in North Carolina."

Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "The Russian government's covert efforts to sway the 2024 presidential election are more advanced than in recent years, and the most active foreign threat this political season, U.S. intelligence officials said Friday. Russia's activities 'are more sophisticated than in prior election cycles,' said a senior official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in a briefing with reporters, noting the use of 'authentic U.S. voices' to 'launder' Russian government propaganda and spread socially divisive narratives through major social media, as well as on sham websites that pose as legitimate American media organizations. Moscow is targeting U.S. swing states in particular, the official said, and using artificial intelligence to more quickly and convincingly create fake content to shape the outcome in favor of ... Donald Trump."

⭐ Paul Mozur, et al., of the New York Times: "Telegram has become a global sewer of criminal activity, disinformation, child sexual abuse material, terrorism and racist incitement, according to a four-month investigation by The New York Times that analyzed more than 3.2 million Telegram messages from over 16,000 channels. The company, which offers features that enable criminals, terrorists and grifters to organize at scale and to sidestep scrutiny from the authorities, has looked the other way as illegal and extremist activities have flourished openly on the app.... The Times investigation found 1,500 channels operated by white supremacists who coordinate activities among almost one million people around the world. At least two dozen channels sold weapons. In at least 22 channels with more than 70,000 followers, MDMA, cocaine, heroin and other drugs were advertised for delivery to more than 20 countries.Hamas, ISIS and other terror groups have thrived on Telegram, often amassing large audiences across dozens of channels."

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Georgia. Sarah Blaskey & Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "The mother of the suspected Apalachee High School gunman told family members that she called the school on the morning of the shooting and warned a counselor about an 'extreme emergency' involving her 14-year-old son, according to text messages obtained by The Washington Post and an interview with a family member. That account is supported by a call log from the family's shared phone plan, which shows a 10-minute call from the mother's phone to the school starting at 9:50 a.m. -- about a half-hour before witnesses have said the gunman opened fire....

"A counselor told [Marcee] Gray during the call that her son had been talking about a school shooting that morning, according to Gray's sister, Annie Brown, who described family discussions of the events to The Post. Around the same time, a school administrator went to the son's math classroom, according to Lyela Sayarath, a student in the class. Sayarath said there seemed to be confusion involving another student in the class with a name similar to that of Gray's son. Neither student was in the room, and the official left with a backpack belonging to the similarly named student, she said. The shooting began minutes later.... The texts also show that the school and family were in contact about his mental health a week before the shooting, and that Brown told a relative the teen was at the time having 'homicidal and suicidal thoughts.'"

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden's months-long push for a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas has been upended again in recent days, putting the deal on life support as U.S. officials say they are reassessing next steps.... The latest obstacle -- the abrupt introduction by Hamas of a new demand surrounding which prisoners Israel would release -- underscores the frustrating, often excruciating process that has preoccupied top U.S. officials, and Biden himself, for nine months. At several recent points the United States, along with Qatar and Egypt, believed a deal was within reach, only for Israel or Hamas to derail the talks with new demands that set negotiators back weeks or months. Overall, Biden's chances of ending the war in Gaza and bringing home the remaining hostages before he leaves office appear ever more remote...."

Erika Solomon & Rawan Ahmad of the New York Times: "The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had struck two school compounds in northern Gaza that Hamas was using as a military base, while the family of a young Turkish American woman released an angry statement blaming Israel for her killing in a West Bank protest on Friday. According to Gazan rescue services, an overnight Israeli strike on the Halimah al-Saadiyah school in the town of Jabaliya killed four people who had been sheltering in tents that displaced Palestinians have set up around the facility. A second strike on Saturday hit the Amr Ibn al-As school in Gaza City, which medics said had killed three people and wounded 20 more.... Schools closed down in Gaza after Israel's invasion, but many have been turned into makeshift shelters that now house tens of thousands trying to flee Israeli bombardment.... Gazans continue to crowd into the buildings, which provide toilets and running water that are in short supply elsewhere in the enclave." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You know what Palestinians in Gaza can't get? Soap. In fact, a lack of soap is responsible for some of the disease that is spreading in Gaza. Many "are starving, no one can wash. No one is safe."

