;)
The Conversation -- August 6, 2024
⭐Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris ... has chosen Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate, according to multiple people briefed on the matter, elevating a former football coach whose rural roots, liberal policies and buzzy takedowns of ... Donald J. Trump have recently put him on the map. Mr. Walz, 60, emerged from a field of candidates who had better name recognition and more politically advantageous states. But he jumped to the top of Ms. Harris' list, boosted by cable news appearances in which he declared that Republicans were 'weird.'" This is the pinned item in a liveblog.
Epstein: "Mr. Walz is in his second term as governor and spent 12 years in Congress, where he was the rare Midwestern Democrat representing a largely rural district. He served for 24 years in the Army National Guard and taught high school social studies in Mankato, Minn., before entering politics. While his background was tailor-made for moderate voters, his policies as governor have been firmly liberal, reflecting what his allies call 'prairie populism.' He signed into law a Democratic wish list of bills on marijuana, paid family leave, abortion rights and gun control. Republicans call him a left-winger in homespun clothing.... Every one of Ms. Harris's finalists for the job, including Mr. Walz, was a white man who had some record of winning in Republican areas....
"Mr. Walz was born and raised in rural Nebraska, and as a young man moved to Mankato, Minn., where he taught high school social studies and coached the school's football team to a state championship. He retired from the Army National Guard in 2005 when he began his first run for public office.
"Mr. Walz's political origin story appears ripped from a Hollywood movie script. In August 2004, he chaperoned some of his students to a campaign rally in Mankato for President George W. Bush. According to Mr. Walz, the group was turned away because one of the students had a sticker on his wallet for Mr. Bush's opponent, John F. Kerry, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts. Mr. Walz was furious, and went the next day to volunteer for the Kerry campaign. By the end of the year, Mr. Kerry had lost but Mr. Walz was determined to run for office himself. In 2006, with a campaign staffed largely by his former students, Mr. Walz won an upset victory in a rural congressional seat that had been held by Republicans for 12 years."
Nicholas Nehamas: "Progressive groups are celebrating Harris's choice of Walz. A relative unknown from a reliably Democratic state, he was the clear choice of many on the left, who opposed another favorite, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, for his reaction to college protests about the war in Gaza and his support for school vouchers."
Epstein: "Tim Walz was largely regarded as a moderate Democrat during his six terms in the House and in his first term as governor, when he presided over a divided state legislature. But in 2022, Democrats took full control of the Minnesota state government for the first time in a decade, and Mr. Walz signed a torrent of progressive legislation, which turned him into a hero of the left wing of the Democratic Party."
[Marie: If you want to be the running mate for a major-party female presidential candidate, you must be named Tim. Also, if you want to be veep, you should have a short last name. Six letters is the dangerous max: Biden, Palin, Ryan, Kaine, Pence, Walz, Vance.]
Ken Bensinger: "Reactions from Republicans to the choice of Walz have quickly centered on him being too progressive, and on attacking him for the unrest in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd in 2020. 'Harris-Walz: most left-wing ticket in American history,' Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida said on X this morning. 'Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn.'"
Epstein: "In December, Walz was elected chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, which gave him a platform to travel the country and be introduced to the party's major donors."
Katie Rogers: "A little more on why Walz made it to the front, according to three people familiar with Harris's thinking: He is seen as an everyman sort of figure whose Midwestern-dad vibe balances out her Bay Area background. With his straight-talking style, Walz is thought to be someone who could match up well against JD Vance..., another Midwesterner -- in a debate. And, in the end, Harris simply connected best with Walz. Over and over again during the selection process,loyalty was emphasized as one of the most important criteria for Harris. This suggests Walz convinced her he'd support her not only in winning but in helping her govern."
Erica Green: "Notably, Walz was among the governors who rallied behind President Biden amid mounting calls for him to drop out of the race, and he was among the handful who spoke out in support of him publicly. Loyalty is extremely important to Harris, who was also Biden's defender-in-chief after his disastrous debate performance."
Rogers: "If anyone was wondering how the Trump campaign would react today, here is a low-key email sent to Trump's supporters a few minutes ago: 'Tim Walz will unleash hell on Earth!'"
Jim Rutenberg: "Not an hour after news of the Walz pick broke, the on-screen chyron on Fox News toggled between 'DeSantis: Most Left-Wing Ticket in U.S. History' and 'Cotton: Walz Let Rioters and Arsonists Rampage MN.'"
Rogers: "Tim Walz has been notified that he is the pick and has accepted Kamala Harris's offer to be her running mate, two people directly familiar with the decision tell me."
