REALITYCHEX.COM - Constant Comments - The Commentariat -- October 22, 2020

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Oct212020

The Commentariat -- October 22, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Jeremy Barr & Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post: "President Trump followed through on his threat, or promise, to release video of his interview with CBS News journalist Lesley Stahl before it is set to air on '60 Minutes' on Sunday night.... On Thursday morning, after he again teased a release of the video ('the vicious attempted "takeout" interview of me'), a 37-minute clip of the interview appeared on the president's Facebook page. In posting the interview, Trump and the White House violated an agreement with CBS News that the White House was taping the interview 'for archival purposes only,' said a network source with knowledge of the interview.... 'The White House's unprecedented decision to disregard their agreement with CBS News and release their footage will not deter "60 Minutes" from providing its full, fair and contextual reporting which presidents have participated in for decades,' the network said." Mrs. McC: Why, you might think Trump can't be trusted to honor even the simplest, clearest agreement. ~~~

Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS. Tonight's anchor, Kristen Welker, is far worse! -- Donald Trump, Thursday, in a tweet ~~~

~~~ Jill Colvin of the AP: "The footage shows Trump growing increasingly prickly as CBS anchor Lesley Stahl presses him on a host of topics, including his response to the coronavirus pandemic, his slipping support among suburban women, the lack of masks at his rallies, and the 'Obamacare' replacement plan he has long promised but failed to unveil.... And he again preemptively criticized the moderator of Thursday night's final presidential debate.... As Trump continued to throw unsubstantiated allegations at [Joe] Biden and former President Barack Obama, Stahl tried to explain: 'This is "60 Minutes" and we can't put on things we can't verify.'... '~~Leslie~~ [Lesley], you're discrediting yourself,' he said." ~~~

~~~ AP: "... Donald Trump says 'it will be so good' if the Supreme Court puts an end to the Obama-era health law when the justices hear challenges to the Affordable Care Act next month. Trump made the comment in an interview with CBS' '60 Minutes' that's set to air Sunday night. The president posted the full, unedited interview on Facebook on Thursday.... With [Amy] Barrett on the path to confirmation in the coming days, Trump is signaling that he's confident that court's expected swing to the right portends the demise of the health law. Trump says in the interview: 'I think it'll end' and 'I hope that they'll end it.'"

Wherein Trump Loyalist Mr. Rat Points Out Trump Is Trying to Undermine the Election. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "The centerpiece of [DNI John] Ratcliffe's announcement [Wednesday] was that Iran -- and Russia, which was mysteriously downplayed -- has obtained voter data enabling Iran to send emails to voters that were faked to seem like right-wing efforts to menace them into voting for Trump. Ratcliff[e] noted that this was 'designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump.' The idea is that these emails are supposed to associate Trump with right-wing efforts to intimidate voters.... But the other thing Ratcliffe said about Iran is ...: 'Iran is distributing other content to include a video that implies that individuals could cast fraudulent ballots, even from overseas. This video, and any claims about such allegedly fraudulent ballots, are not true.'... Who else has been making such claims about fraudulent ballots? Why, Trump has, of course. And so has ... William P. Barr ... and ... Donald Trump Jr.... The Post viewed the video: 'The video ... shows Trump making disparaging comments about mail-in voting, followed by a logo with the name of the Proud Boys....' So, to be as clear as possible, this video circulated by Iran, which Ratcliffe has denounced for spreading false information about voter fraud, features Trump himself making such claims." Emphasis added. Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Christopher Rugaber of the AP: "The number of laid-off Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 787,000, a sign that job losses may have eased slightly but are still running at historically high levels. Last week's figure was down from 842,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The government also revised down the number of people who sought aid in the two weeks before that. The revised total for the week that ended Oct. 3 was 767,000, the fewest since the viral pandemic erupted in March, though still more than three times the levels that preceded the pandemic. Economists welcomed the declines as evidence that the job market is still recovering from the pandemic recession. But some cautioned that the improvement could prove short-lived."

Mike Schneider of the AP: "For the second time in two months, a panel of federal judges on Thursday blocked ... Donald Trump's effort to exclude people in the U.S. illegally from being counted during the process of divvying up congressional seats by state. The decision from a panel of three district judges in California went further than last month's ruling by a panel of three federal judges in New York by saying that Trump's order in July not only was unlawful but also violated the constitution. The New York judges ignored the question of the order's constitutionality and just said it was unlawful.... The Trump administration has appealed the New York decision to the Supreme Court, and the nation's high court agreed to hear the case next month. Other challenges to Trump's order are pending in Maryland, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia."