Venezuela. Genevieve Glatsky & Orlando Mayorquín of the New York Times: "The opposition candidate in Venezuela's disputed July presidential election left the country on Saturday, the authorities said, as a standoff deepened at the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas where six Venezuelan opposition leaders have been sheltering since March. President Nicolás Maduro has faced widespread domestic and international condemnation for proclaiming that he won that election, as well as for a violent crackdown on demonstrators protesting that declaration. The United States has said that the opposition candidate, Edmundo González, won. On Saturday, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said on social media that Mr. González had left for Spain after voluntarily seeking refuge at the Spanish embassy in Caracas. Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said that Mr. González was traveling on a Spanish Air Force plane at his own request."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "A quick-moving blaze in Southern California exploded in size this weekend, consuming more than 17,000 acres as of early Sunday and forcing evacuations amid a searing heat wave in the region. The Line Fire in San Bernardino County, which ignited late last week, quadrupled in size as the weekend began, scorching thousands of acres on Saturday alone. The flames raced up steep terrain, chewing through thick vegetation as they approached Running Springs, a mountain community of about 5,000 people that lies between the populated resort areas of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake. The community has been ordered to evacuate, while Lake Arrowhead and areas to its west are under an evacuation warning."

Washington Post: "Kentucky authorities intensified the search for a man accused of opening fire on Interstate 75, naming him as an official suspect Sunday in a shooting that injured five people from gunshots, three from car crashes and shut down a major highway the day before. The search for Joseph Couch, 32, has continued for 24 hours in southeastern Kentucky after authorities came upon a chaotic scene Saturday, where they found cars riddled with bullet holes and sheriff's deputies taking some injured to the hospital. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office warned Sunday that Couch is considered 'armed and dangerous,' as they continued a difficult backwoods search with the help of federal agencies."

The Conversation -- September 7, 2024

Presidential Race

The Candidates' Debate. Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris is holed up for five days in a Pittsburgh hotel, doing highly choreographed debate practice sessions ahead of Tuesday night's clash. There's a stage and replica TV lighting and an adviser in full Lee Strasberg method-acting mode, not just playing Donald J. Trump but inhabiting him, wearing a boxy suit and a long tie. The former president's preparations are more improv. They are pointedly called not 'debate prep' but 'policy time,' meant to refresh him on his record. Nobody is playing Ms. Harris.... The Harris and Trump teams see [the debate] as a crucial moment to define Ms. Harris for millions of swing voters who know what they think about Mr. Trump but are still curious about her." MB: I hope if Trump stalks Harris on the debate stage the way he did Clinton, that she will at least threaten to flatten him.

Harris Gets the Darth Vader Vote. Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: "'Dick Cheney will be voting for Kamala Harris,' [his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.)] said Friday during an interview at the Texas Tribune Festival when asked in an interview if she knew who her father would vote for.... The former congresswoman also said during her Friday interview with The Atlantic's Mark Leibovich that she would support Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, in his Senate bid in the state. Allred is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz, who has served in the Senate since 2013.... Allred ... embraced Cheney's backing in a post to X, calling her a 'patriot who continuously puts country over party.' Asked for comment about Cheney's remarks, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung replied, 'Who the f--- is Liz Cheney?'" MB: Elegant. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Update. Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most influential and hawkish conservatives in the modern Republican Party and a figure reviled by the left, said Friday he would be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris because he regards ... Donald J. Trump as a grave danger to the country. 'In our nation's 248 year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,' Mr. Cheney, 83, said in a statement. After Mr. Trump's actions trying to steal the 2020 presidential election and then using 'lies and violence' to keep himself in power, Mr. Cheney said, 'he can never be trusted with power again.'"

     ~~~ Marie: If staunch conservatives like Liz & Dick Cheney can vote for a Democratic candidate for president, what's the matter with so-called moderate Republicans like Larry Hogan & Chris Sununu? Are they just gutless.

Are the MSM finally getting it?? Here are two back-to-back headlines on the front page of today's WashPo online main page:

(1) "Trump turns to outlandish promises to offset $7 trillion in tax cuts"

(2) "Trump rants, resurfaces sexual assault allegations for 49 unfocused minutes"

Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "If any voters had forgotten that Donald J. Trump was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, he spent roughly 45 minutes reminding them on Friday, eight weeks before Election Day. At a lectern in the lobby of Trump Tower, Mr. Trump, flanked by seven of his lawyers, laid out years-old allegations from the women in detail as he denied that they were telling the truth.... [After leaving a hearing in the E. Jean Carroll case against him (story linked below)], he went to his eponymous building for what ... [his] campaign called a 'press conference.' But he ended it without taking questions..., [although] Mr. Trump criticized his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, for avoiding reporters...." MB: Kind of a fun read. Haberman, who seldom directly criticizes Trump (her methods is to report what he says and does, which is self-damning), seems to have had it with him here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marianne LeVine, et al., of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump railed against women who have accused him of sexual assault. He baselessly blamed the Biden-Harris administration for his legal difficulties. He appeared to criticize the physical appearances of some of his accusers. 'She would not have been the chosen one,' he said of one, later adding that he would 'not want to be' involved with another accuser, even as he acknowledged his advisers urged him not to make such a comment.... In a roughly 49-minute appearance that sometimes verged into a stream-of-consciousness rant that was hard to follow, Trump also reminisced about his early career as a real estate mogul and reality television star. ('I was ... a celebrity for a long time.')" ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's report is here. Jennifer Bendery has the Huffington Post story, which includes this: "Without any evidence, [Trump] accused Carroll of 'stealing her story from an episode of a popular legal drama TV series. 'Her favorite show is "Law & Order,"' Trump claimed. 'There's an almost exact story as her story in Law & Order" about being attacked in the dressing room of a department store.' 'That's her favorite show, "Law & Order,"' he repeated. 'She said that.'"

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump has outlined policies that could add trillions of dollars to the rising national debt if he wins in November, and analysts are skeptical of the new claims and proposals he says would mitigate their fiscal impact. In a speech at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, Trump promised 'trillions' of dollars in spending cuts from a new government commission that budget experts largely regard as unrealistic, while floating a new U.S. sovereign wealth fund that members of his party have traditionally opposed. Trump also insisted that a new round of tax cuts would lower the debt -- a claim disputed by most mainstream economists, and undermined by the actual budgetary effects of the tax cut he signed into law during his administration."

Steve Benen of MSNBC has some thoughts on Donald Trump's and JD Vance's prescriptions for easing the cost of child care. Vance suggested parents get a relative to take care of the kids for free, as if parents hadn't thought of that themselves (and as if most parents had relatives who were competent caregivers just sitting about waiting to be asked to babysit the kids all the time). "To the extent that Trump said any understandable words in his response, the Republican seemed to suggest that he'll impose tariffs on trading partners, which he believes will generate money that he can then apply to child care costs. But that's bonkers: Not only will the tariffs fail to create some giant pool of money for Trump to draw from, but those same tariffs would raise costs for the families looking for relief." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Vance's and Trump's "answers" to the child-care crisis provides a window into why women are sometimes better problem-solvers than men: women have more experience at facing dilemmas and finding solutions. It is obvious that JayDee and Donald have never dealt with child-care issues, but the fact is that they have never confronted a lot of everyday problems. Think, for instance, of Trump: he goes to work where his "problem-solving" is limited to yelling at employees and blaming others when he screws up. One of the many upsides of the family dynamic where husbands and fathers truly participate in performing household tasks is that men gain experience in confronting common problems, too.

Mia McCarthy of Politico: "... Donald Trump told a crowd of Jewish Republicans that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election this fall that 'Israel is gone' and said Jewish Democrats who support Biden should have their 'head examined.'... Trump said to the Republican Jewish Coalition on Thursday. 'You can forget about Israel, that's what's going to happen. So they have to get out on Nov. 5 and they have to vote for Trump. If they don't, I think it's going to be a very terrible situation.'... Trump also acknowledged the death of the six Israeli hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who Trump appeared to first refer to as 'Hersh Goldman.' He also repeated his comment that the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel would have never happened if he had been president at the time." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Wow! That Kamala! Yesterday we found out people were stampeding to get out of California because of fear of Kamala. Now we learn she is about to obliterate an entire country. Because she can!

Zack Beauchamp of Vox: "Though [Tucker] Carlson has been off of Fox News for over a year, broadcasting on Twitter/X instead, he remains influential in the [Republican] party. He delivered a primetime speech at the 2024 RNC and reportedly played a major role in the JD Vance vice presidential pick. Now that he's crossing the reddest of red lines -- actively apologizing for Adolf Hitler -- can the party cut ties? The answer has been a resounding no. The Trump camp -- which sets the tone for the entire party -- has so far done nothing to distance itself from the increasingly toxic Carlson. Vance, who has pre-taped a Carlson interview and is scheduled to speak with him at a live event in two weeks, refused to denounce Carlson after the [pro-Hitler] fiasco -- with a spokesperson saying in a statement that 'Senator Vance doesn't believe in guilt-by-association cancel culture.'... [Meanwhile, many conservative commentators] are expressing shock ... that Tucker Carlson is soft on Nazis...."

