The Commentariat -- September 5, 2020

Afternoon Update:

The Omen. Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: "Police in Austin, Texas say they have received several 911 calls about boats sinking into the waters of a large local lake during a boat parade being held in support of ... Donald Trump. According to local CBS affiliate KEYE-TV, the Travis County Sheriff's Office (TSCO) has received numerous distress calls from sinking boats -- apparently all along the route of the aquatic parade.... 'Several have sunk,' the TSCO reportedly told KVUE's Pattrik Perez.... According to citizen journalists who took stock of live updates from EMS response crews via the aptly-titled Citizen app, the parade participants were 'unruly' and 'not adhering to safety measures.'"

Trump Again Urges North Carolina Republicans to Commit Felony Voter Fraud. Dianne Gallagher, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump suggested to his supporters on Friday night that if they vote by mail they should also attempt to vote in person as a way to check that their vote is counted, which risks causing chaos at the polls and undermining confidence in the election. In a North Carolina 'telerally' Friday night, which was later posted on Facebook, Trump spent the first few minutes of the call explaining in detail how he wanted his voters to vote. If they vote by mail, they should go to their polling place anyway to 'see whether or not your mail-in vote has been tabulated or counted,' Trump said, noting that if it's been counted, they won't be able to vote. It's a federal crime to vote twice in the same election, and it's also a felony in almost every state, including North Carolina. Trump also addressed the possibility that a voter's mail-in ballot would be tabulated after they had voted in person."

... Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting. Never even called us for comment. Fox News is gone! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet late Friday ~~~

~~~ Kill the Messenger. Daniel Politi of Slate: "... Donald Trump is calling for a Fox News reporter to be fired after she confirmed some details of a bombshell story that said he disparaged veterans.... Jennifer Griffin [of Fox 'News'] wrote a Twitter thread and also went on the network to lay out how she had confirmed several claims in the [Atlantic] piece."

Steve Benen of MSNBC: "Asked if he supports the military, Trump is quick to point to symbols and gestures: he has military flags in the Oval Office, for example, and his interest in military parades is borderline creepy. But there's no depth of thought or seriousness of purpose. It's what leads Trump to celebrate those accused of war crimes, while ridiculing those who serve honorably."

Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Former FBI agent Peter Strzok alleges in a new book that investigators came to believe it was 'conceivable, if unlikely' that Russia was secretly controlling President Trump after he took office -- a full-fledged 'Manchurian candidate' installed as America's commander in chief. In the book, 'Compromised,' Strzok describes how the FBI had to consider 'whether the man about to be inaugurated was willing to place his or Russia's interests above those of American citizens,' and if and how agents could investigate that. Strzok opened the FBI's 2016 investigation into whether Trump's campaign had coordinated with the Kremlin to help his election and later was involved in investigating Trump personally. He was ultimately removed from the case over private text messages disparaging of the president.... [Even now, Strzok says,] '... I do think the president is compromised, that he is unable to put the interests of our nation first, that he acts from hidden motives, because there is leverage over him, held specifically by the Russians but potentially others as well.'" ~~~

~~~ Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "A former senior F.B.I. agent [Peter Strzok] at the center of the investigations into Hillary Clinton's email server and the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, defends the handling of the inquiries and declares President Trump a national security threat in a new memoir, while admitting that the bureau made mistakes that upended the 2016 presidential election.... In a scathing appraisal, Mr. Strzok concludes that Mr. Trump is hopelessly corrupt and a national security threat. The investigations that Mr. Strzok oversaw showed the president's 'willingness to accept political assistance from an opponent like Russia -- and, it follows, his willingness to subvert everything America stands for.'"

Bad News for the My Pillow Huckster. Jen Christensen & Jamie Gumbrecht of CNN: "The US Food and Drug Administration has rejected a submission from Phoenix Biotechnology Inc. to market oleandrin as a dietary supplement ingredient, citing 'significant concerns' about the safety evidence the company presented. Last month, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who recently joined the board of Phoenix Biotechnology and has a financial stake in the company, said he had participated in a July meeting at the White House with ... Donald Trump regarding the use of oleandrin as a potential therapeutic for the coronavirus. The extract comes from the Nerium oleander plant; the raw oleander plant is highly toxic and consuming it can be fatal. There are no peer-reviewed, published studies on the impact of oleandrin on Covid-19, and there's no public evidence it has been studied in patients with Covid-19.... Lindell ... has no scientific background or medical training...." Mrs. McC: So it's potentially fatal and completely untested. Otherwise, it's a great snake oil! Worth remembering: after Trump had kicked most of the scientists & doctors off his made-for-TV fake coronavirus briefings, he let the My Pillow guy lead off one of the briefings.