Donald Trump Doesn't Know How to Pick a Password. Adam Gabbatt of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's Twitter account was allegedly hacked last week, after a Dutch researcher correctly guessed the president's password: 'maga2020!', Dutch media reported. Victor Gevers, a security expert, had access to Trump's direct messages, could post tweets in his name and change his profile, De Volkskrant newspaper reported. Gevers -- who previously managed to log into Trump's account in 2016 -- apparently gained access by guessing Trump's password. He tried 'maga2020!' on his fifth attempt and it worked.... Twitter, however, denied the report. However, Gevers told De Volkskrant the ease with which he accessed Trump's account suggested the president was not using basic security measures like two-step verification." Gevers said he warned the White House, CIA, FBI & Twitter of the easy hack. "A day later, Gevers noticed that two-step verification had been activated on Trump's account.... Two days later, the Secret Service got in touch. According to De Volkskrant, they thanked him for bringing the security problem to their attention. [In 2016,] Trump's password was 'yourefired.'" ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Obviously, in choosing a password, you pick something you can remember but that would be so meaningless to others that couldn't just guess it. As for whether or the not the story is true, it's hard to say. When I change computers or locations, I get e-mail notifications from a few companies, like Google. I'm not sure if Twitter has sent me such notifications.

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to advance Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination after Democrats boycotted the vote. The panel voted 12-0 to send Barrett's nomination to the full Senate, paving the way for President Trump's nominee to be confirmed to the Supreme Court early next week. Every Republican on the panel supported her nomination and no Democratic senator voted. Every GOP senator was present for the vote, meeting the committee's rule that 12 members of the panel must be present to report a nomination to the full Senate. But the committee also requires two members of the minority party to be present in order to conduct business. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), however, made it clear that he would move forward regardless of the committee's rules. 'As you know, our Democratic colleagues informed the committee last night that they will not participate in the hearing. That was their choice. It will be my choice to vote the nominee out of committee. We're not going to allow them to take over the committee,' Graham said on Thursday." ~~~

~~~ Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to advance President Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, with majority Republicans skirting the panel's rules to recommend her confirmation as Democrats boycotted the session in protest." This is an update of a story linked below.

Julian Borger of the Guardian: "US immigration officers allegedly tortured Cameroonian asylum seekers to force them to sign their own deportation orders, in what lawyers and activists describe as a brutal scramble to fly African migrants out of the country in the run-up to the elections. Many of the Cameroonian migrants in a Mississippi detention centre refused to sign, fearing death at the hands of Cameroonian government forces responsible for widespread civilian killings, and because they had asylum hearings pending. According to multiple accounts, detainees were threatened, choked, beaten, pepper-sprayed and threatened with more violence to make them sign.... Lawyers and human rights advocates said there had been a significant acceleration of deportations in recent weeks, a trend they see as linked to the looming elections and the possibility that Ice could soon be under new management." --s

Jonathan Watts of the Guardian: "For the first time since records began, the main nursery of Arctic sea ice in Siberia has yet to start freezing in late October. The delayed annual freeze in the Laptev Sea has been caused by freakishly protracted warmth in northern Russia and the intrusion of Atlantic waters, say climate scientists who warn of possible knock-on effects across the polar region.... The downward trend is likely to continue until the Arctic has its first ice-free summer, said Meier. The data and models suggest this will occur between 2030 and 2050." --s

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race, Etc.

Adam Nagourney of the New York Times: "President Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. will meet on Thursday for their second and final presidential debate. Kristen Welker of NBC News will moderate the debate, which will take place in Nashville. It will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern and run for 90 minutes. The announced topics include fighting the coronavirus, American families, race in the United States, climate change, national security and leadership.... The debate will be televised on channels including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News and MSNBC. Many news outlets, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox News and C-SPAN, will stream the debate on YouTube." Here's Wired's how-to-watch guide.

Nick Niedzwiadek of Politico: "Former President Barack Obama unloaded on his successor Wednesday in Philadelphia as Democrats' biggest luminary hit the campaign trail in support of his vice president. Obama lambasted Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.... 'Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us,' Obama said at a drive-in rally in the city's stadium district. 'He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.'... He also said that his administration left a 'pandemic playbook,' drafted after the Ebola outbreak, that was largely ignored by his successor. 'They probably used it to -- I don't know -- prop up a wobbly table somewhere,' Obama said. Obama contrasted his criticisms by praising the current Democratic torchbearers, Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris, as steady hands to shepherd the country through Covid-19 and its aftermath.... [Obama's] speech seemed tailor-made to provoke a response from Trump.... 'He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself and his friends, or treating the presidency like a reality show he can use to get attention,' Obama said. 'And by the way, even then his TV ratings are down. So you know that upsets him.'" ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's story, by David Nakamura, is here. ~~~

Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "In an election year clouded with anxieties about voter intimidation and the possibility of election-related violence, the first days of early voting have unfolded with dozens of accusations of inappropriate campaigning and possible voter intimidation in at least 14 states. The reports, though anecdotal, illustrate the tensions unfolding as more than 33 million Americans have already cast ballots two weeks before Election Day.... A wide array of complaints have been reported around the country, many involving Trump supporters, according to tips reviewed by ProPublica's Electionland project and shared with other news organizations.... Thea McDonald, a spokeswoman for President Trump's campaign, said the campaign had no objection to actions at the polls as long as they are legal. Trump has sometimes encouraged confrontational behavior among his supporters." Partlow cites a number of examples. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: A reader sent me this copy of an e-mail he received from a trusted person. I trust the reader, so I feel fairly confident this is a copy of an e-mail a registered Florida Democrat received. I blocked out the recipient's name in two places, & someone else redacted what also apparently is identifying information. Update: According to Rachel Maddow (who received copies of 16 of these e-mails), this previously redacted info was the voter's physical address. As you can tell, the e-mail is pretty creepy. (See updates below): ~~~