Filip Timotija of the Hill: "A Michigan court ordered Friday that former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name be removed from the state's general election ballot, overturning previous efforts to keep his name on the ballot. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that Kennedy, who suspended his White House bid in August and endorsed former President Trump, can have his name withdrawn from Michigan's ballot.... [A] spokesperson for the Michigan secretary of state's office, said in a statement to The Hill that the office will be 'appealing to the Michigan Supreme Court.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Amy Gardner & Azi Paybarah of the Washington Post: "A state appeals panel upended election preparations in North Carolina on Friday, ordering a halt to the distribution of mail ballots in the battleground state after granting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s request that his name be removed from contention for the presidency. Friday was the deadline for local election officials to mail ballots to the roughly 130,000 North Carolinians who had requested them so far. County offices had been preparing for weeks with ballot design, printing orders and envelope preparation. That effort immediately stopped under instructions from the State Board of Elections following the court ruling, and officials estimated it will take a minimum of two weeks and more than $1 million -- borne by cash-strapped county offices -- to design, print and prepare new ballots. An anonymous three-judge panel of the North Carolina State Court of Appeals offered no explanation for its decision...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So unnamed judges changed the presidential ballot and they don't say why? -- The secret judges' decision theoretically could change the outcome of the entire U.S. presidential election because North Carolina is verging on becoming a battleground state. Does anybody see a problem here? Hint: star chamber, def: "characterized by secrecy and often being irresponsibly arbitrary and oppressive"

Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump's criminal case in Manhattan postponed his sentencing until after Election Day, a significant victory for the former president as he seeks to overturn his conviction and win back the White House. In a ruling on Friday, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, cited the 'unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in' and rescheduled the sentencing for Nov. 26. He had previously planned to hand down Mr. Trump's punishment on Sept. 18, just seven weeks before Election Day.... 'This is not a decision this court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this court's view, best advances the interests of justice,' Justice Merchan wrote in the four-page ruling, which noted that 'this matter is one that stands alone, in a unique place in this nation's history.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ From the WashPo story linked above, by Marianne LeVine & others: "During an afternoon event addressing the Fraternal Order of Police, Trump mischaracterized the decision by Merchan.... 'Big news today is that the Manhattan [district attorney] witch hunt against me has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was no case, because I did nothing wrong,' Trump said. 'It's a witch hunt. It's an attack by my political opponents in Washington, D.C.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: After a discussion near the end of yesterday's thread, I posted a rationale, proferred by Andrew Weissmann, for Judge Merchan's ruling. In addition, as RAS notes, former federal prosecutor Kristy Greenberg, appearing on MSNBC last night, said that the prosecution, by not contesting the sentencing delay Trump had requested, made it difficult for Merchan to sentence Trump in September. During the same MSNBC segment, former prosecutor Duncan Levin said that sentencing Trump to a "period of confinement" after the election, if he loses, will be easier than it would be before the election. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Alter of the New York Times agrees with that: "Ironically, the justice that was delayed on Friday could be justice enhanced in the future. If Justice Juan Merchan -- an exceptionally wise jurist -- had stuck to his Sept. 18 schedule, it's hard to see how he could have sentenced a possible future president to anything more than probation. If he sentenced Trump to prison, it would have seemed highly political, even if it wasn't, and would have probably helped Trump. And Merchan knows that if Trump wins, any decision to incarcerate the president-elect would almost certainly be viewed as impractical by a higher court. But if Kamala Harris wins, the judge -- who is clearly fed up with Trump's shenanigans -- will be free of political pressure and can impose an appropriately stiff sentence.... Voters were always going to be the ultimate jurors. If they do their job properly, Trump may well end up in a prison jumpsuit."

