The Commentariat -- October 9, 2020

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live Covid-19 updates Friday are here.

Dr. Trump, Medicine Man, & His Miracle Cure. A. G. Gancarski of Florida Politics: Donald Trump told Rush Limbaugh Friday, "'We have a cure' for COVID-19, he told the conservative talk master. 'We have a cure, some call it a therapeutic. I call it a cure that most have never heard of that's going to be out very soon,' Trump assured Limbaugh in the noon hour. 'I was in not great shape, but we had a medicine that healed me,' Trump said of the Regeneron antibody cocktail he was given at Walter Reed Hospital this week. That cure will be widely available soon, Trump asserted. 'Hundreds of thousands of vials are being sent to hospitals all over the country.... We can go into hospitals and clean up the hospitals,' Trump said. 'I had a meeting with the doctors today. These eleven guys, they showed me stats, it was amazing.... We're sending that to all our hospitals,' Trump said. 'This is stuff that's so good it wiped out the virus.'"

Must-Not-Watch TV. Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: "... Donald Trump is apparently going to have a 'medical evaluation' on television. In an announcement from Fox News, the network said Trump is set to do his first on-camera interview since his COVID-19 diagnosis with Tucker Carlson tonight. But, in a significantly more interesting bit of the announcement, Fox News confirmed: 'Dr. Marc Siegel will conduct a medical evaluation and interview during the program.'.... Despite his insistence that he's totally fine, Trump hacked and coughed his way through a phone interview with Fox on Thursday night."

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David Eggert & Ed White of the AP: "Agents foiled a stunning plot to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, authorities said Thursday in announcing charges in an alleged scheme that involved months of planning and even rehearsals to snatch her from her vacation home. Six men were charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap the governor in reaction to what they viewed as her 'uncontrolled power,' according to a federal complaint. Separately, seven others were charged in state court under Michigan's anti-terrorism laws for allegedly targeting police and seeking a 'civil war.' A few hours later, Whitmer pinned some blame on ... Donald Trump, noting that he did not condemn white supremacists in last week's debate with Joe Biden and instead told a far-right group to 'stand back and stand by.' 'Hate groups heard the president's words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry, as a call to action,' Whitmer said.... The six men charged in federal court plotted for months, consulting and training with members of a group that federal authorities described as a militia, and undertaking rehearsals in August and September, according to an FBI affidavit. They were arrested Wednesday night and face up to life in prison if convicted." This is an update of a story linked yesterday. ~~~

If the president read his intel briefings and understood the dogma of white nationalist groups, he'd realize that language like 'LIBERATE MICHIGAN!' is read as tacit permission -- if not explicit encouragement -- for militias to take action. -- Tim Alberta of Politico, in a tweet ~~~

~~~ Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, et al., of the New York Times: "Storming the State Capitol. Instigating a civil war. Abducting a sitting governor ahead of the presidential election. Those were among the plots described by federal and state officials in Michigan on Thursday as they announced terrorism, conspiracy and weapons charges against 13 men. At least six of them, officials said, had hatched a detailed plan to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has become a focal point of anti-government views and anger over coronavirus control measures. The group that planned the kidnapping met repeatedly over the summer for firearms training and combat drills and practiced building explosives, the F.B.I. said.... The men spied on Ms. Whitmer's vacation home in August and September, even looking under a highway bridge for places they could place and detonate a bomb to distract the authorities, the F.B.I. said. They indicated that they wanted to take Ms. Whitmer hostage before the election in November, and one man said they should take her to a 'secure location' in Wisconsin for a 'trial,' Richard J. Trask II, an F.B.I. special agent, said in the criminal complaint."

So Then. Justine Coleman of the Hill: "President Trump chastised Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on Thursday for calling the president 'complicit' in the extremism associated with the FBI-thwarted scheme to kidnap her. The president condemned the Michigan governor for not thanking him after the FBI filed a federal affidavit saying it stopped a militia group from violently kidnapping Whitmer. 'My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan, he posted. 'Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist -- while Biden and Democrats refuse to condemn Antifa, Anarchists, Looters and Mobs that burn down Democrat run cities.... I do not tolerate ANY extreme violence. Defending ALL Americans, even those who oppose and attack me, is what I will always do as your President!' he added. He also took shots at her handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying she did a 'terrible job' and 'locked down her state for everyone.'"

BY CONTRAST. Dave Boucher of the Detroit Free Press: "It's not difficult to draw a connection between the divisive and racist rhetoric of ... Donald Trump and a thwarted plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said in a statement late Thursday. Biden said he'd reached out to Whitmer earlier in the day to check in after state and federal law enforcement announced they'd arrested 13 people in connection to what's being called a domestic terrorism plot.... The problem spans far beyond the threat against Whitmer though, Biden said. ~~~

As a nation, we are at a crossroads. We have come to a point where, despite our shock, we are not surprised that such a heinous plot was even conceived -- a plot by Americans to blow up a bridge on American soil, threaten the lives of police officers and other law enforcement officials, and kidnap an American leader, take her hostage, and stage a mock trial for treason.... When protesters with Swastikas and Confederate flags, nooses, and assault rifles descended on Michigan's Capitol echoing the president's own refrain to 'lock her up,' President Trump called them 'very good people.'... There is a throughline from President Trump's dog whistles and tolerance of hate, vengeance, and lawlessness to plots such as this one. He is giving oxygen to the bigotry and hate we see on the march in our country. -- Joe Biden, yesterday, in a statement

Charlie Warzel of the New York Times on how Facebook enabled & amplified the very militia groups that plotted against Whitmer & other Michiganders. "The complaint [against the Michigan perps] mentions Facebook three times as one of the communications platforms that the group used to coordinate their activities."

** Mary McCord, in a New York Times op-ed: "The danger of [private militias] was brought home on Thursday with the announcement that the F.B.I. had thwarted a plot by people associated with an extremist group in Michigan to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the government.... Sometimes [these groups] want to fight against the perceived tyranny of the states, as when they stormed the Capitol in Lansing, Mich., this spring to demand the end of the governor's pandemic shutdown order, egged on by President Trump's tweets to'LIBERATE MICHIGAN!' Sometimes they want to usurp the functions of law enforcement, as they've done in Kenosha, Wis., and elsewhere, purporting to 'protect' property during racial justice protests, often in response to false rumors about leftist violence, rumors stoked by the president's calls to designate 'antifa' as a terrorist organization. Most alarmingly, some of them are planning their own poll-watching and openly training in preparation for the post-election period. Whatever their stated purpose, their conduct is unlawful and not constitutionally protected.... Those groups ... are likely to hear the president's unsupported claims about election fraud as their license to deploy to the polls to 'protect' or 'patrol' the vote."

Presidential Race, Etc.

Jonathan Martin & Sydney Ember of the New York Times: "Vice President Mike Pence, Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Kamala Harris all touched down in Arizona on Thursday to rally supporters, a sign of the increasingly pivotal nature of a historically Republican state that is now up for grabs. In dueling afternoon appearances on the second day of early voting in Arizona, Mr. Pence and the two members of the Democratic ticket appeared on opposite ends of metropolitan Phoenix.... Even if the president is able to win one of the three Great Lakes states -- Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, with polls showing him trailing in all three --..., his path to re-election would be greatly imperiled if he cannot hold Arizona. He's struggling here in large part because women and nonwhite voters have flocked to Mr. Biden, who, along with Ms. Harris, sought to appeal to some of those voters on Thursday. They met with Cindy McCain, the widow of Senator John McCain, and joined tribal leaders at a monument to Native Americans in Phoenix." He also made "a socially distanced appearance at a carpenters union hall."

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Democratic nominee Joe Biden will take part in a town hall forum hosted by ABC News on the night of what was supposed to be the second presidential debate. The former vice president will instead participate in an event in Philadelphia moderated by ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos. The announcement indicates that the second presidential debate will no longer take place as planned Oct. 15 after President Trump balked at the decision to make it a virtual event for safety reasons." ~~~

     ~~~ MEANWHILE. Mike Perez of Forbes: "After refusing earlier in the day to participate in the October 15 presidential debate against former Vice President Joe Biden because it had been changed to a virtual format, President Trump's campaign is now demanding an in-person event, citing his physician's note that he has completed treatment for Covid-19. Thursday evening, Dr. Sean Conley said in a press release, 'I fully anticipate the President's safe return to public engagements' by Saturday.... Conley's note drew criticism from experts like Dr. Eric Topol... of the Scripps Research Institute, who questioned on Twitter the soundness of his assertion that Trump will be safe to engage with the public in two days given that he provided no evidence 'that he is not infectious, without viral load data, without providing when/timeline he became infected.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Zeke Miller & Will Weissert of the AP: "But [debates] commission chair Frank Fahrenkopf said late Thursday that the decision to hold the debate virtually, guided by its medical advisers at the Cleveland Clinic, was not going to be reversed." The article reprises yesterday's developments following the morning Trumpertantrum.

Peter Baker & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The president has not been seen in person since returning to the White House this Monday, but he sought to reassert himself on the public stage with a pair of telephone interviews with Fox News and Fox Business as well as a video and a series of Twitter messages. Even for him, they were scattershot performances.... President Trump ... announced that he hoped to return to the campaign trail on Saturday just nine days after he tested positive for the coronavirus.... The president again dismissed the virus, saying, 'when you catch it, you get better,' ignoring the more than 212,000 people in the United States who did not get better and died from it. In his statement on Thursday night..., Dr. Sean P. Conley reported that ... by Saturday, 'I fully expect the president's return to public engagement.' Dr. Conley, who has previously acknowledged providing the public with a rosy view of the president's condition to satisfy his patient, contradicted his own timeline offered upon Mr. Trump's release from the hospital, when he said doctors wanted to 'get through to Monday.'... Mr. Trump ... indicating that he had directly pressured [AG Bill] Barr to indict [President Obama & Vice President Biden] without waiting for more evidence.... 'I said, "You don't need any more."'... [He] call[ed] Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan 'the lockup queen' even as his own Justice Department was announcing the existence of an anti-government group's plot to kidnap her." ~~~

~~~ Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Trump continued to careen from topic to topic on Sean Hannity's show [Thursday night], promoting conspiracy theories, peddling falsehoods, and launching attacks on Democrats and the media during a roughly 25 minute conversation. But it was arguably the President's health that took center stage. During the interview, Hannity twice asked Trump if he had been tested for the coronavirus since he became ill last week. It was a question that the President apparently couldn't answer. Trump instead said that he will 'probably' be tested on Friday. Medhi Hasan quipped about the non-answer, 'Mark the date, we have reached the point where even Sean Hannity is asking Trump simple questions that the president can't or won't answer.'... At least twice during the interview, Trump had to pause his sentences and audibly clear his throat and cough. The President insisted he was feeling great, claiming he saw his doctors earlier in the day and that they believe him to be in 'great shape.' But he sure didn't sound like he was cured, as he claimed to be."

