;)
The Conversation -- September 4, 2024
Kelly O'Donnell, et al., of NBC News: "Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Wednesday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, the latest high-profile Republican endorsement for Democrats. Cheney's comments took place during an appearance at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. 'Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris,' Cheney said in a video of remarks posted to X. The former congresswoman said in her remarks that it is 'crucially important' for people to understand that people do not have 'the luxury of writing in candidates' names, particularly in swing states.'"
Alex Gangitano of the Hill: "Vice President Harris on Wednesday went off script at a rally in New Hampshire to condemn gun violence following a shooting at a Georgia high school earlier that day.... '... our kids are sitting in a classroom, where they should be fulfilling their God-given potential, and some part of their brain is worried about a shooter busting through the classroom. It does not have to be this way,' she said. 'This is one of the many issues that's at stake in this election,' the vice president added, before moving back on script to talk about her economic plan." ~~~
~~~ Tami Luhby & Katie Lubosco of CNN: "Vice President Kamala Harris is adding tax relief for small businesses to her economic policy platform aimed at helping middle-class and working Americans. Harris unveiled Wednesday a proposal to massively increase the existing small business tax deduction for startup costs and cut the red tape that impedes small businesses' formation and growth. Her goal: 25 million new small business applications by the end of her first term, up from the record 19 million received under the Biden administration as of mid-August. Harris on Wednesday also proposed raising the capital gains tax rate, though by not as much as President Joe Biden has called for." ~~~
~~~ Here is the statement by President Joe and Dr. Jill Biden on the shooting at Apalachee High School.
Andy Kroll, et al., of ProPublica: "Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, privately heaped praise on a major religious-rights group for fighting efforts to reform the nation's highest court -- efforts sparked, in large part, by her husband's ethical lapses. Thomas expressed her appreciation in an email sent to Kelly Shackelford, an influential litigator whose clients have won cases at the Supreme Court. Shackelford runs the First Liberty Institute, a $25 million-a-year organization that describes itself as 'the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans.' Shackelford read Thomas' email aloud on a July 31 private call with his group's top donors.... According to Shackelford, Thomas wrote in all caps: 'YOU GUYS HAVE FILLED THE SAILS OF MANY JUDGES. CAN I JUST TELL YOU, THANK YOU SO, SO, SO MUCH.'" Thanks to RAS for the link.
Lauren del Valle & Paula Reid of CNN: "... Donald Trump will continue to fight to move his New York hush money case into federal court -- and delay his sentencing on that conviction -- by now appealing to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a notice of appeal filed Tuesday night. A federal judge in Manhattan denied his initial request to move the case to the Southern District of New York on Tuesday. Trump's attorneys filed a notice of appeal of that decision soon after."
Lauren Irwin of the Hill: "A judge in Michigan ruled Tuesday that independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must stay on the state's presidential ballot. Kennedy announced earlier this month he would be withdrawing from the race and threw his support behind former President Trump. He said he was trying to take his name off ballots in swing states where, if he stayed on the ticket, he could draw votes away from the former president. He will remain on blue and red state ballots. Michigan and Wisconsin, key Midwest purple states, rejected Kennedy's attempt to remove his name from the ballot, citing their state laws for a candidate or nominee withdrawing. In North Carolina, the state's board of elections said it was too late for Kennedy to withdraw since ballots had already begun being printed. Kennedy filed a lawsuit in an attempt to remove his name.
This Is Rich. Miranda Nazzaro of the Hill: "Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed Vice President Harris's candidacy Tuesday ... while defending his choice to instead endorse former President Trump. 'I don't think that Vice President Harris is a worthy president of this country,' Kennedy told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo. 'I think we need to have a president who can give an interview, who can articulate a vision, who can put together an English sentence, who can articulate her and defend her policies and her record and who can engage in a debate with, and regular debates unscripted appearances, president or vice president.'" MB: Yes, because Donald Trump is so very, very good at articulating stuff in regular English sentences he has put together.