Kara Scannell of CNN: Lawyers for Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll squared off Friday in lower Manhattan as the former president tries to convince a federal appeals court that he should get a new trial after a jury found he sexually abused and defamed the one-time columnist.... Trump did not attend the trial or call any witnesses, but he was seen arriving at Friday's oral arguments. Carroll also attended. The hearing wrapped around 10:30 a.m. ET. The court will not issue a decision Friday and one is unlikely before November's presidential election.... The case is separate from a related defamation trial that was held earlier this year. A jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages after finding Trump defamed her in 2022 when he repeated similar statements about Carroll. In appealing the 2023 [$5 million] judgment, Trump's attorneys have argued the trial judge made mistakes by allowing the jury to hear evidence from two other women who claimed Trump sexually assaulted them...." (Also linked yesterday.)

We as a community, we as a society, we as a country cannot condone the normalization of the January 6 Capitol riot. -- U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee ~~~

Trump Loses Russia-Backed Media Ally. Ellie Houghtaling of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: The pro-Trump "Tenet Media is no more. The conservative media network folded Thursday night, just one day after the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment accusing it of being funded by Russian state-controlled media, according to Tenet Media field reporter Tayler Hansen. The indictment accused Tenet and its founders of receiving nearly $10 million from employees of Russia Today as part of 'a scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging,' Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.... YouTube also wiped Tenet Media's content from its platform 'after careful review' following the indictment, telling NBC News that its decision to erase the channel and its affiliates was part of 'ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: OMG! Who's next? Not Hitler and Putin fanboy TuKKKer? Update: Uh, maybe so: ~~~

     ~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "As reported by Julia Davis at The Daily Beast, Russian state TV host Vladimir Solovyov appeared 'notably shaken' by the DOJ indictment of two Russian operatives for funneling money to right-wing media companies in the United States in exchange for airing pro-Kremlin propaganda. In particular, Solovyov feared that former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who infamously filmed a propaganda video praising a high-end grocery store in Moscow, would be the next domino to fall. In fact, Solovyov went so far as to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend an offer of asylum to Carlson, as well as MAGA influencers Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson all of whom were secretly paid hefty sums of money in exchange for peddling Kremlin propaganda. The Russian media figures also expressed concern for Dimitri Simes, the former Trump adviser who was charged by the DOJ this week for working with sanctioned Russian media operations."

⭐ ~~~ Michael Kunzelman, et al., of the AP gather together some videos of the January 6, 2021, insurrection: "Inside Washington's federal courthouse, there's no denying the reality of Jan. 6, 2021. Day after day, judges and jurors silently absorb the chilling sights and sounds from television screens of rioters beating police, shattering windows and hunting for lawmakers as democracy lay under siege.... The cases have systematically put on record -- through testimony, documents and video -- the crimes committed, weapons wielded, and lives altered by physical and emotional damage.... But as he seeks to reclaim the White House, Donald Trump continues to portray the defendants as patriots worthy of admiration.... His relentless attempts to rewrite history have become foundational to the Republican's bid for another term, with campaign rallies honoring the rioters as heroes while an anthem plays in their name." The report ends with links to examinations of the cases of three of the most violent insurrectionists. MB: This is an extraordinary report, particularly extraordinary in that it frankly lays out the brazen lies of the Republican candidate for president*. I suspect these reporters were overwhelmed by the evidence they saw and felt compelled to, at least momentarily, drop the both-siderism charade. (Also linked yesterday.)