Another Trumpertantrum. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump said Thursday that he would not participate in a virtual debate, minutes after the organizing commission announced that next week's event would be virtual to protect the health of those involved. 'I'm not going to do a virtual debate,' Trump ... said in an interview on Fox Business, claiming the Commission on Presidential Debates is 'trying to protect' Democratic nominee Joe Biden. 'I'm not going to waste my time with a virtual debate. That's not what debating is all about. You sit behind a computer and do a debate, that is ridiculous,' Trump continued. He indicated that his campaign was not informed of the decision before it was announced.... Biden's campaign indicated that the former vice president would participate.... Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, who also was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, issued a statement later Thursday morning, describing the decision by the commission as a 'pathetic' effort to 'rush to Joe Biden's defense.' He said that Trump would hold a campaign rally instead." Mrs. McC: It isn't just that Trump doesn't care if he infects others; he seems to want to infect Joe Biden. The idea that the committee would protect Biden & others from Trump's deadly virus offends Trump. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Chelsea Janes & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Joe Biden, speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Del., before boarding a flight to Arizona, said he is unsure what will happen now. 'We don't know what the president is going to do. He changes his mind every second, so for me to comment on that now would be irresponsible,' Biden said. 'I'm going to follow the commission's recommendations. If he goes off and he has a rally, I don't know what I'll do.'... Both campaigns said that their organizations had not been consulted about the switch to a virtual debate. Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., the head of the Presidential Debate Commission, said that both campaigns were given five minutes' notice before the decision was announced, and that they were not asked to consent to the decision." (Also linked yesterday.)

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "There was much about President Trump's Thursday morning interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that reeked of desperation and an incumbent president fighting for his political life.... But perhaps nothing in the interview reflected his precarious position quite like what he said about some of his most loyal allies. And the theme of each was the same: These people aren't doing enough to further his political goals by linking his prominent foes to crimes.... Trump built upon tweets this week suggesting [Bill] Barr needs to start indicting people tied to the Russia investigation, while explicitly citing President Barack Obama and Biden.... [Trump] also expressed rare dissatisfaction with [Mike] Pompeo, who he said should release some sort of new information on Hillary Clinton's emails.... Trump also reserved some of his harshest words to date for [FBI Director Christopher] Wray, who has recently contradicted Trump's baseless claims about massive mail-in voter fraud. Trump declined to say whether he would fire Wray." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It is unique in American history that a sitting president* would insist that his attorney general indict a former president & vice president -- and for "crimes" that occurred only in the sitting president*'s mind. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Michael Balsamo & others of the AP have a story on how Bill Barr is "frustrated" by Trump's public attacks on him regarding U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation of the investigation. But the story seems to be a Friends-of-Bill plant to allow Barr to pretend he's trying to be a careful, apolitical AG -- right up to the time he dumps his October surprise. Remember that Barr has refused to withhold DOJ findings that could affect the outcome of the election. I won't be surprised to see a headline like "DOJ Indicts Biden" on October 29. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Mrs. McCrabbie: Well, shucks, maybe I'm wrong. Alayna Treene of Axios: "Attorney General Bill Barr has begun telling top Republicans that the Justice Department's sweeping review into the origins of the Russia investigation will not be released before the election, a senior White House official and a congressional aide briefed on the conversations tell Axios." Of course this too could be a feint.

Elizabeth Thomas of ABC News: "... Donald Trump on Thursday attacked Sen. Kamala Harris as 'a monster' the day after the vice presidential debate. 'This monster that was on stage with Mike Pence, who destroyed her last night by the way, but this monster, she says no no there won't be fracking, everything she said is a lie'" Trump said in an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo. He went on to call her 'horrible,' and 'totally unlikeable,' as well as a 'communist.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

From the Washington Post's live election updates Thursday. Felicia Sonmez @ 10:59 am ET: "The organizers of last night's vice-presidential debate had strict rules regarding mask use amid the coronavirus pandemic: Anyone not wearing a mask could be ejected from the venue. But that didn't stop Karen Pence from appearing maskless onstage as she greeted her husband at the end of the debate. By contrast, Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, was wearing a face mask as he joined his wife onstage at the debate's end.... After the debate, former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker (R) tweeted a photo of himself posing with a group including [mike] Pence and Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short. Members of the group were smiling, embracing -- and not wearing masks." Mrs. McC: Too bad a burly security guard didn't wrangle Karen to the ground. That would have been more amusing than the fly alighting on mike's head. (Also linked yesterday.)

Mike's Lesson on How to Deflect without Lying. Jen Christensen of CNN: "Asked [during last night's debate] if the human-caused climate crisis made wildfires bigger and hurricanes wetter, slower and more damaging, Pence did not answer the question directly. Instead, he claimed that, 'with regard to hurricanes, the National Oceanic Administration tells us that actually, and as difficult as they are, there are no more hurricanes today than there were 100 years ago.' This needs context. Mike Pence is correct, based on the limited data we have on storms from that time period. The number of hurricanes generally are about the same as they were 100 years ago, according to historical records. However, scientists also believe hurricanes today are becoming stronger and potentially more deadly as the planet warms due to the climate crisis, according to a 2020 study from the US government's own researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The scientists also said the data did not go back far enough for them to definitively link the strength of storms to human-induced global warming. Researchers have found that the probability of storms reaching major hurricane status has increased decade after decade." (Also linked yesterday.)

Administration Officials Scramble to Send Bribe Letters. Dan Diamond of Politico: "Caught by surprise by ... Donald Trump's promise to deliver drug-discount cards to seniors, health officials are scrambling to get the nearly $8 billion plan done by Election Day, according to five officials and draft documents obtained by Politico. The taxpayer-funded plan, which was only announced two weeks ago ... is being driven by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.... The administration is seeking to finalize the plan as soon as Friday and send letters to 39 million Medicare beneficiaries next week, informing seniors of Trump's new effort to lower their drug costs, although many seniors would not receive the actual cards until after the election." (Also linked yesterday.)

Michigan. Gregory Lemos and Chandelis Duster of CNN: "Two right-wing political operatives accused of orchestrating robocalls aimed at deterring voters in Detroit and other major cities from casting their ballots by mail were arraigned Wednesday on voter intimidation charges, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl were each charged last week with one count of intimidating voters, one count of conspiracy to commit an election law violation, one count of using a computer to commit the crime of intimidating voters and using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy.... Both men turned themselves in to Detroit law enforcement early Thursday morning...."

Ohio. Ross Levitt & Devan Cole of CNN: "A federal judge on Thursday blocked an order from Ohio's secretary of state that would have required counties in the state to install ballot drop boxes just at the local election office, allowing additional drop boxes to be placed in areas that need them. At issue was an order earlier this week from Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose that limited ballot drop boxes to one location per county: a county's election office.... But federal Judge Dan Polster said LaRose's order puts a burden on more populous counties -- like Cuyahoga, which includes Cleveland -- and which he says has 'a very serious looming problem' that could jeopardize the right to vote.... 'The Secretary is continuing to restrict boards from implementing off-site collection, and he appears to be doing so in an arbitrary manner,' Polster wrote. 'The Court has given the Secretary every opportunity to address the problem ... and he has been unwilling or unable to do so.'"

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says she plans to talk about the 25th Amendment, which outlines presidential transfer of power procedures, on Friday. Pelosi told reporters during her weekly press conference at the Capitol Thursday to come to the Hill 'tomorrow' because she said, 'We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment.'... In an interview immediately after her press conference, Pelosi suggested that the president may not be thinking clearly because of the drugs he has taken while being treated for the disease. 'The president is, shall we say, in an altered state right now,' Pelosi said on Bloomberg TV." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) plan to introduce legislation Friday that would create a commission to 'help ensure effective and uninterrupted leadership' in the presidency. The panel would be called the Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office, 'the body and process called for in the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,' the offices of Pelosi and Raskin said in a statement announcing the move. The 25th Amendment formalizes that the vice president takes over the duties of the presidency in the event of a president's death, inability to perform his duties or resignation from office. It also lays out a process by which a sitting president may be removed from office.... Raskin introduced a similar measure in 2017 that would establish a congressionally appointed commission of physicians and top leaders who could evaluate the president's health -- both mental and physical -- and work with the vice president on a transfer of power."

BBC: "Republican leader Mitch McConnell, 78, on Thursday revealed he had not been to the White House since August [6] because of the way it has handled Covid-19.... Speaking to reporters in Kentucky, Mr McConnell said he steered clear of the White House in the last two months 'because my impression was their approach to how to handle this was different from mine'.... 'And they are, you know, paying the price for it,' the top Republican said, adding that the Senate was operating normally thanks to its Covid-19 precautions

"Truly Unbelievable." Will Feuer of CNBC: "... Donald Trump said Thursday that he's not contagious 'at all' days after he was discharged from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after a brief stay to treat him for Covid-19. 'First of all, I think I'm better. I'd love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night, but I think I'm better to a point that I feel better than I did, I jokingly said, 20 years ago. I feel perfect. There's nothing wrong,' he told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on a call Thursday morning. 'I don't think I'm contagious at all.'... Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner, said the president's comments are 'truly unbelievable.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he might have contracted Covid-19 from Gold Star family members who were too close to him when telling stories of their loved ones who died in the line of duty. In an interview on Fox Business, Trump told host Maria Bartiromo that he 'figured there would be a chance' he would become infected with the coronavirus, citing his meetings with the families of America's war dead.... Trump explained that as he was being told these stories about fallen soldiers, 'I can't say, "Back up, stand 10 feet," you know? I just can't do it.'... Trump's remarks Thursday were most likely in reference to a White House event on Sept. 27 celebrating Gold Star families, which several high-ranking military leaders also attended." (Also linked yesterday.) A New York Times story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Last week, Trump said Hope Hicks may have contracted Covid-19 from soldiers & law enforcement officers who always wanted to hug her. He said this knowing that he, too, had tested positive, though he lied about that. So he essentially blamed the military & law enforcement for making him sick.

Griff Witte of the Washington Post: "In interviews, Americans whose lives have been upended by the [corona]virus said they felt disappointed that the president missed an opportunity to model responsible behavior. They expressed anger that Trump has continued to minimize the virus's threat after receiving deluxe care that the vast majority of people can only dream of at a time when testing and treatments are running low. And they voiced fear that Trump's words and actions would lead to more reckless behavior among his supporters.",(Also linked yesterday.)

Leslie Josephs of CNBC: "Airline stocks fell Thursday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there won't be a standalone bill for additional aid for carriers without a larger coronavirus stimulus package. Pelosi's comments come two days after ... Donald Trump halted talks for a national coronavirus package until after the election, but urged additional aid for the ailing airline sector." Mrs. McC: Stand-alone bills tend to be poison. They allow Republicans to pick & choose among bills so that poor people, supported only by Democrats, get nothing while wealthier entities get support from both Republicans & Democrats, & those bills pass. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ha Ha. Jennifer Kelleher of the AP: "The U.S. surgeon general was cited for being in a closed Hawaii park in August while in the islands helping with surge testing amid a spike in coronavirus cases, according to a criminal complaint filed in court. A Honolulu police officer cited Jerome Adams after seeing him with two men 'looking at the view taking pictures' at Kualoa Regional Park on Oahu's northeastern coast, the citation said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Dan Mangan, et al., of CNBC: "Elliott Broidy, a formerly influential campaign fundraiser for ... Donald Trump and the Republican party, was charged Thursday by federal authorities with violating a foreign lobbying law. Broidy was charged in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., with an instrument known as as a criminal information, which is typically used when a defendant has agreed to plead guilty. The charging document says Broidy agreed to lobby the Trump administration and the Justice Department to drop or favorably resolve the investigation of a foreign national for his role in the embezzlement of billions of dollars from the Malaysia state development fund, known as 1MDB." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Jodi Kantor of the New York Times examines the claims by Amy Dorris, who said that in 1997 Donald Trump "groped & forcibly kissed her." Two then-friends of Dorris said she shared the story with them in 1997 and that they believed her. Dorris's mother & another friend also said she called them for advice shortly after Trump attacked her. (Also linked yesterday.)