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race, Etc.

~~~ Thomas Kaplan & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Joseph R. Biden Jr. strained to contain his disgust with President Trump on Friday over a report that Mr. Trump had made extraordinarily disrespectful remarks about fallen soldiers. Then he turned to the coronavirus pandemic and the financial pain it had inflicted on millions of Americans. Mr. Trump, he said, 'just doesn't care.' And a day earlier, in Kenosha, Wis., Mr. Biden presented himself as a unifying force determined to confront racial injustice -- a very different message from the one Mr. Trump sent during his visit to the city two days earlier.... Over two days, in a key battleground state and in his own backyard, Mr. Biden drew unmistakably sharp contrasts with Mr. Trump -- not just about policy ideas or management competence, but also about showing respect and understanding Americans' struggles. On Friday, in a fiery speech and a subsequent news conference, Mr. Biden expressed outrage over a report by The Atlantic that Mr. Trump had referred to American soldiers killed in combat during World War I as 'losers' and 'suckers' and had repeatedly shown disdain for military service at other points in his presidency.... Ticking through a list of other well-documented instances in which Mr. Trump has dismissed the sacrifices of military veterans..., Mr. Biden continued, 'President Trump has demonstrated he has no sense of service, no loyalty to any cause other than himself.'" More on Biden's remarks in Baker & Haberman's NYT report, linked below.

Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "Long before The Atlantic published an article on Thursday night depicting President Trump disparaging America's war dead, liberal veterans groups had been feverishly working in battleground states to appeal to veterans and military family members, a cornerstone of President Trump's base.... By Friday morning, Democrats, especially those with a military background, were reacting with both outrage and a sense of opportunity denouncing Mr. Trump in news conferences and press releases and assuring veterans and military families that they had their backs.... On Friday, less than 12 hours after The Atlantic published its article, the largest liberal veteran organization, VoteVets, released an online ad featuring the parents of troops slain in Iraq and Afghanistan.... In the first five hours after it went up, the group said it raised $100,000 from 2,500 donors. The Democratic Party is also leaning heavily on its most popular veterans, like Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and a former Democratic presidential candidate, to attack the president on his treatment of veterans and the military -- something that would traditionally be a strength for an incumbent Republican president but which is increasingly becoming a weak spot for Mr. Trump." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: You may recall that during the Obama presidency, Jill Biden & Michelle Obama made helping military families their No. 1 priority.

He cannot understand selflessness because he is selfish. He cannot conceive of courage because he is a coward. He cannot feel duty because he is disloyal.... We owe it not only to those who have served and sacrificed for our nation, but to ourselves and to succeeding generations to vote him out. -- Sully Sullenberger, in a series of tweets about Donald Trump ~~~

~~~ Reed Richardson of Mediaite: "Capt. Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger III unleashed a blistering tweetstorm on ... Donald Trump on Friday night, condemning him -- without ever naming him -- for the 'utter and vulgar contempt' he has reportedly shown to the military and urging Americans to 'vote him out.' Sullenberger, a former Air Force fighter pilot and captain, became a worldwide celebrity for his 'Miracle on the Hudson' emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. He retired in 2010 after 30 years as a commercial pilot. Earlier this year, Sullenberger joined ... Joe Biden at a Nevada caucus rally, endorsing his 2020 run."

Ursula Perano of Axios: "Over 190 law enforcement officials on Friday endorsed Joe Biden for president, per a campaign statement.... The endorsements rebut a theme of the Trump re-election campaign, which has falsely claimed that Biden wants to defund the police.... It's a blow to Trump, who's sought to brand himself as the law-and-order candidate.... 'Joe Biden has always stood on the right side of the law and is offering a much needed vision for our Nation. When asked the question, would you feel safe in Joe Biden's America? The answer is yes,' said Tom Manger, Retired Chief and former President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association." (Also linked yesterday.)

Shane Harris & Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "Russia is seeking 'to undermine public trust in the electoral process' by spreading false claims that mail-in-ballots are riddled with fraud and susceptible to manipulation, according to a new intelligence bulletin by the Department of Homeland Security. Many of the claims made by Russian sources are identical to repeated, unsupported public statements aired by President Trump and Attorney General William P. Barr, who have said that mailed ballots aren't trustworthy while warning of the potential for rampant fraud in November's elections.... The bulletin doesn't cite any particular statements by Trump, Barr or other U.S. officials, but it states that Russia is 'amplifying' claims that mail-in voting is prone to fraud." An ABC News report on the same topic is linked below. The Post story notes that ABC was first to report on the bulletin. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ AND Count Pompeo In. Laura Kelly of the Hill: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said there is a 'real risk' to the U.S. elections if states mail ballots to registered voters, echoing President Trump's criticism of efforts by states to ramp up mail voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pompeo, speaking on Fox News' 'Fox and Friends,' was responding to a question about whether he shared Trump's worries about mail-in voting. The president has attacked the idea of mail-in voting as ripe for fraud despite little to no evidence of such risks. 'It's a little out of my lane as secretary of State, but it's a matter of logic,' Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, told the program." (Also linked yesterday.)