Nehamas: "Vice President Kamala Harris just formally announced her selection of Tim Walz in a post on Instagram.... In her Instagram post, Kamala Harris ran through highlights of Tim Walz's biography, including his time as a National Guardsman and as a high school teacher, football coach and adviser of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance. She also pointed to his efforts as governor to work with Republicans on bipartisan measures while also signing progressive bills into law, including those providing constitutional protections for abortions and 'requiring universal background checks for gun purchases.'"
Rogers: "And the campaign is already selling Harris-Walz merch, from yard signs to T-shirts. That was fast."
Tim Balk: "Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was a contender to be Harris's running mate, said on social media that Walz had been 'an exceptionally effective governor -- and also great to work with.'"
Jonathan Weisman: "Former Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a Republican who is waging an uphill campaign for the Senate, again broke with his party on Tim Walz, praising the pick.... 'We had the chance to work together as fellow governors, and while we come from different parties, I have always appreciated his dedication to public service,' Hogan said in a statement. 'I believe we need more governors at the national level because governors have to actually get stuff done.'"
Balk: "Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who was seen as a top contender to be Kamala Harris's running mate, said on social media that Harris and Walz would 'move us forward' and build a campaign to 'unite our country.' The senator added that he and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, would 'do everything we can to help them win.'"
Ernesto Londoño: "If Kamala Harris is elected president alongside Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota..., under the succession plan laid out in Minnesota's Constitution, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, 44, would become the state's first female governor, as well as the first Native American person to assume the role."
Katie Glueck: "Josh Shapiro, a top contender for Harris's running mate, confirms in a social media post that he will be at the Philadelphia rally tonight. He promised to work 'to unite Pennsylvanians behind my friends Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and defeat Donald Trump.'"
Balk: "Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who was on a short list of options for Kamala Harris's running mate, said in a statement that he was honored to have been considered but that Walz was a 'great friend and a great choice.'"
Rogers: "Former President Barack Obama has weighed in: 'Like Vice President Harris, Governor Tim Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That's what makes him an outstanding governor, and that's what will make him an even better vice president,' he wrote in a statement on X."
Balk: "Senator Joe Manchin III, a Democrat-turned-independent from West Virginia who has sought to push the Democratic Party to the center, expressed support for Kamala Harris's selection. 'My friend Governor Tim Walz will bring normality back,' he said in a statement."
Robert Jimison: "Congressional Democrats from Tim Walz’s home state of Minnesota have quickly lined up in support of the pick. Representative Ilhan Omar praises his policy achievements as a governor and adds that he will bring 'Minnesota nice to the ticket.' Representative Angie Craig borrows from Walz's recent viral political attacks aimed at Donald Trump and JD Vance, saying the governor is 'not weird.'... And Representative Dean Phillips, the Minnesota Democrat who waged a futile challenge against President Biden earlier in the Democratic primaries, praised the selection of his state's governor to the ticket. 'Tim Walz can fix a lawnmower, fire a cannon, and fiercely protect women's freedoms. All in one day,' he said."
Green: "Vice President Harris spoke with President Biden this morning ahead of her announcement of Walz as her vice-presidential pick, according to a statement from Emilie Simons, a White House senior deputy press secretary. Biden also spoke with the Minnesota governor to congratulate him on his selection."
Simon Levien: "Gwen Walz, the wife of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, has forged a career as an educator and school administrator, a background she has leveraged in her work as the state's first lady. Ms. Walz has taught at public and alternative schools, and she spent a large part of her career as an administrator in the public school district at Mankato, Minn. On her website, she says she has focused on equity in education. She and Mr. Walz met while the two were teaching at the same high school in Alliance, Neb.... When Ms. Walz established a physical office in the Minnesota State Capitol just steps away from her husband's office -- which previous first ladies had not done -- she made a splash on the political stage with an agenda focused on criminal justice reform and education policy."
Neil Vigdor: "Tim Walz, trying to make a first impression on Americans who might not be familiar with him, put out a 90-second campaign video on social media to introduce himself."
Growing up, I learned to be generous toward my neighbors, compromise without compromising my values, and to work for the common good.@KamalaHarris and I both believe in that common good – in that fundamental promise of America. We’re ready to fight for it. And like she says:… pic.twitter.com/5SfrDRqx7C
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 6, 2024
Bensinger: "Tim Walz's decades-old drunken driving arrest is drawing new attention." The post details the circumstances of the arrest & misdemeanor conviction in 1995, & the subsequent stories about them.
Jon Hurdle: "As speeches are underway in Philadelphia, hundreds of people remain in line in the streets near the venue." [MB: Take that, Trumplethinskin!]
Rebecca O'Brien: "A huge standing ovation and roars of enthusiasm erupted here in Philadelphia as Gov. Josh Shapiro took the stage. He clasped his hands to his heart and took several bows."