Pranshu Verma of the New York Times: "Five officials suspended from the government's global media agency sued its chief executive and top aides on Thursday, claiming they broke the law in repeatedly seeking to turn a news service under its purview into a mouthpiece for pro-Trump propaganda. The 84-page lawsuit asserts that Michael Pack, the chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, or his aides have interrogated journalists at the Voice of America who have censured Mr. Pack or written articles top officials believed were critical of President Trump, instilling fear across the agency." Read on for a summary of Pack's performance. NPR's story is here.

News Ledes

Weather Channel: "Hurricane Delta is a Category 2 storm heading for a Gulf Coast landfall Friday evening with life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and rainfall flooding from Louisiana and east Texas to Mississippi. This includes some of the same areas that were ravaged by Hurricane Laura more than a month ago. As expected, Delta has begun to weaken slightly but it is important to not focus on its maximum sustained winds, as it will still be a powerful hurricane when it reached the Gulf Coast."

New York Times: "Whitey Ford, the Yankees' Hall of Fame left-hander who was celebrated as the Chairman of the Board for his stylish pitching and big-game brilliance on the ball clubs that dominated baseball in the 1950s and early '60s, died on Thursday night at his home in Lake Success, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 91."

New York Times: "The World Food Program was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to combat a surge in global hunger amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has swept around the world with devastating impact. The Nobel committee said that work by the organization, a United Nations agency, to address hunger had laid the foundations for peace in nations ravaged by war."

New York Times: "Jim Dwyer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, columnist and author whose stylish journalism captured the human dramas of New York City for readers of New York Newsday, The Daily News and The New York Times for nearly four decades, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 63." The obituary describes the lede of a story Dwyer wrote when he was a reporter at the Fordham U. student newspaper & stopped to help a "rough-looking man having an epileptic seizure"

Charlie Martinez, whoever he was, lay on the cold sidewalk in front of Dick Gidron's used Cadillac place on Fordham Road. He had picked a fine afternoon to go into convulsions: the sky was sharp and cool, a fall day that made even Fordham Road look good.' ~~~

~~~ The Times published links to a selection of Dwyer's writings today, and the one, written in 2015, about Donald Trump's becoming principal for a day in 1997 is more evidence that Trump was always a jerk & proof that New Yorkers knew it.

The Commentariat -- October 8, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

AP: "Six people plotted to try to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in federal court. Four of the six men had planned to meet Wednesday to 'make a payment on explosives and exchange tactical gear,' the FBI said in the cour filing. The FBI quoted one of the accused as saying Whitmer 'has no checks and balances at all. She has uncontrolled power right now. All good thing must come to an end.'" This is a breaking story.

Dan Mangan, et al., of CNBC: "Elliott Broidy, a formerly influential campaign fundraiser for ... Donald Trump and the Republican party, was charged Thursday by federal authorities with violating a foreign lobbying law. Broidy was charged in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., with an instrument known as as a criminal information, which is typically used when a defendant has agreed to plead guilty. The charging document says Broidy agreed to lobby the Trump administration and the Justice Department to drop or favorably resolve the investigation of a foreign national for his role in the embezzlement of billions of dollars from the Malaysia state development fund...."

Jodi Kantor of the New York Times examines the claims by Amy Dorris, who said that in 1997 Donald Trump "groped & forcibly kissed her." Two then-friends of Dorris said she shared the story with them in 1997 and that they believed her. Dorris's mother & another friend also said she called them for advice shortly after Trump attacked her.

Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: z'House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says she plans to talk about the 25th Amendment, which outlines presidential transfer of power procedures, on Friday. Pelosi told reporters during her weekly press conference at the Capitol Thursday to come to the Hill 'tomorrow' because she said, 'We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment.'... In an interview immediately after her press conference, Pelosi suggested that the president may not be thinking clearly because of the drugs he has taken while being treated for the disease. 'The president is, shall we say, in an altered state right now,' Pelosi said on Bloomberg TV."

Another Trumpertantrum. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump said Thursday that he would not participate in a virtual debate, minutes after the organizing commission announced that next week's event would be virtual to protect the health of those involved. 'I'm not going to do a virtual debate,' Trump ... said in an interview on Fox Business, claiming the Commission on Presidential Debates is 'trying to protect' Democratic nominee Joe Biden. 'I'm not going to waste my time with a virtual debate. That's not what debating is all about. You sit behind a computer and do a debate, that is ridiculous,' Trump continued. He indicated that his campaign was not informed of the decision before it was announced.... Biden's campaign indicated that the former vice president would participate.... Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, who also was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, issued a statement later Thursday morning, describing the decision by the commission as a 'pathetic' effort to 'rush to Joe Biden's defense.' He said that Trump would hold a campaign rally instead." Mrs. McC: It isn't just that Trump doesn't care if he infects others with the coronavirus; he seems to want to infect Joe Biden. The idea that the committee would protect Biden & others from Trump's deadly virus offends Trump. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Chelsea Janes & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Joe Biden, speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Del., before boarding a flight to Arizona, said he is unsure what will happen now. 'We don't know what the president is going to do. He changes his mind every second, so for me to comment on that now would be irresponsible,' Biden said. 'I'm going to follow the commission's recommendations. If he goes off and he has a rally, I don't know what I'll do.'... Both campaigns said that their organizations had not been consulted about the switch to a virtual debate. Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., the head of the Presidential Debate Commission, said that both campaigns were given five minutes' notice before the decision was announced, and that they were not asked to consent to the decision."

"Truly Unbelievable." Will Feuer of CNBC: "... Donald Trump said Thursday that he's not contagious 'at all' days after he was discharged from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after a brief stay to treat him for Covid-19. 'First of all, I think I'm better. I'd love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night, but I think I'm better to a point that I feel better than I did, I jokingly said, 20 years ago. I feel perfect. There's nothing wrong,' he told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on a call Thursday morning. 'I don't think I'm contagious at all.'... Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner, said the president's comments are 'truly unbelievable.'"

Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he might have contracted Covid-19 from Gold Star family members who were too close to him when telling stories of their loved ones who died in the line of duty. In an interview on Fox Business, Trump told host Maria Bartiromo that he 'figured there would be a chance' he would become infected with the coronavirus, citing his meetings with the families of America's war dead.... Trump explained that as he was being told these stories about fallen soldiers, 'I can't say, "Back up, stand 10 feet," you know? I just can't do it.'... Trump's remarks Thursday were most likely in reference to a White House event on Sept. 27 celebrating Gold Star families, which several high-ranking military leaders also attended."

Elizabeth Thomas of ABC News: "... Donald Trump on Thursday attacked Sen. Kamala Harris as 'a monster' the day after the vice presidential debate. 'This monster that was on stage with Mike Pence, who destroyed her last night by the way, but this monster, she says no no there won't be fracking, everything she said is a lie'" Trump said in an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo. He went on to call her 'horrible,' and 'totally unlikeable,' as well as a 'communist.'"

From the Washington Post's live election updates Thursday, also linked below. Felicia Sonmez @ 10:59 am ET: "The organizers of last night's vice-presidential debate had strict rules regarding mask use amid the coronavirus pandemic: Anyone not wearing a mask could be ejected from the venue. But that didn't stop Karen Pence from appearing maskless onstage as she greeted her husband at the end of the debate. By contrast, Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, was wearing a face mask as he joined his wife onstage at the debate's end.... After the debate, former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker (R) tweeted a photo of himself posing with a group including [mike] Pence and Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short. Members of the group were smiling, embracing -- and not wearing masks." Mrs. McC: Too bad a burly security guard didn't wrangle Karen to the ground. That would have been more amusing than the fly alighting on mike's head.

Griff Witte of the Washington Post: "In interviews, Americans whose lives have been upended by the [corona]virus said they felt disappointed that the president missed an opportunity to model responsible behavior. They expressed anger that Trump has continued to minimize the virus's threat after receiving deluxe care that the vast majority of people can only dream of at a time when testing and treatments are running low. And they voiced fear that Trump's words and actions would lead to more reckless behavior among his supporters."

Leslie Josephs of CNBC: "Airline stocks fell Thursday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there won't be a standalone bill for additional aid for carriers without a larger coronavirus stimulus package. Pelosi's comments come two days after ... Donald Trump halted talks for a national coronavirus package until after the election, but urged additional aid for the ailing airline sector." Mrs. McC: Stand-alone bills tend to be poison. They allow Republicans to pick & choose among bills so that poor people, supported only by Democrats, get nothing while wealthier entities get support from both Republicans & Democrats, & those bills pass.

Ha Ha. Jennifer Kelleher of the AP: "The U.S. surgeon general was cited for being in a closed Hawaii park in August while in the islands helping with surge testing amid a spike in coronavirus cases, according to a criminal complaint filed in court. A Honolulu police officer cited Jerome Adams after seeing him with two men 'looking at the view taking pictures' at Kualoa Regional Park on Oahu's northeastern coast, the citation said."

Mike's Lesson on How to Deflect without Lying. Jen Christensen of CNN: "Asked [during last night's debate] if the human-caused climate crisis made wildfires bigger and hurricanes wetter, slower and more damaging, Pence did not answer the question directly. Instead, he claimed that, 'with regard to hurricanes, the National Oceanic Administration tells us that actually, and as difficult as they are, there are no more hurricanes today than there were 100 years ago.' This needs context. Mike Pence is correct, based on the limited data we have on storms from that time period. The number of hurricanes generally are about the same as they were 100 years ago, according to historical records. However, scientists also believe hurricanes today are becoming stronger and potentially more deadly as the planet warms due to the climate crisis, according to a 2020 study from the US government's own researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The scientists also said the data did not go back far enough for them to definitively link the strength of storms to human-induced global warming. Researchers have found that the probability of storms reaching major hurricane status has increased decade after decade."

Administration Officials Scramble to Send Bribe Letters. Dan Diamond of Politico: "Caught by surprise by ... Donald Trump's promise to deliver drug-discount cards to seniors, health officials are scrambling to get the nearly $8 billion plan done by Election Day, according to five officials and draft documents obtained by Politico. The taxpayer-funded plan, which was only announced two weeks ago ... is being driven by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.... The administration is seeking to finalize the plan as soon as Friday and send letters to 39 million Medicare beneficiaries next week, informing seniors of Trump's new effort to lower their drug costs although many seniors would not receive the actual cards until after the election."