~~~ Update. Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: "The U.S. government has concluded that Iran is behind a series of threatening emails arriving this week in the inboxes of Democratic voters, according to two U.S. officials. Department of Homeland Security officials told state and local election administrators on a call Wednesday that a foreign government was responsible for the online barrage, according to the U.S. officials and state and local authorities who participated in the call, who all spoke on the condition of anonymity.... A DHS official also said authorities had detected holes in state and local election websites and instructed those participating to patch their online services. The emails claimed to be from the Proud Boys, a far-right group supportive of President Trump, but appeared instead to be a deceptive campaign making use of a vulnerability in the organization's online network." ~~~

~~~ Update 2. Julian Barnes & David Sanger of the New York Times: "Iran and Russia have both obtained American voter registration data, and Tehran used it to send threatening, faked emails to voters that were aimed at influencing the presidential election, top national security officials announced on Wednesday evening.... John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence..., said the effort was aimed at hurting President Trump, and intelligence officials have said Iran opposes the president's re-election. But if the emails had the effect of intimidating Democrats, they could also have hurt Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee." An NBC News story is here. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Uh, yeah. Sorry, Director Rat, but a letter threatening Democratic voters if they don't vote for Trump does not appear to be aimed at harming Trump. As Frank Figliuzzi pointed out on MSNBC, Ratcliffe kept secret what Russia was doing. My guess is that's because there was no way Mr. Rat could pretend that Russian actions were designed to hurt Trump. Sen. Chuck Schumer, also appearing on MSNBC, said that he attended a classified briefing on the foreign actions & that -- although he could not talk about what he learned in the briefing -- it was his observation, based on the briefing, that the foreign actions were not taken against Donald Trump but to undermine confidence in our elections. He also said that, to this end, Russia had done far more than Iran had. BTW, FBI Director Christopher Wray, who also spoke briefly at the hastily-called "press conference" (no one took questions), said essentially nothing, and did not back up Ratcliffe's odd assertion that Iranians had attempted to damage Trump. I thought Wray looked sorta like he was starring in a hostage video. ~~~

~~~ So Then. Devlin Barrett & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "President Trump and his advisers have repeatedly discussed whether to fire FBI Director Christopher A. Wray after Election Day -- a scenario that also could imperil the tenure of Attorney General William P. Barr as the president grows increasingly frustrated that federal law enforcement has not delivered his campaign the kind of last-minute boost that the FBI provided in 2016, according to people familiar with the matter. The conversations among the president and senior aides stem in part from their disappointment that Wray in particular but Barr as well have not done what Trump had hoped -- indicate that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden or other Biden associates are under investigation, these people say.... In the campaign's closing weeks, the president has intensified public calls for jailing his challenger...."