Epstein: "Shapiro just delivered a full-throated endorsement of Tim Walz as the Democrats' vice-presidential nominee. 'Tim Walz is a great man,' Shapiro said. 'Tim Walz is an outstanding governor. Tim Walz is a teacher. Tim Walz is a Guardsman. Tim Walz is a great patriot. And I tell you what else, Tim Walz is a dear friend.'"
Green: "Harris, in introducing Walz, seeks to introduce him as a well-rounded candidate who can relate to a large swath of Americans, ticking off a list of the titles he's held: father, coach, congressman and sergeant major."
Rogers: "Walz is really soaking up this moment and, dare I say, bringing maximum Midwestern-dad energy to this appearance. He keeps putting his hand on his heart and bowing forward. He especially seemed to enjoy Harris's reference to his past as 'Coach Walz.'... 'He was known as one of Capitol Hill's best marksmen,' Harris said, adding that Walz has won several bipartisan shooting competitions. That's a biographical data point I had not heard before. The campaign will certainly lean into Walz's identity as a hunter who has fought for gun safety measures.... Walz takes the largest stage of his life and introduces himself this way: 'Wow.'"
⭐Epstein: "Walz is now stepping into the role of a running mate: Attack dog. 'Violent crime was up under Donald Trump,' Walz said. He paused. 'That's not even counting the crimes he committed.'... Walz threw down a debate challenge for JD Vance. 'I gotta tell you, I cant wait to debate the guy,' he said. 'That is, if he's willing to get off the couch and show up.'" ~~~
~~~ Nehamas: "Walz's debate challenge was a not-very-sly allusion to a fabricated Internet joke about JD Vance and his relationship with couches. He is certainly leaning into the attack-dog role expected of a vice presidential candidate. ~~~
~~~ Michael Barbaro: "Harris can barely suppress a laugh at Walz's couch joke. And I mean, barely." [MB: The crowd, which is probably heavy on Temple U. students, gets the joke. This is the most enthusiastic crowd I've seen, maybe ever. (Herein is an explanation of the couch joke. If you missed the story, it's my fault because I thought it was too stupid to report. I was wrong.)] ~~~
~~~ Lisa Lerer: "'These guys are creepy, and yes, just weird as hell,' Walz says of Trump and Vance."
~~~ Here's the AP's liveblog.
Hakyung Kim & Samantha Subin of CNBC: "Stocks jumped Tuesday, recovering some some losses from the previous trading session. The S&P 500 traded 1.6% higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 468 points, or 1.2%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1.6%. Several big technology stocks rebounded after a sharp pullback on Monday. Nvidia rose 3.6%, while Meta Platforms advanced 2.5%. Meanwhile, Apple continued its decline and fell nearly 2%. Helping sentiment was a rebound in Japanese stocks. The Nikkei 225 posted its best day since October 2008, soaring 10.2%. That surge comes a day after the benchmark suffered its worst day since 1987, losing 12.4%."
Jesse McKinley, et al., of the New York Times: "The story of [Bobby Kennedy, Jr.'s] roadkill and the confessional video was so bizarrely fascinating that it overshadowed a decidedly more serious challenge for Mr. Kennedy: a court case in Albany brought by a group of voters trying to have him removed from the ballot, arguing Mr. Kennedy used a false address on tens of thousands of nominating petitions. The case, which began on Monday, is being backed by Clear Choice, a Democrat-aligned political action committee that is trying to keep Mr. Kennedy off the ballot. Mr. Kennedy is likely to testify on Tuesday.... Mr. Kennedy has a home in Los Angeles he shares with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines.... But Mr. Kennedy's New York petitions listed an address in Katonah, N.Y. Lawyers for the voters trying to bounce him from the ballot say that address is not his home but that of a friend, arguing that Mr. Kennedy 'does not, and has never, resided' there."