~~~~~~~~~~
Presidential Race
Jessica Piper of Politico: "Kamala Harris' campaign and the Democratic National Committee said Tuesday they are sending nearly $25 million to support down-ballot Democrats -- an earlier investment and far more money than the top of the ticket has sent in past election years. The funding in part reflects the Harris operation's ability to spread money around after record fundraising over the past six weeks. But it is also a recognition of the importance of this year's down-ballot races -- which overlap with many of the swaths of the country that could decide the presidential election, and whose outcomes will substantially affect how Harris, or ... Donald Trump, will be able to govern next year." (Also linked yesterday.)
Ted Scouten of CBS News: "The Kamala Harris campaign is bringing the 'Fighting for Reproductive Freedom' nationwide bus tour to Donald Trump's doorstep, driving by Mar-a-Lago.... The tour kicked off this morning in Boynton Beach and while Vice President Harris was not there, her surrogates were.... 'What better place to kick off the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour than in Donald Trump's backyard,' Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman [Schultz] asked the cheering crowd.... From here the bus tour goes up to Jacksonville, then it will tour about 50 cities in the US, leading up to Election Day. "
Tim Balk of the New York Times: "Jimmy McCain, a son of the Vietnam War P.O.W. and longtime Republican senator John McCain, said Tuesday that the campaign of ... Donald J. Trump had committed a 'violation of a sacred place' when it clashed with an official at Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. McCain, a first lieutenant in the Arizona National Guard, told The New York Times that he was 'very shocked' by the confrontation at the cemetery last week, saying it could be an 'extremely triggering' event for the families of service members buried there.... Mr. McCain, who also criticized the Trump campaign&'s actions in an interview with CNN published earlier Tuesday, told The Times that he planned to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. He also said that he joined the Democratic Party about a month ago, after returning from a period of service in Jordan."
Nothing to See Here, Folks. Michael Gold & Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump insisted in a radio interview on Tuesday that 'there was no conflict' between members of his campaign team and an official at Arlington National Cemetery, contradicting his campaign's previous statements about the episode last week and Army officials' account. 'If you look at just the records, there was no conflict, there was no fight, there was no anything,' Mr. Trump said on Sean Hannity's radio show, Hours earlier, Mr. Trump on his social media site claimed 'there was no conflict or "fighting"' at the cemetery, calling the story, without evidence, 'made up' by the White House. It was the latest effort by the Trump campaign to defend itself after a physical altercation between a Trump aide and a cemetery official that was set off by the campaign's defying of a ban on political campaigning at the cemetery in Virginia during Mr. Trump's visit last week."
Daniel Dale of CNN: "Trump's lying is most exceptional in its relentlessness, a never-ending avalanche of wrongness that can bury even the most devoted fact-checkers. But it's also notable for its repetitiveness. He has found his hits, and he'll keep playing them no matter how many times they are debunked. As Trump enters the post-Labor Day sprint of his 2024 campaign for the presidency, his commentary is filled with many of the same false claims he made as president from 2017 to 2021. He's even repeating some of the false claims he used during his 2016 presidential campaign." Dale highlights some of the oft-repeated chestnuts. (Also linked yesterday.)
Huh. Looks like digby figured out why Trump (and JayDee) sat out the traditional Labor Day campaign season kickoff. Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
Carol Leonnig & Aaron Davis of the Washington Post: "Democratic leaders on the House Oversight Committee released a letter Tuesday asking former president Donald Trump if he ever illegally received money from the government of Egypt, and whether money from Cairo played a role in a $10 million infusion into his 2016 run for president. Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, and Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on its subcommittee for national security, the border and foreign affairs, wrote to Trump that they were making the request as a result of a Washington Post article published last month. The article revealed details of a secret Justice Department investigation during Trump's presidency into whether he took an illegal campaign contribution from Egypt." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Hello, Senate Democrats. Are you there? With your, you know, subpoena power? If Hillary Clinton could sit down for an hours-long grilling by House Republicans during a presidential campaign, surely Trumpty-Dumpty can sit before a Senate committee long enough to take the Fifth.
Marilyn Thompson of ProPublica: "Judge Aileen M. Cannon has shown bias in handling criminal charges against ... Donald Trump and should be reversed and removed from the case to 'preserve the appearance of justice,' a public interest group argued in a legal filing on Tuesday. The brief filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and joined by a retired federal judge and two constitutional lawyers is a direct legal assault on Cannon's decision to throw out special counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of Trump for alleged mishandling of classified documents."