Providing Aid & Comfort to the Enemy. Reuters in the Guardian: "China has taken the most active role among countries seeking to interfere in the US election and has the biggest program to influence domestic politics, the US national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, said on Friday, without providing any details. 'We know the Chinese have taken the most active role,' O'Brien told reporters at a briefing. He said China had 'the most massive program to influence the United States politically' followed by Iran and then Russia.... Attorney general, William Barr said on Wednesday he believed China was more of a threat than Russia when it came to election interference, also without offering details." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: O'Brien & Barr have proved before that they are trained seals, and they bark when Trump orders then to. The unsupported assertions about China sound like (1) B.S. and (2) dangerous B.S. We should be able to count on the national security advisor & the attorney general to remain about the fray and give us the unbiased truth. We can't.

Georgia Congressional Race. QAnon Candidate Threatens Lives of Liberal Congresswomen. Rachel Bade & John Wagner of the Washington Post: "A House candidate whom President Trump recently called 'a future Republican Star' posted an image of herself holding a rifle with photos of three liberal congresswomen of color and the vow to 'go on the offense' against members of the 'Squad,' an unprecedented threat against lawmakers from a probable future colleague. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the GOP candidate for a Georgia congressional seat in a heavily Republican district and a professed QAnon conspiracy believer, posted the photoshopped image Thursday on Facebook. The image includes Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). On Friday, the post had been taken down. Before it was removed, the caption under the gun-toting Greene read: 'Squad's worst nightmare.'... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on Republicans to 'immediately condemn this dangerous threat of violence against Democratic Congresswomen.'"

Peter Baker & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump >confronted a political crisis on Friday that could undercut badly needed support in the military community for his re-election campaign as he sought to dispute a report that he privately referred to American soldiers killed in combat as 'losers' and 'suckers.' Mr. Trump, who has long portrayed himself as a champion of the armed forces and has boasted of rebuilding a military depleted after years of overseas wars, came under intense fire from Democrats and other opponents who said a report in The Atlantic demonstrated his actual contempt for those who serve their country in uniform.... While Mr. Trump demanded that allies knock down the article, aides recognized that few senior military officers were willing to openly defend the president....

"The president's foes organized conference calls, blasted out statements, flocked to television studios and quickly posted advertising online calling attention to the reported comments. At a news conference, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. ... grew emotional as he said that his son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, 'wasn't a sucker' for serving in the Army in Iraq.... Mr. Biden called the reported comments 'disgusting,' 'sick, 'deplorable,' 'un-American' and 'absolutely damnable,' adding that he was closer to losing his temper than at any point during the campaign. 'I've just never been as disappointed in my whole career with a leader that I've worked with, president or otherwise.'"

Lara Seligman of Politico: "Trump and other administration officials moved quickly on Thursday and into Friday to blast a report from The Atlantic, which cited anonymous sources saying the president disparaged wounded and fallen U.S. service members on multiple occasions and that he asked that disabled veterans be excluded from military parades. 'It's a fake story and it's a disgrace that they're allowed to do it,' Trump said Friday, although reporters from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Fox News confirmed elements of the story independently."