~~~~~~~~~~
Abha Bhattarai, et al., of the Washington Post: "A sudden global panic is upending financial markets and cratering the value of stocks, currencies, even bitcoin -- but economists say it's not a surefire sign that the country is headed for a downturn. The current sell-off, they say, is the result of investors having to untangle complicated, heavily leveraged trades that have artificially boosted stock values. A weak snapshot of the U.S. job market Friday added fuel to the fire, raising questions about whether the American economy is on rockier footing than previously thought and prompting bets that the Federal Reserve might have to cut interest rates sooner and more aggressively.... All three major stock indexes fell, the Nasdaq Composite by more than 3 percent, the S&P 500 by nearly that much and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by more than 2.5 percent. While they recovered slightly from even sharper morning declines, the day still marked one of the worst in nearly two years, as investors moved money out of equities and into bonds." An AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "It didn't take long for ... Donald J. Trump to make a political weapon out of Monday's market sell-off. 'Stock markets are crashing, jobs numbers are terrible, we are heading to World War III, and we have two of the most incompetent "leaders" in history,' Mr. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 'This is not good.' The post underscored Mr. Trump's longstanding fixation on stock indexes as a barometer of economic health.... Mr. Trump wants voters to believe the economy is on the brink of catastrophe, and that [Vice President] Harris and President Biden are to blame.... (Mr. Trump's presidency included a rapid descent into a pandemic recession in 2020, including a steep drop in the stock market that was followed by a rebound that summer.)... Ms. Harris has stressed economic optimism in speeches. 'We believe in a future that keeps America's economy the strongest in the world,' she said in Houston this month. 'Where every person has the opportunity to build a business, to own a home, to build intergenerational wealth.'... But many Democrats worry that the Fed, by holding rates steady last month, may have hurt Ms. Harris -- by opening the door for the market sell-off...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Let's Ask Krugman! Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "The United States probably (probably) hasn't entered a recession yet. But the economy is definitely looking pre-recessionary. And policymakers -- which right now basically means the Federal Reserve -- need to move quickly to head off the risks of serious economic deterioration. It's already clear that the Fed made a mistake by not cutting rates last week; indeed, it probably should have begun cutting months ago." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Also, too, let me remind you, as economics columnist Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post did on CNN Monday night, the U.S. still has the best economy in the world. Moreover, let us go back to answering Trump's question, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" New York Times (August 6, 2020): "In These Neighborhoods, the Jobless Rate May Top 30 Percent." According to the report, "In corners of the Bronx, South Los Angeles or the South Side of Chicago, unemployment is concentrated to a breathtaking degree. And that means that other problems still to come -- a wave of evictions, deepening poverty, more childhood hunger -- will be geographically concentrated, too. Data estimating neighborhood-level unemployment rates suggests that as many as one in three workers in these areas are jobless, deeply widening economic disparities within cities."
Presidential Race
Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the Democratic nomination for president, becoming the first woman of color to win a major party's nomination and officially setting up her matchup against ... Donald J. Trump. Ms. Harris, 59, earned the support of 99 percent of the 4,567 delegates who cast ballots, the Democratic National Committee said in a statement late Monday. In an unusual move meant to avoid potential legal headaches, the roll call was held virtually over five days, instead of in-person at the Democratic National Convention, which begins on Aug. 19 in Chicago.... By Friday afternoon, Ms. Harris -- the only candidate on the ballot -- had clinched a majority of the delegates she needed for the nomination. Voting concluded on Monday at 6 p.m. The party announced the results just before midnight. The AP's story is here.
Eugene Daniels of Politico: "Vice President Kamala Harris is bringing her crash search for a running mate to a close, with a final decision expected over the next 24 hours with a video announcement likely to follow sometime Tuesday, according to people familiar with the selection process." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ CNN is claiming on-air Tuesday morning that Harris had narrowed her choices down to Gov. Tim Walz (Minn.) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (Penn.) but that as of last night she had not yet decided between the two. In any event, CNN reporters are staking out both governors' homes. Really makes you wish you too could be a famous public figure, dunnit?
Adam Wren, et al., of Politico: "Donald Trump spent Monday morning labeling the turmoil in the global financial markets the 'Kamala Crash,' giving Republicans hope that he might turn his focus to an economic message. It didn't last. By midday, the former president was already back to re-litigating his controversial appearance in Chicago last week, where he questioned Kamala Harris' Black identity and suggested a major network journalist should be fired -- 'I didn't know who she was, she was nasty,'he told a livestreamer.... Republicans on Monday reeled from Trump's undisciplined approach to the opening stages of his new general election matchup with Harris -- following a weekend that saw him praise Russian leader Vladimir Putin while smearing Harris as 'low IQ,' and 'dumb' and attacking a popular swing-state GOP governor whose turnout operation he may need in November. 'This is what you would call a public nervous breakdown,' said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former Trump administration appointee." ~~~
~~~ Marie: And let me add that a U.S. vice president's control over the global economy is somewhere right between zero and nil. ~~~
~~~ Yeah But. Amanda Marcotte of Salon: Trump & Vance seem to think that attacking Harris' racial identity and calling her husband "a crappy Jew" is excellent campaign strategy. They're keeping at it."Vance even made excuses for Trump's sneering at biracial people, even though Vance's wife is Indian-American and his kids, like Harris, have a biracial heritage. This hypocrisy is something he shares with Trump. Trump repeatedly mocks others for what he perceives as physical flaws, as if that will distract people from the fact that he's a lumbering 78-year-old man with a comical combover." ~~~
~~~ Trump Seems to Praise Dictator Maduro for Keeping Caracas Safe. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump spoke with controversial stream[er] Adin Ross on Monday and ... weigh[ed] in on the ongoing turmoil in Venezuela following an election that many observers, including the U.S., say was stolen.... '... Venezuela is right now being run by a dictator. We were enemies with Venezuela,' Trump replied, adding: 'Venezuela was going to collapse, and people could have gone back to Venezuela. They're in our country now. They've released tremendous numbers of criminals into our country. If you look at Caracas, it was known for being a very dangerous city, and now it's very safe. In fact, the next interview we'll do we'll do it in Caracas, Venezuela, because it's safer than many of our cities.' Notably, Venezuela has the highest crime rate in the world, according to the Global Organized Crime Index."