Bad News for Felonious Trump. Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Manhattan denied an effort by Donald J. Trump to move his already adjudicated state criminal case to the federal courts on Tuesday, rejecting his claims of bias against him as well as his claims of presidential immunity. In late May, a jury convicted the former president on 34 felony counts of falsifying records to cover up hush-money payments to a porn star ... who had threatened to go public with her account of an affair. A state judge, Juan M. Merchan, has scheduled his sentencing for Sept. 18, though Mr. Trump has asked him to delay it until after the presidential election. In a four-page decision on Monday, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of Federal Court in Manhattan said he could not evaluate Mr. Trump's claims of bias, saying those were issues for the state courts. But he said that Mr. Trump's claims of immunity for official acts -- based on a recent Supreme Court decision affirming such protection -- were irrelevant in this case. He noted that 'hush-money payments were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The AP's report is here.
Bad News for Shady Businessman Trump. Rebecca Piccioto of CNBC: "The share price of Trump Media, whose majority shareholder is ... Donald Trump, fell Tuesday to the lowest level since the company began public trading in March following a merger. DJT shares dropped to $17.72 per share Tuesday afternoon before recovering somewhat to end the day at $18.08. The stock's prior low was set on Aug. 28, when it hit $19.38 per share. The stock price is down roughly 77% from its high of $79.38 per share on March 26, following Trump Media's merger with a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.... [HOWEVER,] Trump;s stake was worth over $2 billion as of Tuesday." MB: IOW, this is another of numerous Trump ventures in which he makes money -- a lot of it in this case -- while other investors lose big-time.
What? Javanka involved in corrupt land deals in former Soviet satellite country?? Nevah! ~~~
~~~ Eric Lipton & Vladimir Karaj of the New York Times: "Two luxury real-estate projects in Albania proposed by the son-in-law of ... Donald J. Trump are stirring up lingering tensions in that country, with the Trump family facing accusations that land it hopes to develop has been improperly set aside for them. The disputes relate to $1 billion worth of investments that Ivanka Trump ... and ... Jared Kushner are pursuing in Albania along the Mediterranean coast of this Southern European nation on land once controlled by a Communist government. Mr. Kushner announced plans to build an opulent hotel and beach villa complex on a stretch of the mainland where an Albanian family has farmed for generations. The family says part of this property was corruptly seized from them after the end of Communist rule in 1991.... At the second site -- a small, strategically located island called Sazan where the Soviet Union sent military supplies during the Cold War -- Mr. Kushner is working with top government officials in Albania to secure exclusive development rights." ~~~
~~~ Speaking of corrupt deals in which Jared & Ivanka were involved ~~~
~~~ Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A man whose life sentence in federal prison was commuted in 2021 by ... Donald J. Trump was convicted this spring of a misdemeanor charge of assaulting his wife, the latest example of a Trump clemency beneficiary getting in legal trouble again.... Jaime A. Davidson was sentenced in Florida to three months behind bars in the domestic violence case. Given the conviction, he could face additional time in federal prison if he is found to have violated the terms of his supervised release after Mr. Trump's decision, in the final hours of his presidency, to commute Mr. Davidson's earlier life sentence.... Last month, a convicted New York drug dealer named Jonathan Braun [-- to whom Mr. Trump granted clemency --] was arrested on charges of assaulting his wife on at least two occasions and punching his 75-year-old father-in-law in the head.... Several additional recipients of Mr. Trump's clemency grants have found themselves facing legal trouble since he left office.... Mr. Trump is trying to portray Vice President Kamala Harris as being soft on crime. Jared Kushner was heavily involved in the process.... Ivanka Trump, who like Mr. Kushner worked in the administration, pushed for a number of clemency grants in the final days."