Trump's Planned Election Bribe to Seniors Is "Legally Dubious." Margot Sanger-Katz & Noah Weiland of the New York Times: "A month ago, President Trump surprised much of his own government when he announced in North Carolina that he would soon send $200 discount cards to more than 30 million older Americans to offset the cost of prescription drugs. The promise set off a scramble among health and budget officials unaware that such a policy was being considered.... When many questioned its prudence before an election, they then tried to hand off the president's $8 billion hot potato. Now, less than two weeks before the election, officials acknowledge that Medicare recipients will not be getting their $200 cards this month.... Many of the officials assigned to enact the policy view it as legally dubious. Generally, major changes in Medicare policy require Congress to pass legislation." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So once again what we have for a president* is a rudderless jerk who blurts out (or tweets) a fantasy project that is probably illegal, but aides have to scramble to try to make it happen. And once again, it most likely won't happen.

Anita Kumar of Politico: "The Trump campaign's last-ditch effort to win back the suburban women fleeing the president in the polls has fallen to one person: Ivanka Trump. In the past six weeks, Trump has made personal appeals for her father at 17 campaign stops, engaging in intimate question-and-answer sessions where she tells stories about the president. She's made stops at local businesses to pose with children in Halloween costumes. She&'s bought cider and doughnuts. She's rolled out bread for baking." Mrs. McC: Sorry I voted early. I'm a suburban woman who might have voted for Trump if I'd seen Ivanka rolling out bread. P.S. I've baked a lot of bread, and you don't normally roll out the dough (although if you were making, say, dinner rolls, you could). Update: It appears Ivanka's electioneering is illegal; as a White House aide, any campaigning she does violates the Hatch Act.

Manu Raju & Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "Sen. Mitt Romney said Wednesday he did not vote for ... Donald Trump's reelection, the latest break between the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee and the leader of his party. The first-term Republican senator, who already voted in Utah, declined to say if he voted for Democratic nominee Joe Biden or wrote in another candidate. But he made clear that Trump did not get his vote."

Alabama. Jessica Gresko of the AP:"The Supreme Court on Wednesday put on hold a lower court order that would have permitted curbside voting in Alabama in November. The justices' vote was 5-3, with the court's three liberals dissenting. As is typical when the Supreme Court acts on an emergency basis, the justices in the majority did not explain their decision. It was not clear how many counties might have offered curbside voting, allowing people to vote from their car by handing their ballot to a poll worker. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent joined by Justice Stephen Breyer and Justice Elena Kagan, described the lower court's order allowing curbside voting in November as 'modest,' and she said she would not have put it on hold."

Florida. WFLA Tampa: "A Trump campaign spokesperson says two men dressed as armed security guards who set up in a tent outside an early voting location in downtown St. Petersburg were not hired by the campaign.... Julie Marcus, the Pinellas County Supervision of Elections, [said in an interview,] 'The Sheriff [Bob Gualtieri] told me the persons that were dressed in these security uniforms had indicated to sheriff's deputies that they belonged to a licensed security company and they indicated -- and this has not been confirmed yet -- that they were hired by the Trump campaign.'... Marcus, a Republican, is running to keep her seat as supervisor after being appointed in May of this year by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Gualtieri, also a Republican, is running for re-election as well.... In the first presidential debate last month, President Trump encouraged his supporters to go to the polls to watch what happens there.... It is illegal in the state of Florida to bring a gun to a polling place, and Gualtieri says intimidation won't be allowed either."