~~~~~~~~~

The Vice Presidential Debate

Alexander Burns & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris clashed over the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday night, with Mr. Pence defending the White House's record without addressing its fundamental failures, while Ms. Harris accused him and President Trump of presiding over a catastrophic failure in public-health policy. Ms Harris, the California Democrat who is Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s running mate, delivered a comprehensive denunciation of the Trump administration's policies, ranging from the economy and climate change to health care regulation and taxes. As Ms. Harris attacked Mr. Trump, the vice president sought to recast Mr. Trump's record on the pandemic and other issues in conventional and inoffensive terms, often in plain defiance of the facts. The vice president made misleading or plainly false claims about White House policies on a range of subjects weighing down Mr. Trump in the presidential race.... Mr. Pence repeatedly attempted to interrupt Ms. Harris -- usually without success -- and also talked over the moderator, Susan Page of USA Today." Here's the Times' highlights reel:

Dave Weigel, et al., of the Washington Post: "Both Vice President Pence and Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) returned again and again to attacking the top of the other campaign's ticket. Harris went after Trump's efforts to stem the coronavirus, his attempts to upend President Barack Obama's health-care program, his trade policies and his reluctance to condemn white supremacists at the first presidential debate last week.... Pence focused on Biden's plan to raise some taxes for the wealthy and his efforts to move past fossil fuels, repeatedly returning to mentions of the 'Green New Deal.' He called Biden a 'cheerleader for communist China' and attacked the former vice president for recommending that Obama delay the raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden."

The debate transcript, courtesy of Rev, is here.

Astead Herndon & Adam Nagourney of the New York Times: "By the standards set by President Trump at his debate with Joseph R. Biden Jr., the matchup on Wednesday night between Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence was almost civil. Almost.... They were as likely not to answer a question as to answer one.... Even by the standards of modern debates, Mr. Pence ignored questions he presumably did not want to answer and often spoke over Ms. Harris and the moderator, Susan Page of USA Today, though at considerably less volume than Mr. Trump." Herndon & Nagourney point to key moments.

Ha! whaur ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly;
I canna say but ye strunt rarely,
Owre pence's face;
Tho', faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

     -- Apologies to Robert Burns ~~~

~~~ Politico reporters choose some highlights. Here's one: "An uninvited guest stole the spotlight for a portion of the debate: a fly that perched upon Pence's hair. The fly remained on the vice president's head for about two minutes. As Harris and Pence spoke about racial justice and police brutality, it did not budge, nor did Pence acknowledge its presence.... The black fly was hard to miss against Pence's white hair...." Mrs. McC: Had the fly landed in Trump's "hair," it would have nested & laid maggots.

The Way We Were. Ryan Lizza of Politico: "... This was a boring, unfocused debate between two well-prepared and polished candidates who had little interest in answering the questions posed to them -- and were under virtually no pressure from the moderator to do so. In other words, it was sort of how debates used to be: professional politicians who are mostly civil to each other making their points, occasionally skirting the rules, and frequently spinning the facts. There was a lot to critique, but the participants were bound by some shared sense of propriety.... Considering the challenges anyone would have defending the Trump record on the pandemic, Pence's ability to leave the stage after 90 minutes without being gutted by Harris was a bar cleared.... Like the fly, the physical barriers were more memorable and more embarrassing to Pence than anything Harris said.... The vice presidential debate did nothing to alter the course of the race.... Pence's robotic drone and Harris's practiced jabs won't get the media to avert its eyes as Trump tweets conspiracy theories in all caps and praises criminal acts against protesters...."

Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "Vice President Mike Pence decided to invoke the 2009 H1N1 health crisis in order to defend President Donald Trump's leadership against the coronavirus pandemic -- and he chose to invent a nonexistent, worse-case scenario about the 'swine flu' to make his administration's performance look better.... 'If the swine flu had been as lethal as the coronavirus in 2009, when Joe Biden was vice president, we would have lost 2 million American lives.'" Mrs. McC: Yes, and what if the common cold were as lethal? Or headaches? What did you do about migraines, Joe? Here's more about H1N1 (August 2020).

Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "At the tail end of Wednesday night's vice-presidential debate -- one that was noticeably less fiery and chaotic than last week's presidential clash -- Vice President Mike Pence completely avoided answering what he would do if ... Donald Trump refuses to step down if he loses the election."

Glenn Kessler, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the vice-presidential debate, Vice President Pence took a number of flimsy claims out of the Trump playbook, although he often delivered them more deftly. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) also stretched the truth at times. Here is a roundup of 15 suspect claims that were made." ~~~

~~~ Dan Merica & CNN Staff: "Vice President Mike Pence echoed some of ... Donald Trump's most common falsehoods and misleading statements during the lone vice presidential debate with Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday night -- though in a more restrained, neatly packaged way. The Salt Lake City debate was a less chaotic affair when compared to September's first meeting between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. But there were traces of that event in Pence's delivery of some of the same lines that the President often repeats. Harris, too, made some claims that were misleading or lacked context, but those paled in comparison to the litany of statements from Pence that were either untrue or needed additional context." The report lists some of pence's & Harris's false or misleading claims.

Jennifer Agiesta of CNN: "More Americans said Sen. Kamala Harris did the best job in the vice presidential debate Wednesday night, according to a CNN Instant Poll of registered voters who watched. About 6 in 10 (59%) said Harris won, while 38% said Vice President Mike Pence had the better night. Those results roughly matched voters' expectations heading into the debate. In interviews conducted before the debate, 61% of those same voters said they expected Harris to win, 36% thought Pence would."

Defending the Indefensible. Richard Wolffe of the Guardian: "The night did not start well for Pence because it started with the pandemic.... 'Our nation has gone through a very challenging time this year,' lamented our vice-veterinarian. 'But I want the American people to know that from the very first day, President Donald Trump has put the health of America first.' This will be news to the families of more than 200,000 dead Americans, as well as the White House staff currently struggling with a president spreading a full viral load around the executive mansion and the West Wing. 'When you [Harris] say what the American people have done over these last several months hasn't worked, that's a great disservice to the sacrifices the American people have made,' said Pence, as if his boss was the entire American population rolled into the Covid-filled body of a former reality TV star.... This kind of piously indignant pabulum is not a new performance for the current vice-president but rather something he perfected as a talkshow radio host in Indiana in the late 1990s. Pence styled himself as 'Rush Limbaugh on decaf' which is just the kind of awshucks deception that is so vital to serving as a cardboard cutout behind Donald Trump's shoulder."

Tim Murphy of Mother Jones: Pence "spoke directly to 'the American people' a few times, furrowed his brow when he wanted to look disappointed (which was often), and even said something nice about Sen. Kamala Harris, congratulating her on her selection to the ticket. But his performance showed just how weak the Republican ticket's hand really is right now.... Pence did his best to pick and choose stats and moments that would demonstrate leadership, but there's not really anything he can say that can reverse what Trump has done.... The best card in Pence's hand -- the one that at one point they believed made them favorites for reelection -- was the economy.... But it's not 2019 anymore. The economy is a disaster.... At this point, trying to brag about the economy is only reminding voters how bad things have gotten -- and how much worse they'll likely get."

New York Times reporters' live snark analysis of the debate is here. It includes video of the debate.

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: In the first series of questions, pence did nearly all the talking, refusing to shut up when Page tried to stop him & talking over Harris's brief responses. He did this without raising his voice, but he's still bullying the women. I think I've had enough already. Update: I stuck it out for about an hour, & pence continued in the same vein. Were I Page, I would have calmly told him that if he interrupted again, he would have to leave the stage & she would devote the rest of the time to chatting with Harris about house pets. I'm not kidding. Meanwhile, the NYT reporters are so accustomed to Trumpertantrums that they kept calling the debate "civil." Thanks to Trump, the candidates have to get in the equivalent of a bar brawl for people to label their exchanges "uncivil." And I remain surprised that Harris, who has years of experience in the courtroom, is not a better debater. If pence had not been so obnoxious, she would have lost the debate. However, being a good debater is not a qualification for the top jobs. On the job, presidents & veeps don't engage in public debates.

Patrick Hipes of Deadline on where to watch the debate, which begins at 9 pm ET Wednesday.

Shane Goldmacher & Adam Nagourney of the New York Times on what to watch for: "It is difficult to overstate how much this debate has been shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic.... Mr. Pence, as the head of the White House task force on the coronavirus, will presumably be pressed to account for the faltering White House response to a pandemic that has killed over 200,000 people in the United States. Since returning from the hospital, Mr. Trump has sought to recast the entire discussion on the pandemic, arguing that the virus is in fact not that serious and that Americans should continue to live their lives.... Vice-presidential candidates have only two things to accomplish in a debate: Defend the person at the top of your ticket. And attack the person at the top of the opposition ticket. But that basic rule of thumb got a little more tricky for Ms. Harris. With Mr. Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis and him just being back at the White House after three nights in a hospital, harsh attacks against an ailing president might be politically unwise."

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris will be seated more than 12 feet apart on the podium, with plexiglass barriers between them. Mr. Pence and his aides had objected to the barriers, but relented on Tuesday night. The barriers might make more sense if Mr. Pence and Ms. Harris were seated more closely together on the podium, scientists said. But the risk in this setting is airborne transmission of the coronavirus, and the barriers will do nothing to protect Ms. Harris and the moderator, Susan Page, Washington bureau chief of USA Today, if Mr. Pence were infected. Linsey Marr, an expert on airborne viruses at Virginia Tech..., laughed outright when she saw a picture of the debate setup. 'It's absurd,' she said." The plexiglass barriers will do nothing to mitigate an airborne disease.

Being in the same office, likely unmasked, counts as close contact. It is irresponsible for VP Pence to debate Senator Harris in person tonight, and it is unfortunate that the director of the CDC has chosen to overrule his own agency’s guidelines. -- Angela Rasmussen, Columbia University virologist ~~~

~~~ Lena Sun & Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "A letter sent by the top public health official attesting to Vice President Pence's health and proclaiming him safe to debate Wednesday night is sparking outcry from public health experts. The letter was released Tuesday evening by the White House. It was sent by Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff. In his three-paragraph letter, Redfield said he had a 'detailed discussion' with Pence's physician about the vice president's possible exposure to 'persons with COVID-19.' Based on the consultation with Pence's doctor, Jesse Schonau, and Schonau's 'investigation and the serial negative testing results of the Vice President, the CDC concludes from a public health standpoint, it is safe for the Vice President to participate in the upcoming Vice-Presidential debate,' Redfield wrote.... Redfield said Pence was not a 'close contact' of anyone who was infected.... It is highly unusual, and perhaps unprecedented, for the CDC director to release a letter vouching for the health of a top public official."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updated of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here.

The New York Times' live updated of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here.

Quint Forgey of Politico: "The White House's top doctor relayed an optimistic assessment from his patient Wednesday, the second public update on ... Donald Trump's health since he returned from the hospital with Covid-19 two days ago. 'The President this morning says "I feel great!"' Trump's physician, Sean Conley, wrote in a memo released by the White House press office. Trump's vital signs, oxygen saturation level and respiratory rate 'all remain stable and in normal range' Conley wrote." ~~~

~~~ Orion Rummler of Axios: "President Trump has been 'symptom-free' from the coronavirus for over 24 hours, White House physician Sean Conley said in a Wednesday update." Mrs. McC: Really?? I just heard Trump in a rambling, 5-minute infomercial-type videotape he cut Wednesday, & he was hoarse. Isn't "hoarse" a "symptom"? Also, one has to wonder if that odd new shade of make-up he's wearing for the camera is to cover up another symptom. In the infomercial he pushes Regeneron, which he promises to get you, too, and for free! ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman & Katie Thomas of the New York Times: "President Trump claimed on Wednesday that catching the coronavirus was 'a blessing from God' and portrayed as a miracle cure the unproven therapeutic drug he was given after testing positive last week for the virus. Mr. Trump said he planned to make the antibody cocktail being developed by the drug maker Regeneron, which does not yet have government approval, free to anyone who needs it. He did not explain how he would do it, although on Wednesday night, Regeneron said it had submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency approval. The president's statement, in a video released early Wednesday evening by the White House, was his latest effort to repair the political damage he has suffered after months of trying to minimize the effects of a pandemic that has killed more than 211,000 Americans.... In the video released Wednesday night, Mr. Trump, whose skin appeared darkened by makeup and who appeared to struggle to get air at times, seemed to be saying that he had discovered, without evidence, a new drug that suddenly made him feel better and could do the same for everyone else with Covid-19." Mrs. McC: Actually what he said that was, although the medical profession calls Regeneron a "therapeutic," he considers it to be a "cure" for Covid-19.