~~~~~~~~~~
Montana Senate Race. Kellen Browning of the New York Times: "Tim Sheehy, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Montana, made comments perpetuating racist stereotypes about Native Americans during private fund-raisers last year, according to recordings of the events published by a local news outlet late last week and obtained by The New York Times. In one recording, Mr. Sheehy, a cattle rancher and businessman, can be heard saying that he had participated in roping and branding cattle on the Crow Reservation, in southeastern Montana, and that it was 'a great way to bond with all the Indians out there, while they're drunk at 8 a.m.' In another clip, he said that he had ridden in a Crow parade, and that 'they'll let you know whether they like you or not, there's Coors Light cans flying by your head.'... Calvin Lime, who lives on the Blackfeet reservation in northern Montana, said the remarks were a 'slap in the face,' and especially unfortunate because the Crow Tribe was one of the most outspokenly pro-Trump tribes."
New York. Hurubie Meko & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: A federal indictment asserts that "Linda Sun..., [an aide to] both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Gov. Andrew Cuomo..., us[ed] her position to benefit the Chinese government.... Ms. Sun, 40, was charged on Tuesday with 10 criminal counts that included visa fraud, money laundering and other crimes. Her husband, Chris Hu, 41, a businessman, is charged in the indictment with money laundering. Both pleaded not guilty in federal court, were released on bond and were required to surrender their passports."
North Carolina Gubernatorial Race. Jeffrey Billman & Joe Killian of the Assembly: "... according to Louis Money, who worked in several of Greensboro;s windowless, 24-hour video-pornography stores, [Lt. Gov. Mark] Robinson [-- the Republican candidate for governor --] was a frequent customer in the 1990s and early 2000s. Money, 52, told The Assembly that Robinson came in as often as five nights a week to watch porn videos in a private booth.Five other men who said they were former employees or customers during this period also told The Assembly that Robinson visited two of these stores.... In addition, Money said Robinson purchased 'hundreds' of bootleg porn videos that Money sold on the side.... Robinson's commentary often targets those who don't ascribe to his conservative interpretation of Christianity or share his views on sexuality and gender issues." Robinson denied the allegations and called Money and the Assembly "degenerates." Money posted an undated photo of himself with Robinson, which is included with the article. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I am not familiar with the Assembly -- a newish online news outlet -- but a number of reputable reporters and outlets have accepted its reporting here.
Oklahoma. Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down a request from Oklahoma to restore millions in federal family-planning grants that the Biden administration withheld after the state announced that it would no longer provide access to abortion counseling services. Oklahoma had sought emergency relief after a divided three-judge panel of an appeals court in July temporarily paused the funding as a lower-court dispute played out over whether state officials could refuse to refer pregnant women to counseling services that presented abortion as an option. The court's brief, unsigned order gave no reasons, as is common when it acts on emergency applications. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch dissented, saying they would have reinstated the grants."
~~~~~~~~~~
Iraq, et al. Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "American and Iraqi commandos raided Islamic State hide-outs in western Iraq last week, killing at least 14 ISIS fighters in one of the most sweeping counterterrorism missions in the country in recent years. Seven U.S. soldiers were injured as more than 200 troops from both countries, including backup forces, hunted down fighters in bunkers over miles of remote terrain, U.S. and Iraqi officials said, adding that the size, scope and focus of the mission underscored the terrorist organization's resurgence in recent months. A senior insurgent commander overseeing Islamic State operations in the Middle East and Europe was the main target, they said." (Also linked yesterday.)
Israel/Palestine, et al. The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Adam Goldman, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors charged Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, and five senior members of the group with planning and carrying out years of terrorist attacks in Israel, including the Oct. 7 massacre, according to a sweeping complaint unsealed on Tuesday. The criminal complaint, originally filed in New York in February, implicated two other senior members of Hamas not previously thought to be directly involved in the attacks. It also listed the number of Americans believed to have died at 43." The AP's report is here.
Ukraine/Russia, et al.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in the Ukraine/Russia war are here.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in the Ukraine/Russia war are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Siobhan O'Grady of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has submitted his resignation, the country's parliamentary speaker announced Wednesday, marking the latest major change in Kyiv's leadership amid a larger government shake-up. Kuleba, who has served as foreign minister since 2020, has been a key voice in Ukraine's drive to receive foreign weapons from allies and to push partners to loosen restrictions on how those weapons are used."