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: Beginning in 2016, when Donald Trump attacked Ted Cruz's wife and his father, Republican office-holders keep putting up with Trump's insulting their spouses, then coming around to endorsing Trump anyway. MB: How is it "family values" to fail to defend your own spouse and not to at least demand an apology from A-Hole No. 1 before endorsing him? I can see in some cases, where the spouses are active participants in a campaign, that some gentle criticism might be warranted, but especially in cases where the spouses only stand up at rallies and wave -- if that -- they should be completely off-limits.
Marie: I have never heard of Justin Glawe, cited below, but I do know he's onto something here: ~~~
~~~ Justin Glawe of American Doom: At a Saturday night rally in Atlanta, Georgia, "Trump's comments about the Georgia State Election Board were a blaring tornado siren. 'I don't know if you've heard but the Georgia State Election Board is in a very positive way... They're on fire, they;re doing a great job,' Trump said, before naming three Republican members of the SEB -- Rick Jeffares, Dr. Janice Johnston and Janelle King. 'Three pitbulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory,' Trump called them. Fighting for victory. That's not the job of the Georgia State Election Board (SEB) -- to fight for victory on behalf of a political candidate.... As an advocate put it to me the other day: 'They have become a MAGA government body.'... The importance of [Trump's] even being aware of ... such election minutiae ... is a shocking alarm bell that he and his campaign are highly aware of the mechanisms they need to employ in order to get their way in Georgia in November." Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~
~~~ Rachel Maddow & elections attorney Marc Elias discussed this Monday night, adding that all over the country Republicans have seated election deniers and others who have the power to refuse to certify local election results, essentially nullifying everyone's vote in that voting community. Some of these boards have already gummed up local elections during the past few years. So when Trump tells his followers they "don't need to vote," it's not crazy talk: he has other means in place to "win" this year's presidential election, and these local boards are a big part of the scheme. ~~~
~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "... far-right provocateur Jack Posobiec, who is probably best known for promoting the conspiracy theory that Democrats ran a satanic child abuse ring beneath a popular Washington pizzeria..., co-wrote [a book titled 'Unhumans'] with the professional ghostwriter Joshua Lisec. [It] comes with endorsements from some of the most influential people in Republican politics, including, most significantly, vice-presidential candidate JD Vance.... Other endorsements come from Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump Jr., a key figure in his father's presidential campaign. The foreword is by Stephen Bannon.... The book argues that leftists don't deserve the status of human beings ... and that they are waging a shadow war against all that is good and decent, which will end in apocalyptic slaughter if they are not stopped. [The authors approvingly cite one of the book's heroes, Spanish dictator Francisco Franco,] 'We do not believe in government through the voting booth.'
"You can and should laugh at Vance's melodramatic self-importance and creepy subcultural fixations. (On 'Jack Murphy Live,' Vance respectfully references Curtis Yarvin, a right-wing blogger popular in reactionary Silicon Valley circles who calls for replacing democracy with a sort of techno-monarchy.)" ~~~
~~~ digby links to a New Republic article featuring a Silicon Valley guy named Curtis Garvin who has some extraordinarily creepy ideas about how to manage "unproductive" people and how to govern the unwashed masses. Curtis there would just be a random disturbed person but for the fact that Peter Thiel, J.D. Vance & Elon Musk think his ideas are top-notch. digby republishes chunks of the article. Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Most of "us" (myself included) don't appreciate how dangerously insane "they" are. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: This extensive anti-democracy movement is not simply about sparing you the time-consuming inconveniences of keeping abreast of politics, registering to vote and showing up at the polls. The rights it would take from you extend far beyond your right to participate in directing and controlling the government. At it's most insane, this brave new world would "'virtualize unproductive people'... Imprison them in 'permanent solitary confinement' where, to avoid making them insane, they would be connected to an 'immersive virtual-reality interface' so they could 'experience a rich, fulfilling life in a completely imaginary world.'" As digby observes, "It's like something out of science fiction. But it's real." I doubt Trump fully understands all this, but he gets the part where he gets to do whatever he wants (or so he thinks). (Not mentioned in any of these alarming reports are the confederate Supremes, or that immunity ruling is proof they're in on the plot.)