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Here's Trump once again complaining that the pesky First Amendment is a "disgrace." If we suspend disbelief for a moment & pretend that Trump's denials are true while Goldberg's sources are lying, it's still almost certainly true that the sources said what they said to Goldberg. He didn't just make up citations out of whole cloth. So unless Goldberg believes his sources are unreliable, he has a right to cite them. That is not a "disgrace." It's journalism. And it's journalism that was quickly confirmed, at least in part, by other journalists.

~~~ Bob Brigham of the Raw Story reposts a string of tweets by Fox "News" national correspondent Jennifer Griffin confirming much of the Atlantic's reporting. Also, Melania Trump is upset about the Atlantic report, charging that it's "activism," not journalism. ~~~

     ~~~ Paul Campos in LG&$: "This is the kind of thing that could matter at the margin, given Fox's considerable influence all across Wingnuttia."

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "John F. Kelly left the White House barely on speaking terms with President Trump. In the months since, Mr. Kelly, a retired four-star general and former White House chief of staff, has stayed mostly silent as other senior military figures have publicly and harshly criticized the president. Much to the consternation of friends and associates who have been pushing him to speak out, Mr. Kelly continued his silence on Friday about a report in The Atlantic that the president had privately referred to American troops killed in combat as 'losers' and 'suckers.' Mr. Kelly refused on-the-record interview requests about his of comments Mr. Trump had reportedly made when Mr. Kelly was with him on a 2018 trip to France. According to the report, the president said that he had decided against visiting a cemetery for American soldiers killed in World War I because 'it's filled with losers,' and that Marines slain in combat at Belleau Wood were 'suckers' for getting killed.... Mr. Kelly's silence did not save him from the president's wrath. 'This man was totally exhausted,' Mr. Trump said of Mr. Kelly at a news conference on Friday. 'He wasn't even able to function in the last number of months.'"

Fred Kaplan of Slate: "A new article by the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg could sink President Donald Trump's prospects for reelection -- but only if one more thing happens.... [A]ll of Goldberg's sources -- some of them generals, including at least one four-star general -- spoke to him on background (meaning they could be quoted but not identified by name). And so, it becomes a matter of Goldberg's word versus Trump's -- or, in the eyes of Trump supporters, a 'fake-news reporter' versus 'mypresident.' As a result, the story, which would otherwise be political dynamite so close to an election, might shift few, if any, votes.... If these stories are true, Goldberg's sources -- especially the generals, the more highly decorated, the better -- must go on the record.... One or more of these generals should weigh the competing values: their loyalty to the president versus their loyalty and lifelong dedication to the security of the nation and the lives of their fellow service members. It shouldn't be a tough choice." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: If Kaplan had read Karni, he would have better understood these top officers' reluctance to speak on the record: they don't want to be seen as directly interfering in a political campaign. However, plenty of retired top guys have got involved in political campaigns -- like, say, Dwight Eisenhower -- so I don't think the excuse holds for, say, Kelly & Mattis.

David Mack of BuzzFeed News: "In a Twitter thread late Thursday night, [Donald Trump] denied that he had ever called McCain a loser.... 'I never called John a loser,' Trump wrote on Twitter.... But Trump, of course, famously did call McCain a loser. 'He lost [the 2008 election], so I never liked him as much after that because I don't like losers,' Trump said in 2015 as he ran for president in Iowa. 'He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured.' At the time, Trump even reshared his comments on Twitter." (Also linked yesterday.)

It's Because Trump Is an Inarticulate Pacifist! Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "In The Daily Beast's interviews with eleven senior administration officials, Trump aides, Republican operatives, and former and current friends of the president, several of them mounted a curious defense of Trump. Yes, they admitted, the commander in chief at times makes callous, tone-deaf comments about American military personnel behind closed doors. But it's because he hates the wars they're forced to fight, not the service members themselves. 'The president means no disrespect to our troops; it's just that the way he speaks, he can sound like an asshole sometimes,' one of these sources, a current senior administration official, told The Daily Beast. 'That's how he is [when the cameras are off] ... It's his style.'... Three people with direct knowledge of the president’s private remarks in the past three years about Robert Kelly, [John Kelly's son,] as well as other Americans who've died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said that Trump had made similar-sounding comments to them, too.... For all of Trump's talk about putting an end to these 'endless wars,' he has yet to actually end any of them...."

** Kathy Kiely in USA Today: "In a heretofore unpublicized recent memo, the Pentagon delivered an order to shutter Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that has been a lifeline and a voice for American troops since the Civil War. The memo orders the publisher of the news organization (which now publishes online as well as in print) to present a plan that 'dissolves the Stars and Stripes' by Sept. 15 including 'specific timeline for vacating government owned/leased space worldwide.' 'The last newspaper publication (in all forms) will be September 30, 2020,' writes Col. Paul Haverstick Jr., the memo's author.... The memo ordering the publication's dissolution claims the administration has the authority to make this move under the president's fiscal year 2021 defense department budget request. It zeroed out the $15.5 million annual subsidy for Stars and Stripes.... [The budget] the House approved earlier this summer explicitly overruled the decision to pull the plug on Stars and Stripes, restoring funding for the paper.... So far, the Senate hasn't acted." --s (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: As Kiely points out, normally funding for Stars & Stripes -- which is a tiny portion of the Pentagon's $700-billion budget -- would be folded into a continuing resolution. But instead of following SOP, the Trump administration has gone out of its way to shut down a publication that "is not answerable to the brass." But, gee, I'll bet Trump doesn't like the paper's top headline today: "More than 3,000 VA patients have now died from the coronavirus." And he likes the most popular headline even less: "Trump denies reports that he disparaged U.S. war dead as 'losers,' 'sucker.'" ~~~

     ~~~ UPDATE. Saved by Political Expediency. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "President Trump overrode his defense secretary and vowed to continue funding Stars and Stripes, the military's editorially independent newspaper that covers issues relevant to members of the armed forces, after news the administration ordered the organization to shutter leaked to the public. Trump tweeted Friday afternoon that the US 'will NOT be cutting funding' to the outlet. The President's tweet came as he faces significant uproar over a report in The Atlantic that said he disparaged military members." A New York Times story is here.

Black Lives Matter

~~~ But Not to Donald Trump. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump has directed administration officials to make significant changes to sensitivity training sessions across the government, calling such efforts that often focus on promoting awareness of racism 'divisive' and 'un-American propaganda.' The directive was laid out on Friday afternoon in a memo from the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell T. Vought, to executive branch agency heads. The brief memo -- which repeatedly referred to 'press reports,' not government documents -- tells the agencies to 'begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on 'critical race theory,' 'white privilege,' or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil.'... 'It has come to the president's attention that executive branch agencies have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to date "training" government workers to believe divisive, anti-American propaganda,' Mr. Vought wrote.... The memo comes at a time of a national discussion about race, in which Mr. Trump has been firmly against systemic changes in policing and government." An AP story is here.