Here's how stupid (and murderous) the Supreme confederates are: ~~~

~~~ Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Friday partly reinstated firearm bans in California and Hawaii, finding that California could, for example, prohibit guns in parks, playgrounds and bars but not in banks or hospitals. The 3-0 ruling, by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, said that the Supreme Court's current interpretation of gun rights was 'seemingly arbitrary' and 'hard to explain' at the moment. The court's findings applied only to laws in those two states.... The Supreme Court found [in 2022] that restrictions on guns are constitutional only if courts can find an analogue 'consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation.' But, the court added, states could ban guns in 'sensitive places' such as schools and courthouses.... In their decision on Friday, which reviewed three lower-court decisions, the Ninth Circuit panel traced state and municipal laws to the 1700s in some cases to determine whether a historical analogue existed for the gun bans that had been blocked in California and Hawaii."

Ry Rivard of Politico: "One of the businesspeople convicted this summer of bribing former Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded guilty Thursday to a separate federal bank fraud charge, continuing a fall from grace for one of New Jersey's most powerful real estate developers. Th developer, Fred Daibes, literally rebuilt Edgewater, New Jersey, turning a once-industrial strip of riverfront properties into a 'Gold Coast' of high-rises with million-dollar views of Manhattan. Daibes, an affable former refugee with a rags-to-riches story, remains beloved by allies in Edgewater for his generosity and for the mark he left on the landscape. During the two-month Menendez trial, one government witness called one of Daibes' apartment complexes 'the most beautiful building I've ever seen.'... Federal prosecutors in New Jersey alleged that between 2008 and 2013, Daibes and others conspired to avoid federally imposed lending limits by having Daibes' friends and relatives falsely apply for loans in their own names that were, in actuality, for Daibes. According to a press release from the US Attorney's Office in New Jersey, Daibes pleaded guilty Thursday to making false entries to improperly obtain a $1.8 million loan from [a bank he had chaired called Mariners' Bank]." (Also linked yesterday.)

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Georgia. Patrick Smith, et al., of NBC News: "The teenager accused of shooting dead two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school appeared in court for the first time on Friday to face murder charges, hours after his father was arrested on suspicion of facilitating the shootings by allowing his son to possess a deadly weapon. Colt Gray, 14, appeared in Barrow County Superior Court in Winder at 8.30 a.m. ET, where the judge said he faces four counts of felony murder. He is being treated as an adult in the case.... The maximum penalty includes life with or without the possibility of parole, and does not include death.... Shortly afterward, his father, Colin Gray, 54, appeared in the same courtroom, faced with 14 charges, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. He was told he could face a maximum of 180 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Two law enforcement sources ... told NBC News Thursday night that Gray gave his son an AR-15 style rifle as a gift." (Also linked yesterday.)

Missouri. Kate Zernike of the New York Times: "A Missouri court late Friday moved toward striking a ballot measure in November that would ask voters whether to establish a right to abortion in the state Constitution. Judge Christopher Limbaugh of Cole County Circuit Court sided with anti-abortion lawmakers and activists who said that the abortion rights groups that gathered signatures to sponsor the ballot measure had not sufficiently explained its potential ramifications on the petitions they asked voters to sign. With the state scheduled to print ballots on Tuesday, the judge said he would wait until then to issue an injunction instructing the secretary of state to remove the measure that was certified last month. That will give the abortion rights groups a chance to appeal to a higher court. The coalition behind the measure vowed to do so immediately, calling the ruling 'a profound injustice to the initiative process.'" MB: Limbaugh, huh? I'm sensing a genetic disorder which causes acute feminitis.

Texas. Michael Wines of the New York Times: "Texas has sued to block federal rules that prohibit investigators from viewing the medical records of women who travel out of state to seek abortions where the procedure is legal. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Federal District Court in Lubbock, targets medical privacy regulations that were issued in 2000, and takes aim at a rule issued in April that specifically bans disclosing medical records for criminal or civil investigations into 'the mere act of seeking, obtaining, providing or facilitating reproductive health care.' Texas bans abortions in almost all circumstances. Women are not subject to criminal prosecution for obtaining abortions, but state law imposes penalties of as much as life in prison for those who aid in obtaining abortions."

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "An American woman was shot and killed on Friday during a protest against Israeli settlements in the Palestinian town of Beita in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses. The State Department identified the woman as Aysenur Eygi. Three activists who were at the protest on Friday said the woman had been shot by Israeli soldiers." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Kareem Fahim, et al., of the Washington Post: "The woman, Aysenur Eygi, [was] a 26-year-old volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian activist group.... The Israel Defense Forces said it was 'looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area.'... Jonathan Pollak, a volunteer with the ISM, said the shooting took place about 30 minutes after protesters had dispersed, when there were no active clashes, and as foreign volunteers, including Eygi, stood observing about 200 yards from the Israeli military.... [U.S.] National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement that the United States was 'deeply disturbed by the tragic death' of Eygi and had contacted Israel 'to ask for more information and request an investigation into the incident.' Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a trip to the Caribbean, said Friday that the U.S. government is 'intensely focused on getting those facts,' but he held back from detailing whether there would be consequences for the Israeli government ahead of understanding exactly what happened."

News Lede

New York Times: A section of a Kentucky highway was closed on Saturday night after five people were shot, the authorities said. What led up to the shooting was not immediately clear. All five shooting victims were in stable condition, said a spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Gilbert Acciardo. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook that the shooting happened on I-75, which was closed at Exit 49, nine miles north of London, Ky. It said the highway was closed 'due to an active shooter situation,' but did not elaborate."