Pennsylvania. Ryan Deto of the Pittsburgh City Paper republished in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star: "A roadside billboard in Fayette County repeating a Republican accusation that Democratic nominee presidential Joe Biden suffers from diminished mental capacity has a deficiency of its own:... 'Biden's dimensia is worsening, he is not fit,' the billboard reads, misspelling 'dementia.' The billboard also repeats two denigrating nicknames that ... Donald Trump has used to refer to the former vice president and his running-mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. As a matter of policy, the Capital-Star does not repeat those nicknames.... The billboard is owned by Penneco Outdoor Advertising, which is based in Delmont, Pa. in Westmoreland County. The company has a 1-star rating on Google Reviews.... Penneco has a history putting up right-wing billboards." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. In his commentary below, Akhilleus picks on the spelling-challenged. So mean.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here: "Tabulating the ages of Americans known to have died of Covid-19, and tallying the number of years they might have lived had they reached a typical life expectancy, the report concluded that the virus had claimed more than 2.5 million years of potential life in the United States." ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here. ~~~

~~~ The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials issued new guidance on Wednesday that greatly expands the pool of people considered at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus by changing the definition of who is a 'close contact' of an infected individual. The change by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is likely to have its biggest impact in schools, workplaces and other group settings where people are in contact with others for long periods of time. It also underscores the importance of mask-wearing to prevent spread of the virus, even as President Trump and his top coronavirus adviser continue to raise doubts about such guidance. The CDC had previously defined a 'close contact' as someone who spent at least 15 consecutive minutes within six feet of a confirmed coronavirus case. The updated guidance, which health departments rely on to conduct contact tracing, now defines a close contact as someone who was within six feet of an infected individual for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, according to a CDC statement Wednesday." The article is free to non-subscribers.

"The Art of the Deal." Christopher Miller of Buzzfeed News: "As the US was bracing for a major wave of seriously ill coronavirus patients in March, President Donald Trump asked President Vladimir Putin in a phone call for help. In response, Moscow sent 45 ventilators and other medical supplies in crates stamped 'From Russia, With Love.' They were part of a lopsided aid deal between the countries that would ultimately see Russia delivering a little more than $1 million worth of supplies to the US in April, followed by the US sending about $5.6 million to Russia over the following two months.... [T]here were problems with the Aventa-M ventilators from the moment they landed and they were never used.... First, the Aventa-M ventilators required an electrical voltage not compatible in the US, meaning they could not be used without an adapter that hospitals did not have. Weeks later, several of the same models caught fire in Russian hospitals, causing the deaths of six people and prompting the government to halt their manufacture. Moreover, they were made by a Russian company under US sanctions.... Now, according to FEMA, they have essentially been tossed in the trash." --s

Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday downplayed chances of Congress passing a big new economic stimulus bill before the election, even as Democrats voted to block a slimmed-down GOP relief measure in the Senate. The vote in the Senate was 51-44, well short of the 60 votes that would have been needed to advance the approximately $500 billion measure. It was the same outcome as last month, when Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tried to advance a nearly identical bill in the Senate. McConnell and Senate GOP leaders largely oppose a giant new spending bill in the range of $2 trillion which President Trump has been demanding and Pelosi has been negotiating with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Alabama. Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "When Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) ordered a statewide mask mandate in July as coronavirus deaths surged to record levels, her second-in-command blasted the move. 'Wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing are among the best ways to slow the spread of COVID-19,' tweeted Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (R) at the time. 'However, it's an overstep that infringes upon the property rights of business owners and the ability of individuals to make their own health decisions.' Now, as Alabama once again sees an alarming rise in covid-19, Ainsworth, 39, announced on Wednesday that he is among the newly confirmed cases." Mrs. McC: So Ainsworth, who is rabidly against abortion, thinks a woman has no right to make her own life-altering health decision about pregnancy even in cases of incest & rape, but people with a deathly illness do have a right to pass it on to others, possibly killing them. And that's why we spell it "freedumb."

Marianne Levine of Politico: "Senate Democrats plan to boycott Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's Judiciary Committee vote Thursday in an act of protest, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday. 'We will not grant this process any further legitimacy by participating in a committee markup of this nomination just 12 days before the culmination of an election that is already underway,' the New York Democrat said. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote at 1 p.m. to advance Barrett's nomination to the floor. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said this week that the Senate will hold a final vote on Barrett's nomination Monday. The boycott won't prevent Barrett's nomination from moving ahead, with Republicans on the committee vowing to confirm her." Mrs. McC: Under the Judiciary Committee's rules, the Democratic boycott will mean the committee will not have a quorum, but Republicans will probably go & ahead & change th rules, according to Schumer, who appeared on Rachel Maddow's show Wednesday. ~~~

~~~ Update. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were prepared on Thursday to advance the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, planning to skirt the panel's rules and vote to recommend her confirmation as Democrats boycott the session. Though the panel was not scheduled to convene until 9 a.m., all 12 Republicans had already signaled that Judge Barrett had their enthusiastic backing. Their action would set up a vote by the full Senate on Monday to confirm Judge Barrett.... Democrats planned to hold a news conference on the steps of the Capitol galvanizing opposition to the process. Left in their places in th hearing room will be large posters of Americans whose health care coverage they argue could evaporate if Judge Barrett were to side with conservative majority on the court to strike down the Affordable Care Act when it hears a Republican challenge to the law next month."

Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian, republished in Yahoo! News: "Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the supreme court has prompted former members of her secretive faith group, the People of Praise, to come forward and share stories about emotional trauma and -- in at least one case -- sexual abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of members of the Christian group.... The historic sexual abuse allegations and claims of emotional trauma do not pertain specifically to Barrett, who has been a lifelong member of the charismatic group, or her family. But some former members who spoke to the Guardian said they were deeply concerned that too little was understood about the 'community' of People of Praise ahead of Barrett's expected confirmation by the Senate next week.... Barrett was not asked about her involvement in People of Praise during her confirmation hearings last week, and has never included her involvement with the group in Senate disclosure forms[.]" --s

Scott Stedman of Forensic News: "Corporate documents exclusively obtained by Forensic News show that the Trump Organization's formal legal advisor who was tapped as Trump's Representative for International Negotiations in the Middle East managed the Delaware LLC with a Chinese bank account recently revealed by the New York Times. The advisor, Jason Greenblatt, was just one of four Trump aides with access to the highly secretive Middle East peace plan, alongside Jared Kushner and two others." --s

Pay No Attention to Donald Trump. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a pair of tweets ... Donald Trump issued earlier this month that appeared to call for the declassification of all documents related to the probe of Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election won't trigger any further release of information to the public. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton lamented the president's sweeping language, but said a clarification White House chief of staff Mark Meadows submitted to the court Tuesday amounted to a retraction of the tweets." (Also linked yesterday.)

** This Is Extraordinary. Nahal Toosi of Politico: "The Trump administration is considering declaring that several prominent international NGOs -- including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam -- are anti-Semitic and that governments should not support them, two people familiar with the issue said. The proposed declaration could come from the State Department as soon as this week.... Critics of the possible move also worry it could lead other governments to further crack down on such groups. The groups named, meanwhile, deny any allegations that they are anti-Semitic. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pushing for the declaration, according to a congressional aide with contacts inside the State Department. Pompeo is eyeing a future presidential run and has taken a number of steps to gain favor with pro-Israel and evangelical voters who make up a key part of Trump's electoral base. But the proposal is drawing opposition from career State Department employees."

American Oversight: "Last week, as the president dredged up his favorite accusations about Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised to release the former secretary's emails ahead of the November election. Pompeo scoffed at accusations that the move would be a violation of the Hatch Act, claiming the release would be 'for the sake of transparency.' But professed concerns about transparency have not led to the release of any of his own State Department emails.... American Oversight has submitted dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests for his emails. We've also sued multiple times after the department failed to comply with such requests, and have received not a single email sent from Pompeo's official State Department account. Our litigation has, however, recently produced nearly 400 pages of his personal emails from his time as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. These records not only reveal a problematic amount of official business being conducted over private email -- a major issue of the 2016 presidential election that ... Donald Trump continues to bring up, despite his own administration's rampant disregard for the rules. They also show Pompeo fielding questionable investigation requests as well as the involvement of his wife, Susan Pompeo, in official government activities."

Another Stupid Trump Trick. Ken Vogel & Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "Richard Grenell, a close Trump ally who has served numerous roles in the administration, quietly embarked on a pre-election mission last month that was at least partly intended to persuade President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela to give up power. Mr. Grenell, a vocal and combative supporter of President Trump's re-election campaign, met near Mexico City on Sept. 17 with Jorge Rodríguez, a former Venezuelan vice president and close ally of Mr. Maduro, to facilitate a peaceful transition of power, a White House official said. Had Mr. Maduro agreed to stand down, it could have been a major foreign policy victory for Mr. Trump in the weeks before the election. But there is no evidence that Mr. Grenell's trip had any effect, and it was not clear why Mr. Maduro, a socialist strongman who has maintained power despite international opposition, would suddenly consider stepping down. The trip, which was reported by Bloomberg News on Wednesday night, caught the State Department and even some White House officials off guard and created confusion about its purpose.... Mr. Grenell's trip to Mexico City surprised senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo."

This Is Extraordinary, Too. Adam Goldman & Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times: "A British former spy recruited by Erik Prince, the security contractor close to the Trump administration, played a central role in a secretive effort to hire dozens of operatives for the conservative group Project Veritas, deposition testimony shows. Job applicants traveled to Wyoming in 2017 for interviews with the former intelligence officer, Richard Seddon, as Project Veritas sought to expand its operations early in the Trump administration, according to a lawsuit deposition.... The new details about Project Veritas show the extent of the group's ambitions to build an intelligence-gathering apparatus to infiltrate Democratic congressional campaigns, labor organizations, news media and other groups. Project Veritas is known for its sting operations aimed at such groups, which have prompted allegations that it has published deceptively edited videos.... Beginning in 2016, Mr. Prince contacted several former intelligence officials -- including Mr. Seddon -- and pitched them on teaching Project Veritas employees how to operate like spies.... Project Veritas claims that its employees are journalists who conduct stings in the long tradition of undercover, muckraking journalism. But court documents show how the group has turned to former soldiers and spies for their operations."