Thugs on a Plane. Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Customs and Border Protection chief Mark Morgan said that 'groups like Antifa' are sending organized protestors by plane to cities around the country to incite violence.... But when asked by NBC News to provide examples of groups sending protestors by plane to cause violence, a CBP spokesman said there was no information to support Acting Commissioner Morgan's claim. Instead, the spokesman said Morgan was referring generally to the fact that many protestors at protests around the country are from out of state.... On Wednesday, Fox News host John Roberts asked Morgan about Trump's claim [about a plane 'almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear'], and Morgan ... [said], 'So I don't have any information with respect to that specific incident.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Antifa is not an organization like, say, the NRA, with a treasury & a budget for paying airfare for thugs on a plane.

New York. Gwynne Hogan of WNYC & Jake Offenhartz of the Gothamist: "The vehicle used by a driver to plow through a crowd of Black Lives Matter marchers in Times Square on Thursday was carrying a group of Trump-supporting counterprotesters who had just received an NYPD escort, according to police and videos of the incident. A spokesperson for the NYPD said the black Ford Taurus was filled with several counterprotesters, who had been told to leave the area shortly after 8 p.m. They were being ushered by police officers through the parking lot of a nearby hotel, but 'missed the turn,' the spokesperson said, and instead drove straight toward the crowd of protesters.... Video taken at the scene shows an NYPD officer helping the counter-demonstrators into the vehicle.... NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Friday morning that police were still investigating whether a crime was committed. The vehicle has not been located and no arrests have been made, the department confirmed.... The vehicle's license plate matches that of another car frequently shared on social media by Hakim Gibson, a pro-NYPD activist who currently runs a 'law enforcement support page.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: "Missed the turn"? I'll bet. Sorta like I "missed the turn" when I accidentally drove into a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru while I was on a diet. Oh, my mistake. Make that a Boston cream-filled, please. And a hazelnut latte.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here: "On Friday, a team of Russian scientists published the first report on their controversial Covid-19 vaccine. Writing in the Lancet, they reported that volunteers produced a relatively modest amount of antibodies to the coronavirus. In August, President Vladimir V. Putin announced with great fanfare that the vaccine -- called Sputnik V -- 'works effectively enough' to be approved. He declared to be a 'very important step for our country, and generally for the whole world.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Katie Thomas, et al., of the New York Times: "A group of drug companies competing with one another to be among the first to develop coronavirus vaccines are planning to pledge early next week that they will not release any vaccines that do not follow rigorous efficacy and safety standards, according to representatives of three of the companies. The statement, which has not yet been finalized, is meant to reassure the public that the companies will not seek a premature approval of vaccines under political pressure from the Trump administration. President Trump has pushed for a vaccine to be available by October -- just before the presidential election -- and a growing number of scientists, regulators and public health experts have expressed concern over what they see as a pattern of political arm-twisting by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat the virus."

Joel Achenbach & William Wan of the Washington Post: "The global death toll from the coronavirus> pandemic could triple by year's end, with an additional 1.9 million deaths, while a fall wave of infections could drive fatalities in the United States to 410,000, according to a new forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.... The institute's forecasts were influential earlier in the pandemic in guiding policies developed by the White House coronavirus task force, but they have been criticized by some experts as projecting further into the future than can be done reliably."

Eduardo Porter of the New York Times: "As companies reconsider their long-term need to have employees on site, low-wage workers depending on office-based businesses stand to lose the most.... If white-collar America doesn't return to the office, service workers will be left with nobody to serve. The worry is particularly acute in cities, which for decades have sustained tens of millions of jobs for workers without a college education.... And having discovered Zoom, what company will fly a manager across the country for a day's worth of meetings? A lasting reduction in business travel will endanger the ecosystem of hotel and restaurant workers serving corporate travelers."

Drusilla Moorhouse & Emerson Malone of BuzzFeed News explain why BuzzFeed will begin calling QAnon a "collective delusion" rather than a "conspiracy theory." Their post helpfully explains QAnon.

News Lede

CNN: "Labor Day may be the unofficial end of summer, but it won't feel like it in the West, where hundreds of heat records are likely to be broken....Heat warnings include nearly all of California and stretch from Arizona to Oregon. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency ahead of the heat, with the goal of alleviating heat-induced demands on the power grid. An alert has been issued to California residents to conserve power between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., when demand is highest."