** About That "Blessing from God.” Antonio Regalado in MIT's Technology Review: "This week..., Donald Trump extolled the cutting-edge coronavirus treatments he received as 'miracles coming down from God.' If that's true, then God employs cell lines derived from human fetal tissue. The emergency antibody that Trump received last week was developed with the use of a cell line originally derived from abortion tissue, according to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the company that developed the experimental drug. The Trump administration has taken an increasingly firm line against medical research using fetal tissue from abortions.... But when the president faced a deadly encounter with covid-19, his administration raised no objections over the fact that the new drugs also relied on fetal cells, and anti-abortion campaigners were silent too." The story is subscriber-firewalled, but you get three freebies.

Jordan Phelps of ABC News: "Even as ... Donald Trump remained infected with the novel coronavirus and contagious, he returned to the Oval Office Wednesday, disregarding isolation rules and putting staffers at increased risk. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows ... said ... that safety precautions would be taken to accommodate the president ... and said that those who have direct contact with the president at this time are wearing 'full PPE, masks, goggles, and the like.'... The president's return to the Oval Office comes as he is supposed to be observing a period of self-isolation, in accordance with CDC guidelines.... A White House official said the president used an outdoor entrance to access the Oval Office Wednesday to avoid contacts with White House staff and that only a select few staff members are coming into direct contact with the president." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: To demonstrate what a big, whiney, demanding baby Trump is, it was entirely unnecessary for him to "work" out of the Oval Office. According to the ABC News report, "The White House had outfitted the Map Room and Diplomatic Reception Room in the White House residence as remote working spaces for the president during his period of expected isolation after his made-for-TV return from three nights in the hospital on Monday." BTW, here's the "work" Trump did Tuesday night & Wednesday: ~~~

     ~~~ "Arrest Somebody!" Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Donald Trump mounted an overnight Twitter blitz demanding to jail his political enemies and call out allies he says are failing to arrest his rivals swiftly enough. Trump twice amplified supporters' criticisms of Attorney General William Barr, including one featuring a meme calling on him to 'arrest somebody!' He wondered aloud why his rivals, like President Barack Obama, Democratic nominee Joe Biden and former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton hadn't been imprisoned for launching a 'coup' against his administration. 'Where are all of the arrests?' Trump said, after several dozen tweets on the subject over the past 24 hours. By early afternoon, Trump was letting loose his frustrations in an all-caps missive that seemed aimed at nobody in particular. 'DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS (IN HISTORY)!!! BIDEN, OBAMA AND CROOKED HILLARY LED THIS TREASONOUS PLOT!!! BIDEN SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO RUN - GOT CAUGHT!!!' Trump tweeted. The day-long run of tweets and retweets marked the most frantic stretch of Trump's public activity since he left the presidential suite at Walter Reed Medical Center.... They also underscored the degree to which Trump remains fixated on his grievances over the Russia probe, and often on obscure aspects of that investigation that are unintelligible to all but its most careful followers."

Spencer Ackerman, et al., of the Daily Beast: "On the same day President Trump acknowledged contracting the coronavirus, the White House quietly informed a veterans group that there was a COVID-19 risk stemming from a Sept. 27 event honoring the families of fallen U.S. service members, the head of that charitable organization told The Daily Beast. The White House warning, which came on Oct. 2 [last Friday], is the earliest known outreach to visitors of the complex that there was a risk of coronavirus emerging from the grounds where the president, the first lady, and at least 17 of his aides, according to Politico, have now tested positive for the virus.... Pictures from the Gold Star family event, which Trump attended, show minimal mask wearing and social distancing. It took place indoors, though attendees said they were tested prior to attending."

** Josh Margolin & Lucien Bruggeman of ABC News: "The coronavirus outbreak has infected '34 White House staffers and other contacts' in recent days, according to an internal government memo, an indication that the disease has spread among more people than previously known in the seat of American government. Dated Wednesday and obtained by ABC News, the memo was distributed among senior leadership at FEMA.... The new figures underscore both the growing crisis in the White House and the lengths to which government officials have gone to block information about the outbreak's spread." Mrs. McC: You knew this would prove the case.

White House Keeps Secret "Gravely Ill" Staffer. Aris Folley of the Hill: “A White House security official is reportedly 'gravely ill' after contracting COVID-19 in September, Bloomberg reports. The publication identified the official as Crede Bailey, who heads the White House's security office. He has reportedly been receiving hospital care since September.... According to Bloomberg, which cited four sources familiar with official's condition, Bailey grew sick before the Rose Garden event held on Sept. 26, in which President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court."

All the Best Super-spreaders. Josh Salman & Dinah Pulver of USA Today: "... Donald Trump and other White House insiders infected with COVID-19 carried the virus across the country in a matter of days, potentially exposing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people as they went about their business, a USA Today investigation found. From a religious summit outside Atlanta to a campaign rally at a Pennsylvania airport and a private fundraiser in Minnesota, Trump, his aides and political allies attended events with thousands of people, often without masks and little regard for social distancing."

Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "A senior military official who was quarantining following interaction with another uniformed leader who contracted covid-19 has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Marine Corps said on Wednesday. Gen. Gary Thomas, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, received the positive test a day after he began quarantining, the service said in a statement."

Presidential Race, Etc.

The Washington Post's live election updates Thursday are here. John Wagner (@7:28 am ET): "The second presidential debate will be virtual, with Trump and Biden appearing 'from separate remote locations,' the Commission on Presidential Debates announced Thursday morning. The Oct. 15 town-hall-style debate had been planned for Miami with a live audience asking questions.... [The commission] said the change was being made 'to protect the health and safety of all involved.'"

Vote Them Out! A Unique Non-Endorsement. Jacqueline Howard of CNN: "In an unprecedented move, the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday published an editorial written by its editors condemning the Trump administration for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic -- and calling for the current leadership in the United States to be voted out of office. 'We rarely publish editorials signed by all the editors,' said Dr. Eric Rubin, editor-in-chief of the medical journal and an author of the new editorial.... 'This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy,' the editorial says. It does not endorse a candidate, but offers a scathing critique of the Trump administration's leadership during the pandemic. 'Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences. Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment,' the editorial says.

Scott Bland & Elena Schneider of Politico: "Starting this week, a generation of voters in Texas will see something they've never witnessed before: a heavy rotation of presidential TV ads. In a move that would have been far-fetched even a few months ago, Joe Biden is set to spend $6.2 million on ads in the state over the next month -- attempting to put the state in play for the first time in decades. The latest polling averages show ... Donald Trump leading by only 2 to 3 points in Texas, and Biden's push there illustrates both how much the state has changed and how much the political environment is tilting against Trump less than a month from the Election Day. Perhaps even more astounding: Trump doesn't have the money to counter the cash-flush Biden on TV. Over the past two weeks, Biden had the airwaves to himself in Iowa, Ohio, Texas and New Hampshire, while Trump went dark, according to Advertising Analytics, a TV tracking firm."

Henry Gomez of BuzzFeed News: "... Donald Trump's reelection campaign is slashing television spending in the Midwest, canceling millions of dollars in advertising in states that carried him to victory in 2016. He's been off the local airwaves completely in Iowa and Ohio. The campaign also has given up at least $2 million worth of reservations in both Michigan and Wisconsin since early September. And in Minnesota, a state Trump almost won four years ago and has expressed confidence in flipping, his team already has chopped about $5 million from its projected fall TV budget.... The Trump campaign, meanwhile, according to data shared by Democratic ad trackers, has in recent weeks boosted its TV presence in the Sun Belt battlegrounds -- Arizona, Florida, and Georgia -- and Nevada, a state Trump lost in 2016."

President* Plans to Continue Super-spreader Campaign. Zack Budryk of the Hill: "President Trump plans to take to the campaign trail again next Monday starting in Pennsylvania, just more than a week after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus and taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bloomberg reported. The president plans to visit Pennsylvania on Monday. Later in the week, he plans to visit the battleground states of Florida and Michigan, according to the publication, citing people familiar with the matter."

National Security Leaders Stand Up Against Trump's Lies. AP: "Four weeks ahead of Election Day, senior national-security officials provided fresh assurances about the integrity of the elections in a video message Tuesday, putting them at odds with ... Donald Trump's efforts to discredit the vote.... Though Trump was not mentioned during the nine-minute video, the message from the speakers served as a tacit counter to his repeated efforts, including in last week's presidential debate, to allege widespread fraud in the mail ballot process and to preemptively cast doubt in the legitimacy of the election.... 'I'm here to tell you that my confidence in the security of your vote has never been higher,' Chris Krebs, the director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, said in the video message. 'That's because of an all-of-nation, unprecedented election security effort over the last several years.'... 'No matter which method you choose, your voice is important,' said FBI Director Chris Wray. 'Rest assured that the security of the election, and safeguarding your vote, is and will continue to be one of our highest priorities.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The video & a transcript are here, via the FBI. ~~~

~~~ But Bill Barr Is Doing His Best to Help Trump. Robert Faturechi & Justin Elliott of ProPublica: "The Department of Justice has weakened its long-standing prohibition against interfering in elections, according to two department officials. Avoiding election interference is the overarching principle of DOJ policy on voting-related crimes. In place since at least 1980, the policy generally bars prosecutors not only from making any announcement about ongoing investigations close to an election but also from taking public steps -- such as an arrest or a raid -- before a vote is finalized because the publicity could tip the balance of a race. But according to an email sent Friday by an official in the Public Integrity Section in Washington, now if a U.S. attorney's office suspects election fraud that involves postal workers or military employees, federal investigators will be allowed to take public investigative steps before the polls close, even if those actions risk affecting the outcome of the election.... Specifically citing postal workers and military employees is noteworthy, former DOJ officials said. But the exception is written so broadly that it could cover other types of investigations as well, they said. Both groups have been falsely singled out, in different ways, by ... Donald Trump and his campaign for being involved in voter fraud." ~~~

~~~ DNI John Ratcliffe, Too. Jonathan Swan of Axios: "Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has approved the release to the Department of Justice of a large binder full of documents to assist a review of the Obama administration's handling of the Trump-Russia investigation, according to a source with direct knowledge of the materials and confirmed by Ratcliffe.... The release, which is being revealed publicly for the first time today, comes as President Trump is urging his agencies to expedite the release of materials that he believes will be politically advantageous to him. It follows a flurry of tweets by the president accusing the Obama administration of orchestrating a 'treasonous plot' against him by investigating his campaign's ties to Russia.... Former CIA Director John Brennan, a frequent target of the president and his allies, has accused Ratcliffe of selectively declassifying documents in order to 'advance the political interests' of Trump ahead of the election." Mrs. McC: Brennan, of course, would know the general tenor of classified documents re: the Trump-Russia investigation during President Obama's administration.