Mrs. McCrabbie: I thought I could get through my fake life as a fake person without linking to anything about Borat. Well, thanks to Rudy, that was a false assumption: ~~~

~~~ Catherine Shoard of the Guardian: "The reputation of Rudy Giuliani could be set for a further blow with the release of highly embarrassing footage in Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to Borat. In the film, released on Friday, the former New York mayor and current personal attorney to Donald Trump is seen reaching into his trousers and apparently touching his genitals while reclining on a bed in the presence of the actor playing Borat's daughter, who is posing as a TV journalist.... Even before he reaches into his trousers, Giuliani does not appear to acquit himself especially impressively during the encounter. Flattered and flirtatious, he drinks scotch, coughs, fails to socially distance and claims Trump's speedy actions in the spring saved a million Americans from dying of Covid. He also agrees -- in theory at least -- to eat a bat with his interviewer." There's more. Mrs. McC: This must be a bit of a relief for Jeff Toobin, if being on a par with Rudy can be a relief to anyone. ~~~

~~~ "I Was Tucking in My Shirt!" -- Rudy. Matt Wilstein of the Daily Beast: "Rudy Giuliani issued his first public defense after details emerged from his big cameo appearance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. While it may look like he was touching himself inappropriately with his hands down his pants in a hotel room alongside an actress posing as a reporter, he swore that he was actually just tucking in his shirt. 'I had to take off the electronic equipment,' Giuliani said in a radio interview on Wednesday. 'And when the electronic equipment came off, some of it was in the back and my shirt came a little out, although my clothes were entirely on. I leaned back, and I tucked my shirt in, and at that point, at that point, they have this picture they take which looks doctored, but in any event, I'm tucking my shirt in. I assure you that's all I was doing." Mrs. McC: This beats "the dog ate my homework." Kudos to Rudy! ~~~

~~~ Update: A New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ Simon Shuster of Time: At the same time Rudy Giuliani was tooling around Ukraine last year searching for dirt on Joe Biden, "explicit photos and emails purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden were circulating in" the country. The probably-fake proferred documents may (or may not) have been the same ones Rudy claims he got from a Delaware computer repairman & passed on to the New York Post & other right-wing outlets. Mrs. McC: Fortunately for Rudy, as we learned yesterday, it doesn't matter if the docs are real or fake.

Jan Hoffman & Katie Benner of the New York Times: "Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges and face penalties of roughly $8.3 billion, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday, a move that could pave the way for a settlement of thousands of lawsuits brought against the company for its role in the opioids epidemic. The company's owners, members of the wealthy Sackler family, will pay $225 million in civil penalties. Federal prosecutors said the settlement did not preclude criminal charges against Purdue executives or individual Sacklers. Wednesday's announcement does not conclude the extensive litigation against Purdue, but it does represent a significant advance in the long legal march by states, cities and counties to compel the most prominent defendant in the opioid epidemic to help pay for the public health crisis that has resulted in the deaths of more than 450,000 Americans since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

It's a Miracle! Pretty Much. Jason Horowitz of the New York Times: "Pope Francis expressed support for same-sex civil unions in remarks made in a documentary that premiered on Wednesday, a significant break from his predecessors that staked out new ground for the church in its recognition of gay people. The remarks, coming from the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, had the potential to shift debates about the legal status of same-sex couples in nations around the globe and unsettle bishops worried that the unions threaten traditional marriage. 'What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,' Francis said, reiterating his view that gay people are children of God. 'I stood up for that.' Many gay Catholics and their allies outside the church vigorously welcomed the pope's remarks, even as they said they understood Francis's opposition to gay marriage within the church remained absolute." The Washington Post's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I realize that many people will see this as half- or less-than-half measure, but I'm sure many more are asking, "Is the Pope Catholic?" I think it's a big step toward marriage equality worldwide. Meanwhile, Ken W. is wondering, "What will Amy think?" Good question. Her crummy little church club or sect or whatever it is must be whirling like dervishes.