The Commentariat -- September 4, 2020

Afternoon Update:

** Kathy Kiely in USA Today: "In a heretofore unpublicized recent memo, the Pentagon delivered an order to shutter Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that has been a lifeline and a voice for American troops since the Civil War. The memo orders the publisher of the news organization (which now publishes online as well as in print) to present a plan that 'dissolves the Stars and Stripes' by Sept. 15 including 'specific timeline for vacating government owned/leased space worldwide.' 'The last newspaper publication (in all forms) will be September 30, 2020,' writes Col. Paul Haverstick Jr., the memo's author.... The memo ordering the publication's dissolution claims the administration has the authority to make this move under the president's fiscal year 2021 defense department budget request. It zeroed out the $15.5 million annual subsidy for Stars and Stripes.... [The budget] the House approved earlier this summer explicitly overruled the decision to pull the plug on Stars and Stripes, restoring funding for the paper.... So far, the Senate hasn't acted." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: As Kiely points out, normally funding for Stars & Stripes -- which is a tiny portion of the Pentagon's $700-billion budget -- would be folded into a continuing resolution. But instead of following SOP, the Trump administration has gone out of its way to shut down a publication that "is not answerable to the brass." But, gee, I'll bet Trump doesn't like the paper's top headline today: "More than 3,000 VA patients have now died from the coronavirus." And he likes the most popular headline even less: "Trump denies reports that he disparaged U.S. war dead as 'losers,' 'sucker.'"

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here: "On Friday, a team of Russian scientists published the first report on their controversial Covid-19 vaccine. Writing in the Lancet, they reported that volunteers produced a relatively modest amount of antibodies to the coronavirus. In August, President Vladimir V. Putin announced with great fanfare that the vaccine -- called Sputnik V -- 'works effectively enough' to be approved. He declared to be a 'very important step for our country, and generally for the whole world.'" ~~~

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

Ursula Perano of Axios: "Over 190 law enforcement officials on Friday endorsed Joe Biden for president, per a campaign statement.... The endorsements rebut a theme of the Trump re-election campaign, which has falsely claimed that Biden wants to defund the police.... It's a blow to Trump, who's sought to brand himself as the law-and-order candidate.... 'Joe Biden has always stood on the right side of the law and is offering a much needed vision for our Nation. When asked the question, would you feel safe in Joe Biden's America? The answer is yes,' said Tom Manger, Retired Chief and former President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association."

Shane Harris & Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "Russia is seeking 'to undermine public trust in the electoral process' by spreading false claims that mail-in-ballots are riddled with fraud and susceptible to manipulation, according to a new intelligence bulletin by the Department of Homeland Security. Many of the claims made by Russian sources are identical to repeated, unsupported public statements aired by President Trump and Attorney General William P. Barr, who have said that mailed ballots aren't trustworthy while warning of the potential for rampant fraud in November's elections.... The bulletin doesn't cite any particular statements by Trump, Barr or other U.S. officials, but it states that Russia is 'amplifying' claims that mail-in voting is prone to fraud." An ABC News report on the same topic is linked below. The Post story notes that ABC was first to report on the bulletin. ~~~

~~~ AND Count Pompeo In. Laura Kelly of the Hill: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said there is a 'real risk' to the U.S. elections if states mail ballots to registered voters, echoing President Trump's criticism of efforts by states to ramp up mail voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pompeo, speaking on Fox News' 'Fox and Friends,' was responding to a question about whether he shared Trump's worries about mail-in voting. The president has attacked the idea of mail-in voting as ripe for fraud despite little to no evidence of such risks. 'It's a little out of my lane as secretary of State, but it's a matter of logic,' Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, told the program."

David Mack of BuzzFeed News: "In a Twitter thread late Thursday night, [Trump] denied that he had ever called McCain a loser.... 'I never called John a loser,' Trump wrote on Twitter.... But Trump, of course, famously did call McCain a loser. 'He lost [the 2008 election], so I never liked him as much after that because I don't like losers,' Trump said in 2015 as he ran for president in Iowa. 'He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured.' At the time, Trump even reshared his comments on Twitter."

New York. Gwynne Hogan of WNYC & Jake Offenhartz of the Gothamist: "The vehicle used by a driver to plow through a crowd of Black Lives Matter marchers in Times Square on Thursday was carrying a group of Trump-supporting counterprotesters who had just received an NYPD escort, according to police and videos of the incident. A spokesperson for the NYPD said the black Ford Taurus was filled with several counterprotesters, who had been told to leave the area shortly after 8 p.m. They were being ushered by police officers through the parking lot of a nearby hotel, but 'missed the turn,' the spokesperson said, and instead drove straight toward the crowd of protesters.... Video taken at the scene shows an NYPD officer helping the counter-demonstrators into the vehicle.... NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Friday morning that police were still investigating whether a crime was committed. The vehicle has not been located and no arrests have been made, the department confirmed.... The vehicle's license plate matches that of another car frequently shared on social media by Hakim Gibson, a pro-NYPD activist who currently runs a 'law enforcement support page.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: "Missed the turn"? I'll bet. Sorta like I "missed the turn" when I accidentally drove into a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru while I was on a diet. Oh, my mistake. Make that a Boston cream-filled, please. And a hazelnut latte.

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race, Etc.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Drawing a sharp contrast with President Trump, Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday aligned himself strongly and sympathetically with protesters of racial injustice and with Black voters during an afternoon of raw interactions with people still grappling with the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Two days after Mr. Trump traveled to Kenosha to focus attention on street violence and disorder, Mr. Biden sought to strike a drastically different tone, as he repudiated the president's divisive approach to matters of racial injustice and civil unrest and offered an alternative vision focused on national unity.... The former vice president emphasized his commitment to correcting decades of systemic racism, as he acknowledged racial disparities in health care, education and the criminal justice system and said that 'we're finally now getting to the point' of addressing 'the original sin: slavery. And all the vestiges of it.'" A Washington Post story is here. ~~~