Siobhan O'Grady & Jennifer Hassan of the Washington Post: "More than 40 people were killed and hundreds injured in a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, making it one of the deadliest single attacks of the war. Two ballistic missiles struck the area, targeting an educational institution and a nearby hospital, Zelensky said, adding that many people were trapped under the rubble. As members of the House minority, Raskin and Garcia do not have the power to subpoena documents or witnesses, and Trump is under no obligation to respond to their inquiries." MB: A marshal from the International Criminal Court should pop over to Mongolia & arrest Putin for war crimes. (Also linked yesterday.)
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Reader Comments (32)
There's "Friends of the Court" and then there's "Friends on theCourt."
I'm thinking of those three ideologues in robes who would have returned the family planning grant money to Oklahoma even though its practices don't comport with the apparent strictures attached to the money , not to mention with sanity and good sense.
And I'm wondering what ACB was thinking. While driven by her religious zealotry, she has proven she can read.
Ken,
To the Traitors, “family planning”, no matter what it covers means abortion. They have never demonstrated the tiniest interest in children or families. The only planning they indulge in is to Win! and to own the libs.
The New Republic must be reading RC. Here’s their dive into the corporate media’s obsession with helping Donald Trump.
Some investigations require a close reading in order to properly suss out what’s happening under the hood. You gotta kick the tires, check the oil, put the engine on a computer, analyze the data. Not here. As we out here in RC World know all too well, all you have to do is watch the car as it hits the road. If it pulls to the right and stays there, it’s a Corporate Media Mobile.
Here’s an example. While interviewing Kamala Harris, Both Sides Dana Bash asked her how she responds to Trump’s assertion that she had “just turned black”. Harris blew this off with the exact correct response: “Same old tired playbook. Next question.”
“This was a good answer; it showed she wasn’t going to take the bait. But some genius editor at Politico thought otherwise! Ponder this headline: ‘Next question’: Harris evades questions about her identity.’
Sorry: Evades! What?! Where do we even start with that one? Trump said something dumb, false, malicious, and racist. She didn’t dignify it with a response. That’s evasion? What’s to evade? The story below the headline was fine, and the ridiculous headline got a stealthy edit after the fact. (Good chance that people like you, having to stomach the same nonsense as me, let Politico have it.) The problem, however, is that in today’s media world, sometimes that first headline is all some people see.
It’s emblematic of what the political media in this country are doing so badly in covering this race. With dizzying regularity, Trump lies. He says toxic, antidemocratic things over and over again. And he still gets treated like a normal candidate. It’s often the case that the media, presented with another one of his addled rants, will dive in, scoop, and separate enough words to make it seem like he’s got enough actual gray matter gooping around in his skull to form a complete sentence, and present their director’s cut of his wandering mind for public consumption.”
This is similar to a stoopid, stoopid, stoopid report I listened to last night in which some fucking complete moron was opining on the upcoming debate, suggesting that the outcome of the debate, and the election itself, would be decided by how well Harris responded to Trump’s many attacks.
Wait…what?? It’s all up to Kamala Harris? The fate of the nation rests on whether or not she has a good response to Fatty’s lies, racial slurs, unfounded assertions, conspiracy theories, and stumble-mumble-bumble “weaving”??
Trump doesn’t have to answer for any of that???
This is not just wondering what kind of comeback you have for a “When did you stop beating your wife?” query. This is telling you that you have to be able to perfectly rebut absolute nonsense, and be quick about it.
The fact is, Trump (and nearly all PoT pols, apparatchiks, media shils, and internet trolls) lies so frequently and with such ferocity and abandon, that the corporate media has simply given up and directs its ire toward Democrats.
It’s like saying “Donald Trump accuses you of being a witch. It sounds like a serious charge. Prove that you’re not. And understand, we realize that if you can actually disprove this charge, which we feel has a lot of validity, then you must, in fact, be a witch.”
No one demands that Trump prove anything. No one!!
Read the piece, but make sure there’s nothing breakable within reach.
Test.
A new Squarespace thing. Now when I try to post, I get a
403:FORBIDDEN
page that pops up.