Defender of the Faith! Celine Castronuovo of the Hill: "President Trump's son Eric Trump claimed that his father 'literally saved Christianity' when touting the commander in chief's accomplishments during a recent interview on a North Dakota radio show.... 'I mean, there's a full out war on faith in this country by the other side.... The Democratic Party, the far left, has become the party of the "atheists," and they want to attack Christianity, they want to close churches, they're totally fine keeping liquor stores open,' he said, referring to COVID-19 orders by governors in some states labeling liquor stores as 'essential' businesses, while also putting limitations on the number of people allowed in houses of worship.... Despite Trump's public praise of conservative Christian leaders, The Atlantic reported last week that Trump had allegedly called evangelical pastors 'hustlers' in a 2015 conversation with his then-lawyer Michael Cohen. Former aides also told the magazine that they heard the president mock conservative religious leaders, adding that he saw them as a group to be 'schmoozed, conned or bought off,' according to The Atlantic."

Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post: "Facebook said it plans to temporarily suspend all political and issue-based advertising after polls close Nov. 3, a move the company said was intended to limit confusion, misinformation and abuse of its services in the days after the presidential election. The social media giant also said it would remove calls for people to watch the polls when those posts use militaristic or intimidating language. Executives said the policy applies to anyone, including President Trump and other officials. Trump has made calls for people to engage in poll-watching, including at the presidential debate, and son Donald Trump Jr. appeared in an ad last month urging people to 'defend your ballot' and join an 'army' to protect the polls."

Congressional Races. Eleventh-Hour Regrets. Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "Vulnerable Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from President Trump's dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic and his dramatic termination of negotiations with congressional Democrats over federal economic relief, with the latest cracks carrying enormous implications for Trump and the party with just four weeks until Election Day. Facing a political reckoning as Trump's support plummets and a possible blue tsunami looms, it is now conservatives and Trump allies who are showing flashes of discomfort with the president, straining to stay in the good graces of his core voters without being wholly defined by an erratic incumbent."

Maine. Ariane de Vogue & Chandelis Duster of CNN: "Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer cleared the way Tuesday night for ranked-choice voting to be used in Maine, delivering a blow to Republican challengers. In September, Maine's Supreme Court had sided with the state's Democratic secretary of state and rejected a Republican challenge to the system, which allows voters to rank all the candidates by preference and for a voter's next choice to be considered if their first candidate doesn't have enough votes to be viable. The winner must have more than 50% of the votes. Republicans in the state asked the high court to step in and put the state Supreme Court opinion on hold. The petition went to Breyer, who has jurisdiction over the lower court." ~~~

~~~ Susan Collins Goes Low. Burgess Everett of Politico: During an interview last week, Sen. Susan Collins attacked her Democratic challenger Sara Gideon for building a campaign "on a foundation of falsehoods." She said 'that Gideon's campaign was being run as an arm of Chuck Schumer's Washington operation.... Perhaps most pointedly, she suggested that Gideon is from away -- a serious charge in a state that can turn its nose up at outsiders. 'I grew up in Caribou, I've lived in Bangor for 26 years. My family's been in Maine for generations. She's been in Maine for about 15 years and lives in Freeport,' Collins said acidly of Gideon, who was born and raised in Rhode Island. 'That's a big difference in our knowledge of the state.'" Mrs. McC: Collins' attack sounds xenophobic to me. She accuses Gideon of being an outsider, a shill for a Jewish "operator" from New York City & Washington, D.C. Gideon's father is an Indian immigrant, and her mother is a second-generation Armenian-American. In a state with a small minority population, Collins really wants Mainers to know Gideon is "from away." Way away.

North Carolina. Paul Specht of PolitiFact & Cullen Browder of WRAL News: "A California woman on Tuesday confirmed to The Associated Press that she had a physical relationship with Cal Cunningham, North Carolina's Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. Both are married to other people. On Wednesday morning, the Army Reserve confirmed to WRAL News that it has opened an investigation into Cunningham, who is a lieutenant colonel in the Reserve.... Adultery is listed as 'unacceptable conduct' by the military and may be 'service discrediting.'... Political experts say the North Carolina race could decide the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Many polls show Cunningham with a small lead over Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. On Wednesday morning, a statement from Cunningham spokeswoman Rachel Petri indicated that the Democrat intends to move forward with his campaign." Emphasis added.

Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected ... Donald Trump's efforts to keep his financial records from a Manhattan prosecutor, putting the president on track for a second date at the Supreme Court in his campaign to keep those documents private. A three-judge panel of the New York-based 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments from Trump's legal team that the subpoena issued to Trump's accounting firm at the request of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance was too broad and that the subpoena amounted to retaliation for the refusal of Trump's businesses to cooperate with Vance's office.... 'We will be filing a stay with the Supreme Court,' Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said." A Washington Post story is here.

Carol Lee & Courtney Kube of NBC News: "... Donald Trump required personnel at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to sign nondisclosure agreements last year before they could be involved with treating him, according to four people familiar with the process. During a surprise trip to Walter Reed on Nov. 16, 2019, Trump mandated signed NDAs from both physicians and nonmedical staff, most of whom are active-duty military service members, these people said. At least two doctors at Walter Reed who refused to sign the NDAs were subsequently not permitted to have any involvement in the president's care, two of the people said. The reason for his trip last year remains shrouded in mystery." Mrs. McC: Seems to me the doctors who refused to sign were following best medical practices, as there are some instances where medical professionals are required by law to reveal diagnoses, though not to publicly name the patient. For instance, what if Trump had had an STD? Or Ebola?

John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration has decided to impose new sanctions on Iran's financial sector in defiance of European allies who warned that the move could have devastating humanitarian consequences on a country reeling from the novel coronavirus and an ongoing currency crisis, three officials familiar with the decision said Wednesday. The measures will target the few remaining banks not currently subject to secondary sanctions in a move European governments say is likely to diminish channels Iran uses to import humanitarian goods, such as food and medicine, officials said."

Kentucky. Marisa Iati, et al., of the Washington Post: "Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) filed a court motion Wednesday seeking to bar an unidentified grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case from speaking about the proceedings, which the juror alleges Cameron has publicly mischaracterized. The motion comes the same day as the city of Louisville released a trove of documents from the police department's internal investigation into the fatal shooting of Taylor while officers carried out a search warrant in March. The documents show other Louisville officers criticizing the raid and cast doubt on the police department's justifications for the warrant, a key question addressed only in passing in recently released audio of the grand jury proceedings."

Minnesota. Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was filmed with his knee on George Floyd's neck and who is now facing murder charges for Floyd's death, posted bond and was released from jail Wednesday morning."

News Ledes

Weather Channel: "Hurricane Delta is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico as it heads for a Friday landfall on the Gulf Coast with life-threatening storm surge flooding, damaging winds and rainfall flooding from Louisiana and east Texas to Mississippi. A hurricane warning is in effect from High Island, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana, including Lake Charles and Lafayette, Louisiana, and Port Arthur, Texas. This means hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours."

Guardian: "The poet Louise Glück has become the first American writer to win the Nobel prize for literature in 27 years. Glück, cited for 'her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal', is the 16th woman to win the Nobel, and the first American since Toni Morrison took the prize in 1993. One of America's leading poets, Glück has won the Pulitzer prize and the National Book Award, tackling themes including childhood and family life, often reworking Greek and Roman myths."

The Commentariat -- October 7, 2020

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Reality Chex is still bobbing up & down, but the "down" doesn't last long. However, be sure to save your comments because this also happens when you're trying to post them. I'm having a better Squarespace experience today. I'm not sure if that's because they fixed a bug; they have not contacted me.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Erica Werner & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: “President Trump said Tuesday that he was withdrawing from economic relief talks until after the election, abruptly ordering Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to stop negotiating with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In a series of tweets posted less than 24 hours after he was released from the hospital, Trump accused Pelosi of failing to negotiate in good faith, after she rejected an opening bid from Mnuchin in their latest round of talks.... 'I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hard-working Americans and Small Business,' Trump wrote. The pronouncement was so stunning that Pelosi told Democratic colleagues on a conference call that the president’s sudden change in position might be connected to the steroids he’s taking as he battles coronavirus.... The pronouncement came just hours after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said in a speech that more economic stimulus was needed. Some White House staff members wondered whether Mr. Trump’s behavior was spurred by a cocktail of drugs he has been taking to treat the coronavirus, including dexamethasone, a steroid that can cause mood swings.... Three days ago..., follow[ing] his first night in the hospital..., [Trump] wrote on Twitter 'OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!'” Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This cannot be a bully taking his marbles & going home because Trump has lost his marbles. So it's a blackmailer telling needy American people, "Vote for me or you won't get your measly government handouts." It's just plain mean. ~~~

~~~ Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: “Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, delivered a blunt message to Congress and the White House on Tuesday: Faced with a once-in-a-century pandemic that has inflicted economic pain on millions of households, go big. Hours later, President Trump delivered his own message: Forget it.... The Fed chair, who has increasingly called for more government help, said policymakers should err on the side of injecting too much money into the economy rather than too little.... In a series of conflicting tweets, the president said the economy was 'doing very well' and coming back 'in record numbers,' suggesting that no additional help was needed while also saying that he would wait until after the election to 'pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business.' While the chances of Congress reaching a deal on another package were already slim, Mr. Trump’s directive sent markets swooning as the reality sank in that the economic recovery, which is slowing, would not get another jolt before Nov. 3. The S&P 500 fell more than 1 percent soon after Mr. Trump’s tweet....” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post explains Trump's decision to screw American workers less than a month before the election as a move to please his extremist followers & Sean Hannity. O-kaaay. Mrs. McC: As Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told Chris Hayes Tuesday night, people should get over the idea that Donald Trump is some kind of political genius.

~~~ Okay, so all that and then this. Turns out Donald Trump can dance almost as well as Ginger Rogers: okay, no high hells, but backwards. Looks as if that stock-market plunge today spooked him because he sure as hell doesn't care about ordinary people. Whaddaya mean, chaos? This is nuts! -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie  ~~~

True! https://t.co/ZJmcxG2CoO

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020

Update. Then this @ 9:54 pm ET Tuesday: The House & Senate should IMMEDIATELY Approve 25 Billion Dollars for Airline Payroll Support, & 135 Billion Dollars for Paycheck Protection Program for Small Business. Both of these will be fully paid for with unused funds from the Cares Act. Have this money. I will sign now! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet

Update. Then this @ 10:18 pm ET Tuesday: If I am sent a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy? -- Donald Trump, in a tweet   

Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: “White House physician Sean Conley said Tuesday that President Trump is reporting 'no symptoms' after being discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during his treatment for the novel coronavirus. 'This morning the President’s team of physicians met with him in the Residence. He had a restful first night at home, and today he reports no symptoms,' Conley wrote in a memorandum issued Tuesday afternoon, less than five days after Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19.” ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: NBC News reporter Shannon Pettypeace, speaking on MSNBC, noted that Conley's report began with the caveat that Trump had approved his report & that the person "reporting no symptoms" was the patient, not the doctor. Pettypiece speculated that Trump may be reporting no symptoms in an effort to make him eligible, under guidelines, to participate in a debate with Joe Biden next Thursday. P.S. Akhilleus has a great! idea in today's Comments on one thing Biden could demand in negotiations on terms of the debate.

This Lincoln Project video is just perfect. The Lincoln Project won't say who the vocalist is. She's very good, IMO. Thanks to PD Pepe for the link: ~~~