~~~ Eric Bradner of CNN: "... Joe Biden said he had spoken by phone Thursday with Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man who was shot in the back by police, while meeting with Blake's family in Wisconsin. 'He talked about how nothing was going to defeat him. How whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up,' Biden said. His comments came at a meeting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the site of Blake's shooting, with local political, law enforcement, religious and nonprofit leaders. Earlier Thursday, Biden had met privately in Milwaukee with members of Blake's family, who he said put him on the phone with Blake, who is out of the intensive care unit. He said he had spoken about faith with Blake.... Biden met in Milwaukee with Blake's father, brother and two sisters, with Blake's mother and attorneys joining by phone. Blake attorney Ben Crump tweeted a statement saying that it had been a 'very engaging' 90-minute meeting.... While in Kenosha Tuesday, [Donald] Trump did not meet with the family of Blake. Trump claimed that he's not meeting with Blake's family during his Wisconsin visit because they wanted to involve lawyers."

~~~ A Biden-Harris campaign ad, released Thursday:

~~~ Another ad released Thursday:

Former Michigan Republican Governor Endorses Joe Biden. Rick Snyder in a Detroit Free Press op-ed: "I will continue to support and stand up for Republican policies and values, and support Republican candidates, but I will not support Donald Trump for reelection.... He is a bully.... In addition, President Trump lacks a moral compass. He ignores the truth.... I had the opportunity to interact with Mr. Biden when he served as vice president. My interactions were always constructive and respectful. He has shown the desire to heal a deeply divided nation; has demonstrated strong moral character and empathy; and he seems willing to listen to people who have different perspectives from his own.... While I am endorsing Joe Biden for president, I am still a Republican who also will be publicly supporting Republican candidates at the local, state and federal level." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Tim Reid of Reuters: "Nearly 100 Republican and independent leaders will endorse Democrat Joe Biden for president on Thursday, including one-time 2020 Republican presidential candidate Bill Weld and the former Republican governors of Michigan and New Jersey, people involved in the effort told Reuters.... Called 'Republicans and Independents for Biden', the group is headed by Christine Todd Whitman, a former Republican governor of New Jersey who has become one of Trump's fiercest critics and who spoke at the recent Democratic National Convention in support of Biden." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~ Teo Armus of the Washington Post: "In 2016, Army veteran David Weissman was an 'unapologetic, red-hat wearing' Donald Trump supporter.... Four years later, Weissman -- who served two tours in Afghanistan -- has now sparked a Twitter campaign of former service members against President Trump, over reports that he derided fallen U.S. soldiers as 'losers' and 'suckers.' 'I recommend all veterans to use their Military pics as a profile pic,' Weissman wrote on Twitter on Thursday evening, 'to let Trump know how many people he has offended. 'Weissman's online call to arms underscored the outpouring of anger that erupted from military veterans and their families overnight against Trump, following a bombshell article in the Atlantic that Trump and several top aides have vehemently denied.... As first reported by the Atlantic and later confirmed in part by other media outlets..., Trump said wounded veterans should not march in a military parade and canceled his visit to a French cemetery for American Marines killed in World War I because he had no interest in honoring his country's war dead." ~~~