China
"Chinese State-Linked Influence Operation Spamouflage Masquerades as U.S. Voters to Push Divisive Online Narratives Ahead of 2024 Election"
Anne Applebaum via Balloon Juice
"The kleptocrats aren’t just stealing money. They’re stealing democracy"
There is a link at the bottom to the article without signing up
Never Going Back
ProPublica
"Ginni Thomas Privately Praised Group Working Against Supreme Court Reform: “Thank You So, So, So Much”
In a call with donors, First Liberty Institute’s Kelly Shackelford read the supportive email he said came from Thomas. The leader of the religious-rights group also labeled Justice Elena Kagan “treasonous” for backing a stronger ethics code."
RAS,
Interesting that the "leader of the religious rights" group called Kagan "treasonous" for backing a SCOTUS ethics code. Very religious of her, and it reminds me of a comment I made on a Substack Waldman piece last week:
"IOW, in Republican eyes, those not motivated by greed are enemies of the state."
More media crap.
I heard about this last week but I couldn’t find a link to corroborate my comment.
So here’s the deal. CNN puts on what they proclaimed was a panel of undecided voters to talk about Kamala Harris. A guy on this panel who claimed to be “undecided” (still, to my mind, either chimerical types or total idiots. Who is still undecided? Here you have a poisonous, toxic weed that kills in contact. Over there you have a healthy, life giving plant. Questions?).
He wasn’t. A simple background-Twitter check would have shown this guy to be a virulent Trump supporter. But when CNN puts this “undecided” voter on TV and he starts ripping into Harris, it’s a great look for Trump. Gee, CNN producer-ass, ever heard of DOING YOUR FUCKING JOB? How ‘bout some due diligence?
More malicious mediocrity in the service of fascism.
Test.
@Akhilleus: So now you've dashed my hopes. For some 36 hours, Reality Chex has been working for me, and I sorta credited that to the fact I sent a copy of "The Parable of the Sunbeam" to the CEO of Squarespace.
I have occasionally seen 403 errors. Google suggests you try refreshing the page to help Squarespace "get over" its objection.
Ken,
And with all of Trump and the Right's talk of the good Jews during the campaign Shackelford's calling Kagan treasonous and disloyal rings loudly to my ears.
Those not motivated by greed are more likely to turn the firehose of money off for everyone. And that is bad for the greedy because then they have to start a new scam. That's more work and not a sure thing. So it's easier to keep the primed pump going and try to keep any do gooders away.
Marie,
Page refresh has been one of my standard go-to tricks to try to get it to “take”. The weird thing is how the site seems to work for a while, maybe two posts, then it stops working for all but very short posts without links.
But since it’s programming based (like so much of the world these days), you’d think if there was a glitch in the code, it would be predictable, in other words, to use a very simple code function, you’d get an “if this, then that” effect. Something happens on “mouse down” something different (if you code it that way), on “mouse up”, on “rollover”, etc. If what you expect to happen does not, then go back and check the code. Maybe something was compiled wrong or perhaps you screwed up the syntax.
If X happens sometimes, but not always, even under the same set of circumstances, then it’s obviously something else. But it’s still weird.
Nonetheless, we’re not talking about an extremely complicated set of commands here. Type stuff in text box, hit “create post”. It ain’t Fermat’s Last Theorem or we’re trying to use Assembly Language to do symbolic math problems. Type text, publish text. That’s pretty much it.
The Squarespace code monkeys should be able to do log-in screens in their sleep after an hour on the bong. This ain’t as complicated as that.
Maybe they’ve got their minds on other things.
I'm sure Cuomo followed up by pointing out what Marie did about Trump failing all of Mr Kennedy's presidential tests, lol. Would be such an easy layup. But that would be real journalism. You can get so far on rich white guy family name recognition as proved with both Kennedy and Cuomo. Also Kennedy again admits that he was just trying to play spoiler candidate for Harris. "I only wanted to be on the ballots in states I want to be on", but for some reason most of the media didn't take him seriously.
A book review with a couple of good lines:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/09/04/donald-trump-save-america-book/
Heather Cox Richardson shares some happy news from pollster Tom Bonier about the “surges in registration are being driven by women.”