~~~Speaking of "Triumph of the Swill," as Patrick did yesterday for our amusement, there's this. (The soundtrack, BTW, comes from Trump's video, a self-parody which Trump apparently thought was a good idea): ~~~

I split screened shots from Leni Riefenstahl's 1935 Nazi propaganda film, Triumph of Will, with @realDonaldTrump’s video of his return from the hospital. Not sure if this was intentional, but it's eerily similar. His media team looking to history for inspiration, perhaps? pic.twitter.com/ZsZfHLttdL

— matt danzico (@mattdanzico) October 6, 2020

Quint Forgey of Politico: “... Donald Trump on Tuesday continued to downplay the coronavirus and suggested the United States should learn to live with the pandemic, posting to Twitter hours after returning to the White House from being hospitalized with Covid-19. In his morning tweet, the president likened the highly contagious disease to the seasonal flu, reprising a misleading comparison he repeatedly invoked in the early stages of the U.S. outbreak. 'Flu season is coming up! Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu,' Trump wrote in a post that was later flagged by Twitter for violating the platform’s coronavirus misinformation policies. 'Are we going to close down our Country?' Trump wrote. 'No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!'... Over the past 10 years, an average of just under 36,000 Americans have died annually from the flu.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Donie O'Sullivan of CNN: "Facebook on Tuesday removed a post from President Trump in which he falsely claimed that Covid-19 is less deadly than the seasonal flu. Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed the company removed the post for breaking its rules on Covid-19 misinformation.... While battling his own bout of the disease, he has continued to dishonestly downplay the severity of the virus... The President also posted the same message on Twitter. That post is still live, but Twitter has appended a message to the Tweet stating it violated the company's rule on spreading misleading information related to Covid-19." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

This may be almost too obvious to mention, but 'The virus is so deadly that it would have killed untold millions without my actions' and 'This virus is just like the flu, you'll do fine, get out of the house' make zero sense next to each other. -- Benjy Sarlin of NBC News, in a tweet 

Maggie Haberman & Annie Karni of the New York Times: “The White House that President Trump woke up in on Tuesday morning was in full-blown chaos, even by the standards of the havoc of the Trump era. Aides said the president’s voice was stronger after his return from the hospital Monday night, but at times he still sounded as if he was trying to catch air. The West Wing was mostly empty, cleared of advisers who were out sick with the coronavirus themselves or told to work from home rather than in the capital’s most famous virus hot spot. Staff members in the White House residence were in full personal protective equipment, including yellow gowns, surgical masks and disposable protective eye covers. Four more White House officials tested positive, including Stephen Miller, a top adviser to Mr. Trump, bringing to 14 the number of people carrying the virus at the White House or in the president’s close circle. Mr. Trump, diagnosed with Covid-19 last week, was still livid at his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, whose effort on Saturday to tamp down the rosy portrait of Mr. Trump’s condition given to reporters by his chief doctor was caught on camera. Other officials were angry with Mr. Meadows for not even trying to control the president.... As the day progressed on Tuesday, parts of the White House resembled a hazard zone. Workers dressed in head-to-toe protective suits sanitized common spaces in the West Wing....”

Patricia Yeo of the Daily Beast: "President Trump tried to go back to the Oval Office on Tuesday, multiple White House sources told Bloomberg, less than 24 hours after being released from Walter Reed hospital and just six days after testing positive for COVID-19." Mrs. McC: Apparently aides (or doctors) talked him out of it (or locked him in the residence, I don't know).

John Bowden & Brett Samuels of the Hill: "White House senior adviser Stephen Miller has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently self-quarantining, The Hill has confirmed. Miller said he began a period of self-isolation several days ago before receiving a positive test for the coronavirus on Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Brian Williams reports that four of Kayleigh McEnany's aides now have tested positive for the coronavirus. Yesterday, reports were that two of her aides, as well as McEnany herself, had tested positive. ~~~

~~~ To Put This in Perspective ... Siobhán O'Grady of the Washington Post: "More than a dozen White House officials have recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, including some who are among the at least nine guests and two journalists who tested positive after they attended Amy Coney Barrett’s Sept. 26 Supreme Court nomination event in the Rose Garden.... Meanwhile, Taiwan — the self-ruled island home to 23 million people — reported just eight new cases in the past week." ~~~

~~~ Mohammad Zargham of Reuters: “... Dr. Anthony Fauci ... said on Tuesday the recent rash of infections at the White House could have been prevented.... 'Take a look at what happened this week at the White House,' Fauci said in an interview with American University’s Kennedy Political Union, when asked what advice he had about how people could discuss preventive actions with relatives who believed the pandemic was a hoax. 'That is a reality, right there. And every day that goes by more people are popping up that are infected. It’s not a hoax. It’s an unfortunate situation when you see something like that because that could have been prevented,' Fauci said.”

Lolita Baldor of the AP: "Top military leaders are under self-quarantine after a senior Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, was among those affected, U.S. officials said. Military leaders who were in contact with Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, have been tested, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement. None have [Mrs. McC: has] exhibited symptoms or have so far tested positive." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Courtney Kube of NBC News: "Seven members of the eight-member Joint Chiefs of Staff are now quarantining after they attended a Pentagon meeting Friday with a Coast Guard admiral who has since tested positive for Covid-19, said three defense officials. The only member of the Joint Chiefs who is not in quarantine, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger, was traveling last week and missed the meeting. Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Gary Thomas attended in his place and is now in quarantine." (Also linked yesterday.)

Peter Alexander of NBC News: "A military valet who comes in contact with Trump tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend, a person familiar with the matter tells NBC News." This is part of a liveblog on Trump's condition. (Also linked yesterday.)

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: “Rick Bright, a senior vaccine scientist who said he was demoted this spring for complaining about 'cronyism' and political interference in science, resigned his final government post on Tuesday, saying he had been sidelined and left with nothing to do. In a new addendum to the whistle-blower complaint he filed in May, Dr. Bright’s lawyers say officials at the National Institutes of Health, where he worked after his demotion, rejected his idea for a national coronavirus testing strategy 'because of political considerations.'”

Zachary Brennan of Politico: "The FDA on Tuesday told coronavirus vaccine developers that it will hold them to strict standards for emergency authorization, releasing new guidelines that the White House had fought against for weeks. The agency guidelines were released Tuesday afternoon after being held up at the White House budget office for review. Just hours earlier, the FDA had released a summary of those guidelines in instructions to vaccine makers.... Hours after FDA released the guidelines, Trump called them 'just another political hit job!' in a tweet addressed to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.... The news that the FDA is plowing ahead with the stricter standards comes after almost a month of back and forth between the White House and the agency over how to set the bar for vaccine authorization." Mrs. McC: Trump's tweet to Hahn was another crazy outburst in a string of crazy outbursts.

“It Is a Slaughter.” Brett Murphy & Letitia Stein of USA Today: “A former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health titan who led the eradication of smallpox asked the embattled, current CDC leader to expose the failed U.S. response to the new coronavirus, calling on him to orchestrate his own firing to protest White House interference. Dr. William Foege, a renowned epidemiologist who served under Democratic and Republican presidents, detailed in a private letter he sent last month to CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield his alarm over how the agency has fallen in stature while the pandemic raged across America. Foege, who has not previously been a vocal critic of the agency's handling of the novel coronavirus, called on Redfield to openly address the White House’s meddling in the agency’s efforts to manage the COVID-19 crisis and then accept the political sacrifice that would follow. He recommended that Redfield commit to writing the administration's failures — and his own — so there was a record that could not be dismissed.... Foege wrote ... that simply resigning without coming clean would be insufficient. 'Don’t shy away from the fact this has been an unacceptable toll on our country. It is a slaughter and not just a political dispute.'”

Arkansas. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "The chairman of the Craighead County Republican Committee in Arkansas has died from complications while fighting the coronavirus, reported KAIT8 News. Steven Farmer’s GOP committee hosted a social gathering with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who just recovered from COVID-19, in mid-September. The Reagan Day event was photographed extensively, and it showed very few masks being worn and no social distancing." (Also linked yesterday.)

New York. Troy Closson of the New York Times: "When an 80-year-old man at a bar near Buffalo, N.Y., noticed a fellow customer not wearing a face mask, he confronted him. The customer responded by swiftly pushing him to the ground, the police said. Five days later, the man was dead. On Monday, the customer, Donald Lewinski, 65, of West Seneca, N.Y., was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide in the death of the 80-year-old, Rocco Sapienza. The case is believed to be one of the first of its kind in New York State. Mr. Lewinski pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in court in Erie County. The charge carries up to four years in prison. The encounter followed months of tension and often vitriolic confrontations across the country over masks. Disputes have escalated to violence: Retail employees have broken up fistfights between customers, and in New York City dozens of transit workers have been attacked after trying to enforce the rules."

Presidential Race, Etc.

Domenico Montenaro of NPR: "Vice President Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris square off in the first and only vice presidential debate Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City." ~~~

~~~ Patrick Hipes of Deadline on where to watch the veep debate. ~~~

~~~ Dan Merica & Jim Acosta of CNN: "Mike Pence's team agreed Tuesday night to allow the Commission on Presidential Debates to erect a plexiglass barrier near the vice president for Wednesday's debate in Salt Lake City, a Pence aide and commission member told CNN, bringing an end for now the negotiations over coronavirus safety precautions around the contest. Pence's team made clear throughout the week that they thought putting any plexiglass barriers near the vice president was unnecessary and that they opposed such a move.... The commission member said the Pence team agreed Tuesday evening that 'if ([Kamala] Harris) feels safer having it up on her side, they will leave it up on his side.'" Mrs. McC: IOW, they will accommodate the fraidy-cat girl.