John Fritze of CNN: "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an effort by Missouri's Republican attorney general to lift a gag order and delay the sentencing of ... Donald Trump following hisconviction in the New York hush money case. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey attempted to file the longshot suit against New York in early July, claiming in part that the gag order violated the First Amendment rights of voters in his state to hear Trump speak. But the case was widely viewed as unlikely to gain traction at the Supreme Court in part because of the sweeping implications of allowing a state to intervene in a pending criminal case unfolding in a different state.... The Supreme Court rejected the suit without comment. But conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito ... said they would have allowed the lawsuit itself to continue." MB: But of course they did.
Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: "Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) reached a cooperation agreement Monday with Jenna Ellis, who was a legal adviser to Donald Trump's 2020 campaign and was one of 18 defendants indicted in April on felony charges related to alleged efforts to try to subvert President Biden's victory in the state four years ago, according to prosecutors. The attorney general has agreed to drop nine felony charges against Ellis in exchange for her full cooperation with the investigation into the GOP plan to try to deliver Arizona's 11 electoral votes to Trump instead of the rightful winner, Biden. The deal allows Ellis to avoid potential jail time in exchange for providing prosecutors with evidence that could implicate other defendants." The Hill's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose. ~~~
~~~ How Bill Barr covered up what may have been the biggest financial scandal in presidential* history ~~~
~~~ Lawrence O'Donnell also covered this potential scandal. Unless statute-of-limitations restrictions can be overcome, guest expert Barbara McQuade suggested the best way to make public Barr's and FBI Director Chris Wray's involvement in the cover-up and Merrick Garland's failure to follow up is for Congress to investigate. McQuade pointed out that once a DOJ investigation has been closed, Congress can conduct oversight. In August 2's Comments, contributor Patrick made a reasoned argument as to why the DOJ would close down an investigation when the only connection between Trump & Sisi was the $10MM figure. (That's very much an oversimplification of Patrick's analysis.) One of the reporters on the WashPo story, Carol Leonnig, appearing on Maddow's show last night, vouched for her sources' reliability & certainty that there was reasonable cause to further investigate.
Kenneth Vogel of the New York Times: "With ... Donald J. Trump and his allies signaling that he will scale back assistance to Ukraine if he retakes the White House, a onetime close adviser has accepted a $50,000-a-month contract to lobby for Ukrainian interests. Kellyanne Conway, who served as a top aide to Mr. Trump's 2016 campaign and his presidency, registered on Friday to represent Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch who has positioned himself as a leading supporter of his country's defense against Russian aggression." The Hill's story is here. MB: Ken W. was wondering yesterday how this could possibly be. He seemed to suspect it was all about the money. Very cynical, Ken. Very cynical.
Book Report. Carl Hulse of the New York Times: A "book, titled 'The Art of Power,' is [former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi's retelling of major moments of critical decision-making during the Iraq War, a catastrophic financial meltdown, the passage of the Affordable Care Act and multiple clashes with ... Donald J. Trump, among other events. But it may be her most recent deft exercise of political finesse and muscle -- one that took place well after the book was written -- that will stand as a final testament to Ms. Pelosi's stature as the Democratic Party's premiere powerhouse of recent decades. In a formidable display of her enduring clout, she helped persuade the incumbent president to abandon his re-election bid to give her party a better chance of holding the White House in November.... If Democrats triumph this fall after staring down the prospect of a resounding defeat, the maneuvering by Ms. Pelosi ... may turn out to be among her most significant acts. The words Pelosi and power have been inextricably linked in Washington for more than 20 years, and her book sets out to document how she did it." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Here's a Washington Post review. (Also linked yesterday.)
Clarence Sees the World, Vol. 5. Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "Justice Clarence Thomas failed to publicly disclose additional private travel provided by the wealthy conservative donor Harlan Crow, a top Democratic senator said in a letter on Monday. Customs and Border Protection records revealed that the justice and his wife, Virginia Thomas, took a round trip between Hawaii and New Zealand in November 2010 on Mr. Crow's private jet, according to the letter. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, writing to Mr. Crow's lawyer, demanded that he supply more information about the financial relationship between the two men.... By law, justices are required to fill out a financial disclosure form each year, including, among other things, outside sources of income and gifts. But Justice Thomas's form for 2010 does not list any flights on Mr. Crow's jet. Mr. Wyden singled out the discrepancy in his letter, noting that the justice had revised past records to reveal [other] travel provided by Mr. Crow.... Mr. Wyden also cited reports that the justice had accompanied Mr. Crow to Greece, Russia and the Baltics. None of these trips are noted on the justice's financial disclosure forms." CNN's story is here.