"In North Carolina, he writes, the number of registrants was almost 50% higher during the week of July 21 than in the same week in 2020, and the gender gap was +12 women, compared to +6 women in 2020. The new registrants were +6 Democratic, and 43% were younger than 30. "
She also quotes Zeeshan Aleem of MSNBC on Trump's “deteriorating ability to clearly communicate.”
and notes that a reporter for The Guardian pointed out that attendees at Trump’s rallies are leaving as he rambles for nearly two hours, and complaining that he is “babbling.”
Letters from an American for 9/3/24
School shooting in Winder, Georgia east of Atlanta. Not sure if it will qualify as a mass shooting as "only " two dead reported so far.
Thomas B. Edsall, in the New York Times also looks at polling changes since Harris replaced Biden as the nominee, for instance:
"Harris’s improvement over Biden’s margins among specific constituencies has been much larger: voters 18 to 34, plus 12.5 points; independents, plus 9.2 points; women, plus 8.2; Hispanics, plus 6.3. While Harris’s gains are larger than her losses, she did lose ground compared with Biden among white college graduates, down 0.5 points; men, down 2.2; Republicans, down 3.9 and voters over 64 years old, down 3.9."
(what is wrong with these white college grads and voters 64+ ??? Who would risk a win by a rambling, babbling idiot because Harris replaced Biden as the nominee???)
How the Presidential Election Got This Close
Jaw-dropping malarkey from Crazy Kennedy: the idea that the Toxic Orange even knows English as we know it-- I am fascinated that Kennedy's brain appears to have been digested by the worm already. Does he even know Dumptrump? Has he listened to the sludge falling from those flabby lips? A VISION?? The only vision Orange Murgatroid provides is not worth listening to if you don't want to move to Mars instead. Is any newspaper "Of Note" able to assign columns to anyone that isn't stark staring nuts?? Harris "evaded" answering stupidity in the interests of trying to provide actual information and knowledge in a limited time allotment. I think we have moved from "interesting times" directly to insane asylum. God bless the press (a la Digby and Juanita Jean and RC and the Rude Pundit and Empty Wheel) who still understand and can write and converse in English. There is little incentive to read the traitorous mainstream press releases. But I wish for more fiery retorts from the campaign.
Jeanne,
I'm pretty sure that when Kennedy and Trump converse they are only listening to themselves so they think that they are making sense when any outsider would need one of people who translate all the weird Republicans for the media to understand what is going on in the conversation. They are both so self absorbed that they only hear what they want to hear from the gobbledygook that comes out each other's mouths. It is harder to insert other meanings when someone speaks clearly and concisely like Harris and Walz do. Also as Ken pointed out, the greedy like to stick together and hate any one who is upright.
I'm starting to think most of the headline writers have something like this image in their heads when they are coming up with their headlines for Harris and that is why they end up warping reality so often.
@Laura Hunter: I hate to cite the New York Post, but there's this:
"Donald Trump taunted Vice President Kamala Harris at a Thursday press conference over her rare media appearances — saying she was 'nasty' and 'not smart' enough to do interviews or press briefings.... Trump, 78, ratcheted up his attacks on Harris, 59, including by saying she was selected to replace President Biden as the Democrats’ nominee for 'politically correct' reasons, as she took the lead in national polling."
What Trump of course means by "'politically correct' reasons" is that people are voting for her because she's (1) a woman and (2) not white. That is more indicative of Trump's mindset than it is of most Americans'. But I suspect some of those white college grads and 64+ Biden-Trump voters are right there with him. They just cannot look at a woman or perhaps at a person of color and think, "Way more capable than Trump," or even, "As capable as a white guy."
I'll admit that when I see Kamala Harris, I do see a woman -- but that doesn't make me wonder, "Gosh, can a woman do as good a job as a man?" That seems self-evident to me, except in some jobs (not POTUS) where physical strength is a plus.
But -- unless someone like Trump says something like, "she suddenly turned Black," in order to remind me of Harris' ethnic heritage, I never look at her and think "Black woman" or "daughter of immigrants" or whatever. Instead, I think "Vice President" or "presidential nominee." Apparently Trump and quite a number of old farts just can't get there.