** New York Times Editors Endorse Joe Biden for President: "In the midst of unrelenting chaos, [Joe] Biden is offering an anxious, exhausted nation something beyond policy or ideology. His campaign is rooted in steadiness, experience, compassion and decency. A President Biden would embrace the rule of law and restore public confidence in democratic institutions. He would return a respect for science and expertise to the government. He would stock his administration with competent, qualified, principled individuals. He would stand with America’s allies and against adversaries that seek to undermine our democracy. He would work to address systemic injustices. He would not court foreign autocrats or give comfort to white supremacists. His focus would be on healing divisions and rallying the nation around shared values. He would understand that his first duty, always, is to the American people." ~~~

     ~~~ Kathleen Kingsbury of the New York Times: "The grim reality of American life at this moment — the hundreds of thousands of coronavirus deaths, the financial struggles, the disinformation, the factionalism, the warming planet — makes the case for Joe Biden far more powerfully than any endorsement ever could. For many, the choice is as plain as the mask on Mr. Biden’s face. Still, we hope today’s New York Times editorial board endorsement of Joe Biden will be clarifying and insightful to readers."

Biden's Gettysburg Address. Sydney Ember & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: “Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered an impassioned call for national unity on Tuesday from the swing state of Pennsylvania, casting the nation as a 'house divided' and the election as a high-stakes contest defined by seismic issues of life-or-death consequence that, he argued, should transcend traditional partisan disagreements. In a 22-minute speech outdoors in Gettysburg, near the Civil War battlefield that serves as a symbol of a country split against itself, Mr. Biden drew parallels between that dark time in American history and the turmoil of the current moment, saying the country was again in 'a battle for the soul of the nation,' reprising a central theme of his candidacy four weeks before Election Day.... The message was a striking contrast with the recent actions of Mr. Biden’s opponent, President Trump, who on Tuesday ended talks with Democrats about an economic stimulus bill even as millions of Americans struggle with the financial fallout of the pandemic.... Mr. Biden, who shared a debate stage with the president a week ago, tested negative again on Tuesday, his campaign said. Asked later by reporters if he would feel safe debating Mr. Trump — there is a debate scheduled for next week — the Democratic nominee replied, 'if he still has Covid, we shouldn’t have a debate,' according to a pool report.” Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: A remarkable contrast with Benito Trumpolini scowling from the balcony yesterday.

Wear a mask. pic.twitter.com/TSuLuzAXEB

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 6, 2020

Robin Givhan of the Washington Post: "... Joe Biden was standing on the tarmac Monday chatting with reporters at New Castle County Airport.... Biden was wearing a mask and so were the journalists, but the plane’s engine was whirring and as he was answering questions..., he began to drift from socially distanced range into normal speaking range. And so, with no fanfare but unmistakable firmness, Jill Biden approached her husband from behind, reminded him of proper spacing and physically moved him several paces back. Biden apologized for his spatial indiscretion and then carried on with his thoughts about the importance of following the science in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. An entire campaign was summed up in that simple gesture — and by Biden’s response to it." You can see video of the moment here. Awfully sweet.

AP: “Michelle Obama is going after ... Donald Trump in a scathing new video that accuses him of 'willful mismanagement' of the coronavirus crisis and of racism. She calls on Black and all young voters not to 'waste' their votes. In the video, released Tuesday by Joe Biden’s campaign, Mrs. Obama notes that more Americans have died from COVID-19 than died in the Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Korean wars combined. She charges that with respect to the virus, 'our commander in chief, sadly, has been missing in action.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

The New York Times' live Trumpidemic updates Tuesday are here: “President Trump announced on Tuesday that he is planning to attend next Thursday’s debate in Miami against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. despite his continued struggle with the coronavirus and unresolved questions about the event’s rules. 'FEELING GREAT!' he added in a separate Tweet. By midday Monday, Mr. Trump made it clear he would soon be moving forward with his campaign, even as medical experts warned that the course of his illness is unpredictable in a man of his age and weight.” The Hill's story is here. Mrs. McC: If indeed Trump does show up, he should be wheeled in in a hermetically-sealed plexiglass box. Okay with me if he says, "Mmbeep-beep." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Keith Allen & Devan Cole of CNN: "... Joe Biden said Tuesday that the second presidential debate should not be held if ... Donald Trump is still infected with coronavirus, but that he would base his participation in the debate upon recommendations from medical experts." The story expands on the Times item linked. ~~~

~~~ Trump Is Not Welcome in Miami. Marc Caputo of Politico: “The Republican mayor of Miami said Donald Trump shouldn’t come to his city for the Oct. 15 debate with Joe Biden if the president is still testing positive with Covid-19. 'I don’t think it’s safe, not for him and anybody else, anywhere or anyone he interacts with,' Mayor Francis Suarez told Politico.... Dr. Aileen Marty, a Florida International University epidemiologist who advises Miami-Dade County government and its school district, said she needs far more data on Trump’s illness to be conclusive about his condition on Oct. 15. But when she factors in the information that’s been publicly released, her knowledge of the virus and the 74-year-old Trump’s obesity, she thinks he should not come at all.”

Florida. Special! Tuesday Only! Really. Gary Fineout of Politico: “Florida extended the deadline for voter registration after the state’s online portal crashed under the weight of heavy traffic hours before the Oct. 5 deadline. Registration will be open for an additional seven hours, from noon to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Secretary of State Laurel Lee said in a written statement. The move should short-circuit a lawsuit that civil rights and voting groups were preparing to file early Tuesday. Lee met with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday to review trouble with the portal. In a written statement, she said the site’s failure appeared to be linked to 'unprecedented volume and traffic' and that her office 'will work with our state and federal law-enforcement partners to ensure this was not a deliberate act against the voting process.' The portal went down Monday afternoon, hours before the midnight deadline for registering.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Found on the Twitters. My compliments to the cartoonist, whoever s/he may be.

James Stewart of the New York Times: Last week's New York Times’ exposé revealed that Donald “Trump spent more than $70,000 on hairstyling during several years of his run on 'The Apprentice,' his reality-TV show.... But what is really remarkable about the revelation is that Mr. Trump’s production company deducted his hairstyling expenses from its taxable income, reducing its tax bill. Tax experts told me that deducting what is ordinarily considered a personal expense is prohibited under almost any circumstances. And they said such a deduction could potentially constitute criminal tax fraud if the cost of the hairstyling was reimbursed by someone else..... [Mrs. McC: I think Stewart means "to someone else."] Taxpayers are not allowed to deduct reimbursed business expenses. In any case, courts have ruled that hairstyling, even for someone on a TV program, is a personal expense that cannot be deducted.”

Natasha Bertrand, et al., of Politico: “Even as he recovers from a coronavirus case that left him hospitalized for days..., Donald Trump has intensified a late-campaign effort to undermine widely accepted evidence about Russia’s election interference efforts in 2016. Trump authorized the declassification and release of documents this week based on intelligence that even his own advisers warn could be Russian disinformation, in what his allies have signaled is aimed at sowing doubt about the intelligence community’s conclusion that the meddling in the 2016 campaign came at the Kremlin’s direction — and was intended to boost Trump’s candidacy.... Some of those documents were released on Tuesday afternoon, including heavily redacted notes from former CIA Director John Brennan after a briefing with then-President Barack Obama. The notes describe intelligence reports that were drawn from Russian operatives, summaries of which Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe declassified last week. In the legible, unredacted portion of Brennan’s notes, first published by Fox News, he wrote: 'We’re getting additional insight into Russian activities from [REDACTED].”

** Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: “The Department of Homeland Security warned on Tuesday that violent white supremacy was the 'most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland' in an annual assessment that a former intelligence chief had accused the agency of withholding in deference to President Trump. The intelligence chief-turned-whistle-blower last month accused the department of blocking the report and directing analysts to play down the threat of violent white racism as well as Russian election interference to align the agency’s message with the president’s. But the final report appeared to do no such thing. The threat assessment highlighted white supremacists as the most deadly among domestic terrorists in recent years and Russia as the primary threat to spreading disinformation. 'I am particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years,” Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, wrote in the foreward to the assessment. The threat report also stated that 'Russia is the likely primary covert influence actor and purveyor of disinformation and misinformation within the homeland.'”

** Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: “The Justice Department’s top officials [-- Jeff Sessions, Rod Rosenstein  & Gene Hamilton, an ally of Stephen Miller -- ] were 'a driving force' behind the policy that spurred the separation of thousands of families, many of them fleeing violence in Central America and seeking asylum in the United States, before Mr. Trump abandoned it amid global outrage, according to a draft report of the results of the investigation by Michael E. Horowitz, the department’s inspector general.” Mrs. McC: I well remember when I thought Rosenstein might be a principled hero, saving the world from Trump. Ha! Not only was he a prime driver of removing even breast-feeding infants from their mothers, he is now trying really hard to deny responsibility.

Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google engaged in anti-competitive, monopoly-style tactics to evolve into four of the world’s most powerful corporate behemoths, according to congressional investigators who called in a wide-ranging report released Tuesday for sweeping changes to federal laws so that government regulators can bring Silicon Valley back in check. The approximately 450-page document, capping a roughly 16-month investigation by the House’s top antitrust panel, found that the four tech giants relied on dubious, harmful means to solidify their dominance in Web search, smartphones, social networking and shopping — and in the process evaded the very federal regulators whose primary task is to ensure that companies do not grow into such unmatched corporate titans."

Beyond the Beltway

Missouri. Lauren Trager of KMOV (St. Louis): "A grand jury indicted Mark and Patricia McCloskey Tuesday on charges of exhibiting guns at protesters in a June incident in their neighborhood and added a charge of tampering with evidence for both members of the couple.... Mark and Patricia McCloskey had previously been charged with felony counts of exhibiting weapons -- for pointing guns at protestors outside their central west end home. They have long maintained they were protecting themselves and their property from people hurling threats." Mrs. McC: These accused felons are such great American heroes that they appeared in a video during the Republican's national convention.

News Ledes

Four Generations of Tylers Span 273 Years of American History. New York Times: “Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., the older of two surviving grandsons of the 10th president of the United States, John Tyler, and part of a genealogical marvel that in just three generations spanned almost the entire history of the United States, died on Sept. 26 in Franklin, Tenn. He was 95. His daughter, Susan Selina Pope Tyler, said his death, at Williamson Medical Center, was caused by Alzheimer’s disease. He lived in Franklin. Mr. Tyler, a lawyer and historian, and his 91-year-old brother, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, were the last surviving sons of Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. (1853-1935), a longtime president of the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Lyon Tyler Sr.’s father, who was born just after George Washington became president 231 years ago and who served in the White House from 1841 to 1845, was the president who annexed Texas as the 28th state as America expanded west. But he may be better known for the Whig Party’s catchy 1840 presidential campaign slogan, 'Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.'... ~~~

~~~ “Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., in a talk to the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2013 in Dyersburg, Tenn., went back even further: to his great-grandfather, John Tyler Sr., (1747-1813), who served in the Continental Army, became governor of Virginia and had eight children, including the future president. 'John Tyler’s father, also named John, was Thomas Jefferson’s roommate at the College of William & Mary,” Lyon Tyler said. 'Jefferson and John Tyler Sr. shared the same political views, played their fiddles together in college and remained lifelong friends.'”

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I read about this family's remarkable genealogy some 20 years ago, and I was blown away. I remain amazed.

New York Times: “The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded on Wednesday to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna for their 2012 work on the development of Crispr-Cas9, a method for genome editing. The announcement marks the first time a science Nobel has been awarded to two women.”