David McCabe of the New York Times: "Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search, a federal judge ruled on Monday, a landmark decision that strikes at the power of tech giants in the modern internet era and that may fundamentally alter the way they do business. Judge Amit P. Mehta of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said in a 277-page ruling that Google had abused a monopoly over the search business. The Justice Department and states had sued Google, accusing it of illegally cementing its dominance, in part, by paying other companies, like Apple and Samsung, billions of dollars a year to have Google automatically handle search queries on their smartphones and web browsers. 'Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,' Judge Mehta said in his ruling.... Kent Walker, Google's president of global affairs, said the company would appeal the ruling." (Also linked yesterday.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post: "Bloomberg News has apologized for publishing a story early Thursday morning that it now says could have imperiled the negotiated prisoner swap that freed several prisoners from Russian custody, and has also disciplined several individuals involved in the matter. The White House had confirmed to several news organizations, including Bloomberg, advance details of a swap between the United States, Russia and other countries, which it put under an embargo -- or an agreement to withhold publishing the news until officials confirmed that the Americans were safely in U.S. custody.... But early Thursday morning, Bloomberg News published its story that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan had been released from Russia as part of a major prisoner swap -- well before it had been completed, infuriating both those in the White House and in the Wall Street Journal newsroom.... At least one individual -- senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, who was the lead author on the story -- is no longer with the company...." ~~~
~~~ Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "Bloomberg News's editor in chief said on Monday that the publication had disciplined multiple journalists involved in breaking an embargo last week tied to the major prisoner swap, in what he said was 'a clear violation of the editorial standards.'... An editor involved in the story was demoted...."
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California. Meh. Trisha Thadani of the Washington Post: "After 18 years, Elon Musk will move X ... out of San Francisco, according to Mayor London Breed's office. The social media company has a long history with the city, but the billionaire entrepreneur, who acquired the platform in 2022, has often used it to bash the city's progressive politics and homelessness crisis. The social network's departure will mark the end of an era for San Francisco's downtown Mid-Market neighborhood, where city officials once courted tech companies with incentives dubbed the 'Twitter tax break.' Musk made deep cuts to Twitter's workforce when he acquired the company in October 2022, and X only has about 120 employees left in San Francisco, said a person familiar with the company's plans.... The employees will be moved to office space in San Jose and Palo Alto.... Ted Egan, San Francisco's chief economist, said that while Twitter and its workforce were once an important driver of foot traffic in the Mid-Market neighborhood, X never served the same role. He attributes that to the work-from-home policies of the pandemic and Musk's mass layoffs."
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Iraq. Lolita Baldor of the AP: "Several U.S. personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack at a military base in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said Monday, in what has been a recent uptick in strikes on American forces by Iranian-backed militias. The attack comes as tensions across the Middle East are spiking following the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran, in suspected Israeli strikes. Both groups are backed by Iran. The U.S. defense officials said troops at al-Asad air base were still assessing the injuries and damage, and it appeared that as many as seven military troops and civilians were injured. Earlier Monday, Iraqi security officials confirmed the attack, but no group has claimed responsibility."
News Lede
The New York Times is live-updating developments in Tropical Storm Debby: "Tropical Storm Debby continued its slow march into Georgia on Monday night, with forecasters warning residents across the southeastern United States that the threat of major flooding from the storm could last for the next several days. The storm has already dumped heavy rain across northern Florida, where it was blamed for four deaths, led to dangerous river flooding and triggered hundreds of water rescues. In southern Georgia, the storm was linked to the death of a 19-year-old man killed by a falling tree." At 5:30 am ET, this is the pinned item.
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Reader Comments (21)
Oh, but not me!
Disgraced former Fox screamer, Bill O’Reilly, is pissed that the Orange Monster is not running away with this election.
“He’s making a lot of errors!” shouts Loofah Boy.
Errors? Is that what they’re calling precipitous cognitive decline and grievance fueled diaper crapping?
Somehow O’Reilly seems to blame Trump’s “errors” on reporting:
“Well, he’s making a lot of errors, there’s no doubt about that. The Georgia thing, that was– you shrug your shoulders. Look, pundits on either side are never gonna admit they make a mistake. They make a lot of money supporting or attacking various candidates, that’s what they do. Honesty is not really an equation anymore on television news, and we all know that. It’s been documented and we don’t have to go through it again.”
Sounds like a bit of projection there, don’t it?
Has Loofah Boy ever admitted a mistake? And he certainly made a ton of money attacking Democrats over the years. And when was honesty ever a part of anything he ever said or did? The current biggest liar on Fox, Jesse Watters, got his start as O’Reilly’s “Man on the Street” douchebag.
But anyway, thanks for encapsulating your entire career, asshole.
And those aren’t “errors”. Trump is damaged and disturbed. He shouldn’t be winning anything, and it’s only through the evil offices of outlets like Fox and assholes like O’Reilly that he became a superstar in treason circles.