I don't know how you get people over inherent tribalism. You can get people past some level of prejudice by reasoning with them, and you can win some votes that way. But you can't beat the underlying parochialism. It's pretty much hard-wired -- at least in many people, a few of whom I have known over the years.
Laura,
A fascinating question appearing in the AG pro-Trump Times: “How’d it get so close?”
Gee, I dunno, maybe the ubiquitous questioning of every little thing Harris says versus normalizing the astonishing violent and racist rants spewing out of the Orange pie hole.
It’s like the careless camper who tosses a lit cigarette into dry brush wondering how in the world 20,000 acres could burn up in a few days.
BobbyLee,
The count at that Georgia school shooting is now 30 injured, four dead. It’s unclear how many others were shot but nine have been transported to a hospital.
Another NRA-Party of Guns4Everyone All Star!
Can’t do nothin’ about it. Too bad the cafeteria ladies weren’t all packing heat like the PoT gun knobbers demand!
Oh well 🤷♂️, Thots N Prayrz. Nothing to see here now…
Trump DOJ Gaslighing
"We have the enemy from within. The people who go around indicting their political opponents, especially when their political opponent didn’t want to do it to them. I could’ve done it so easy."
There a good chart of his BS "didn't want to".
Always more stupid
"Donald Trump is pressuring Republicans to shut down the government at the end of this month if Congress doesn’t pass a GOP-backed proposal to establish new election rules nationwide.
Trump has called on Republicans in Congress to link funding the government with the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote — in a bid to target non-citizen voting, which is already illegal. And House Republican leaders are considering adopting the strategy and picking a fight with Democrats."
Marie -
I get that some people, even college grads and especially 64+ voters think nobody is "as capable as a white guy".
Sadly, we lived through decades where the censenus view was that only the white guys were capable (and I'm not going back!!!!). But I'll never get my head around why anybody would see trump as fit for the presidency - no matter how much that voter likes the republican platform, project 2025, believes a second presidency will be no worse than his first term, wants a tax cut, or who gets elected if not trump
Akhilleus -
maybe the AG pro-trump Times is looking to boost their newpapers sales during a trump presidency, like last time? Strange, too, that there aren't many (any?) articles in the msm fretting about trumps age and whether he can serve out a 4 year term and JayDee's readiness to take over. Double standards indeed
“Strange, too, that there aren't many (any?) articles in the msm fretting about trumps age and whether he can serve out a 4 year term…”
Gee, funny in’it? That was all anyone wanted to talk about when Biden was the candidate. And the difference is, while Biden might have missed a word here and there, he wasn’t talking ragtime bonkers bullshit about sharks and boats and electrocution and wowing rally goers with his unbounded admiration for a fictional serial killer and yapping about how magnets don’t work under water. But I guess IOKIYAT (it’s okay if you’re a Trump).
Zeeshan Aleem
"Questions surrounding Trump's mental acuity are a real 2024 story
His speech is becoming harder and harder to understand.
Trump’s speeches seem to be growing more discursive and difficult to comprehend by the day. Those speeches are making it hard, if not impossible, for people listening to them to understand what he wants to do with his power in office, and they’re reportedly turning off voters. They’re also raising questions over whether the chaos he would sow in office would be even less intentional than it was last time.
As my colleague Jim Downie has pointed out, Biden’s exit from the race not only sharpens public awareness of Trump’s age and communication struggles, it also shields Democrats from accusations of hypocrisy. Now, as Harris energetically lays out how she wants to improve the country, Trump’s bizarre speeches look even more concerning than they did before.
And it’s genuinely chilling to imagine a less capable, less focused Trump handling another major public health crisis such as Covid. Trump's seeming decline isn't his worst quality — but it likely would make many of his vices worse."
Just get over it!
Isn't that the mantra?
@laura hunter and Marie - the categories that Edsall cites are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Harris may have fallen vs Biden with Republican white male college graduates over the age of 64 - but if they’re all the same people, just sorted into different categories, it really doesn’t mean that much.