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Greece. Helena Smith of the Guardian: "Behind the bench, before her mostly male audience, as the marathon trial of Golden Dawn entered its last act, supreme court justice Maria Lepenioti ... kept the peace.... [She] has had to pull off an extraordinary balancing act presiding over a case that has put more Nazi leaders and sympathisers in the dock than at any time since Nuremberg.... When historians look back they will see a nation whose political class was slow in dealing with the rightwing menace and a society whose silence was deafening. A police force whose complicity enabled the extremists to act with impunity.... Officers who sympathised with the group, covering up attacks on leftists, migrants and refugees and the LGBTQ community, were among the hearing's 68 defendants. Instead..., 'Justice stepped in where others should have stepped before,' [Maria] Stratigaki [professor of gender studies at Panteion University] told the Guardian. 'And our justice system is full of female judges because it is they who do better at exams and rise to the top.' --safari: Another reason why it's so dangerous McConnell is filling our judgeships with unqualified, right wing ideologues.

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Reader Comments (24)

Bea,

Looks like your trusted reader might have been taken in by the evil Iranians.

But...why would they be working to elect the Pretender and simultaneously sully the name of the Boys of which he is so proud?

Seems a natural question under the circumstances...that is, in Pretender Land.

October 21, 2020 |

Ken Winkes

Hahahahaha...

Trumpbots in Fayette County, PA, have rented a billboard to let passersby know that Joe Biden is not fit to run the country because he has “dimensia”.

Di-what?

Idiots 4 Trump!

https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/swpa-billboard-accusing-biden-of-dementia-misspells-dementia/

October 22, 2020 |

Akhilleus

Anyone else think that Pompeo is morphing into a putrid batter of flabsteak and scorn to try to carry the mantle of Trumpism into the 2024 elections? His campaign will probably wave corncobs around and throw 'em to the hoi polli of the Midwest to prove his redneck credentials. Then he'll continue the tradition of wining and dining the Koch Crew with weekly Madison Dinners to fête their triumph over the toothless masses.

I can't believe that grease ball graduated first from West Point and turned out to be such a fetid turd. Makes me wonder how all of our venerated institutions are churning out the weakest, most self-serving political class in generations? Could it be they're the cusp of the generation of hand-me-down trophy inheritance? The first wave of silver spooned bone spur cadets that think they deserve everything after being given everything for doing little to nothing?

October 22, 2020 |

safari

What does Amy think about Pope Francis’ support for same sex marriages? Like most far right-wing Catholics, I’m betting she doesn’t consider Francis a bona fide head of the church. I will bet my First Communion pin and the JFK silver half dollar I got from Sister Marie Peter in the fifth grade that her fealty is to the previous pope, the former Cardinal Ratzinger, the Nazi Pope Benedict, whose world view decrees that Catholics who don’t abide by his aggressive intolerance are not real Catholics (sound familiar?).

I’m guessing that Amy, like her ultra right-wing peers in the church, doesn’t give a shit what candy-ass lovers of the downtrodden, the gays, the outcasts, the imprisoned, and the poor, like Francis think.

Popes like Francis don’t matter to those people. Only the goose stepping, incense burning, self-flagellating Savonarola Nazi fucks can interpret the Word of God to the satisfaction of smug, self-satisfied martinets like Judge Amy.

October 22, 2020 |

Akhilleus

Safari,

How did Pompeo turn out to be such a fetid, self-serving turd?

He’s a Republican. And these days there are no moderate Republicans, just power mad Trumpbots.

October 22, 2020 |

Akhilleus

Safari,

I've asked the same question many times and have come up with many answers, but I suspect the general fraying of the nation's moral fabric (to the degree it has actually frayed--and studies, not just a cranky old man's perception, say it has) could be layed at the feet of the rising infuence of business schools.

When all that counts is the mighty buck, all other considerations are out the window.

October 22, 2020 |

Ken Winkes

On Originalism:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/opinion/supreme-court-amy-coney-barrett.html?

What I took from it: One Original Constitutional provision--the Electoral College--is giving us another--an Originalist Court.

Must be some sort of a Divine Plan. Can't be just bad luck.

October 22, 2020 |

Ken Winkes

Funniest line of the day...so far (haven’t seen any risibly irresponsible irritations from prez tweety bird yet):

“Mrs. McCrabbie: I thought I could get through my fake life as a fake person without linking to anything about Borat. Well, thanks to Rudy, that was a false assumption: ~~~”

And seriously, how do you get snookered in to doing something like this? More and more, Rudy, useful idiot to Russians and ratfuckers, is doing all he can to remove the adjective.

Was he always this stupid and we just didn’t realize it?

October 22, 2020 |

Akhilleus