Go back to whatever you were doing. We’re doing fine without you.
There is a serious copyright infringement situation in today's Conversation. My apologies to Merle & Willie, Emilylou and especially to the late, great Townes Van Zandt. I couldn't help myself.
If we’re gonna rip off Van Zander, might as well do it up…
The day they laid the Country low
Fatty split for DC-oh
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows
Van Zandt…not Zander. Otto is not a music fan.
Marie : It's a safe bet that Emmylou won't bother you about Lefty's lament. I have always thought hers to be the best rendition.
Leonnig's explanation on Maddow of the DiJiT-Sisi $10 million was more persuasive than the WaPo article, because she made more reference to identifiable intelligence sources as "corroboration." That just covers the Egypt side of the action. There seems to be nothing on the receiving side ... Which is the whole point of a successful cover-up. I'd bet that after DiJiT loses, someone in one of his laundries will spill the beans. But I wouldn't bet much.
@Akhilleus: Excellent update. Good lyrics can have a more universal application than is at first apparent.
Low energy
More potential history
"If Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly selected running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz win in November, Minnesota will see history made in his replacement.
The big picture: State law dictates that Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would be elevated to governor, which would make her the state's first female governor — and the first Native American woman to lead a U.S. state, MinnPost reports."
That story about Walz and his students being turned away from the Bush rally is truly emblematic of the modern conservative approach to life. Walz and the students were curious enough to want to go to the rally, watch, and listen. It's possible that something Bush might've said would sway their opinion of Bush in a positive way. Instead, all they could do is make Walz and the students outcasts. Inclusion is not a thing for them, nor is the concept of somebody having an open mind.
Another reason to support the Harris-Walz ticket. They both believe in science and doing what we can to save the plant. This article is all about Harris, but according to the Times, Governor Walz actually cares about the environment too.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/05/kamala-harris-landmark-climate-change-law
Why pick Harris
"They Are All Mob Bosses Now"
They don’t even try to hide it.
Neil (Die for your Bosses) Gorsuch sez “If you’re in the majority, you don’t need judges and juries, to hear you, to protect your rights, if you’re popular…”
Um…what? So the majority of people in the United States should not expect any protections from the traitors in charge of the court.
You know who does get their protection?
Their Billionaire Buddies, other traitors, authoritarians, racists, MAGAts, Trump. Because they all need judges to look out for THEIR rights.
The rest of us can go hang. And they’ll be happy to supply the noose.
Test
Not working again.
Forget it
Bible Mike, member and representative of an extreme and inherently antisemitic Christian Nationalist movement, sez Kamala Harris didn’t pick Josh Shapiro because those awful, bigoted Democrats Don’t want a Jew on the ticket.
Right. A leader of a group who believes only Christians should be in control, and their Christian ideology should trump even the Constitution, is attacking Kamala Harris, who is married to a Jew, for being against Jews, meaning, according to Bible Mike, that Democrats are all pro-Hamas, pro-Palestinian, pro-terrorist, pro-antisemitism.
The sad thing is that this bullshit will work with the MAGAts, and the corporate media will stroke their chins and say “Hmmm…Bible Mike has a point. Let’s do a 50,000 word investigative report on Democrat support for Hamas terrorists!
So here’s something interesting…
They don’t even try to hide it.
Neil (Die for your Bosses) Gorsuch sez “If you’re in the majority, you don’t need judges and juries, to hear you, to protect your rights, if you’re popular…”
Um…what? So the majority of people in the United States should not expect any protections from the traitors in charge of the court.
You know who does get their protection?
Their Billionaire Buddies, other traitors, authoritarians, racists, MAGAts, Trump. Because they all need judges to look out for THEIR rights.
The rest of us can go hang. And they’ll be happy to supply the noose.
Back to not working…
Crazy old man yelling at the clouds
Okay, this is nuts.
Here’s the Orange Monster projecting again on his broke-ass anti-social media app:
“What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the history of the U.S., whose Presidency was Unconstitutionally STOLEN from him by Kamabla, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Shifty Adam Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and others on the Lunatic Left, CRASHES the Democrat National Convention and tries to take back the Nomination, beginning with challenging me to another DEBATE. He feels that he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, a COUP, to the people in the World he most hates, and he wants it back, NOW!!!”
What are the chances that this is exactly what Fatty would do were he in this situation?
The chances that a normal (ie, not demented) person like Joe Biden would “CRASH” the convention and try to “take back the nomination” and wooga, wooga, wooga, HATE, COUP, NOW!! Aieee! are zero.
The chance that Trump would pull a psycho stunt like this? 100%.
Back off on the Big Macs, Diet Cokes, and Qanon sites! Jesus.
(Kamambla? Christ. This shit is barking mad.)