     ~~~ Colby Itkowitz, et al., of the Washington Post confirm more details of the Atlantic report & add a few of their own. A former senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, confirmed to The Washington Post that the president frequently made disparaging comments about veterans and soldiers missing in action, referring to them at times as 'losers.' In one account, the president told senior advisers that he didn't understand why the U.S. government placed such value on finding soldiers missing in action because they had performed poorly and gotten caught and deserved what they got, according to a person familiar with the discussion. Trump believed people who served in the Vietnam War must be 'losers' because they hadn't gotten out of it, according to a person familiar with the comments. Trump also complained bitterly to then-Chief of Staff John F. Kelly that he didn't understand why Kelly and others in the military treated [Sen. John] McCain, who had been imprisoned and tortured during the Vietnam War, with such reverence." ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump heatedly denied on Thursday night that he referred to American soldiers killed in combat during World War I as 'losers' and 'suckers,' moving quickly to avoid losing support among the military and its allies just two months before an election. Marching over to reporters under the wing of Air Force One after returning from a campaign rally, a visibly angry Mr. Trump rebutted a magazine report that he decided against visiting a cemetery for American soldiers in France in 2018 because he feared the rain would mess up his hair and he did not believe it was important to honor the war dead.... People familiar with Mr. Trump's comments say he has long scorned those who served in Vietnam as being too dumb to have gotten out of it, as he did through a medical diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels. At other times, according to those familiar with the remarks, Mr. Trump would marvel at people choosing military service over making money. [Joe] Biden ... sought on Thursday night to capitalize on the Atlantic article, quickly issuing a statement condemning the president and saying it demonstrated that Mr. Trump was not fit for the office. Mr. Biden said the article, if true, showed 'another marker of how deeply President Trump and I disagree about the role of the president of the United States.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: You know, Donnie, when you lie more than 20,000 times in 3-1/2 years, people are not going to believe you when you deny a report that has been verified by multiple MSM outlets & which fits perfectly into your M.O of derogating other members of the armed services like John McCain & Jim Mattis. ~~~

~~~ ** Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic: "In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of [a] scheduled visit ... to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018..., Trump said, 'Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers.' In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as 'suckers' for getting killed.... According to sources with knowledge of the president's views, he seems to genuinely not understand why Americans treat former prisoners of war with respect. Nor does he understand why pilots who are shot down in combat are honored by the military.... Trump has been, for the duration of his presidency, fixated on staging military parades, but only of a certain sort. In a 2018 White House planning meeting for such an event, Trump asked his staff not to include wounded veterans, on grounds that spectators would feel uncomfortable in the presence of amputees. 'Nobody wants to see that,' he said." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Read the article. It is not long. It is probably the most shocking report I've read about any American public figure. James LaPorta, an AP reporter, told Rachel Maddow he found the report so unbelievable that he started calling around to verifying it. He has found two sources who have verified all most of Goldberg's reporting. Maddow also pointed to two related anecdotes: (1) that Robert Trump, Donald's brother, had told Mary Trump that Donald told Don Junior that he would disown him if Junior joined the military, something which Junior had expressed interest in doing; and (2) that as part of the pre-nuptial agreement between Donald Trump & Marla Maples, Donald would stop paying support to daughter Tiffany if Tiffany joined the military of the Peace Corps. Goldberg's report fills in perhaps the final piece of the Trump puzzle. Once you understand that Trump is a completely hollow man, lacking even the ability to understand self-sacrifice & love of country or liberty, then most of his other actions make a kind of "sense." ~~~

~~~ James LaPorta of the AP: "A new report details multiple instances of ... Donald Trump making disparaging remarks about members of the U.S. military who have been captured or killed, including referring to the American war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018 as 'losers' and 'suckers.' Trump said Thursday that the story is 'totally false.' The allegations were first reported in The Atlantic. A senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge of events and a senior U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump's comments confirmed some of the remarks to The Associated Press, including the 2018 cemetery comments." ~~~

~~~ Kevin Drum of Mother Jones: "Jeffrey Goldberg has a stunning story today about President Trump's attitude toward the military. In a nutshell, he's contemptuous of anyone who served, anyone who was captured on the battlefield, or anyone who died.... I think Stalin had approximately the same view of the soldiers under his command. But then again, Stalin was a psychopath." ~~~

~~~ Scott Lemiuex in LG&$: "It's odd how much skepticism there was about this story before AP confirmed it, given that it's merely one of many expressions of Trump's fundamental worldview[.]... You don't become as successful a con artist as Trump without being remorselessly contemptuous of your marks, and he hates his actual and theoretical supporters more than anybody. It goes without saying that if a Democratic candidate for president said anything remotely resembling this there would be three A1 NYT stories a day about it for weeks but it is what it is."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "... as Mr. Trump seeks to become the oldest individual ever elected to the office for a second term, recent questions about his mental and physical condition have sent him into paroxysms of pique. They have complicated his own efforts to question the health of his challenger and fellow septuagenarian, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. The president elevated the issue this week by taking the bait of a critic's tweet and denying that he had 'mini-strokes' last year around the time of a mysterious trip to the hospital. But Mr. Trump only raised more questions when he could not keep his explanations for that hospital visit straight. He wrote that it 'was to complete my yearly physical' -- contrary to how he explained it at the time, when he said it was 'phase one of my yearly physical' to be completed later." The story has more detail about Trump's remarks & tweets concerning his and others' fitness. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ "Donald Trump Would Like to Momentarily Pause This Campaign to Tell You How Good His Brain Is." Asawin Suebsaeng & Scott Bixby of the Daily Beast: "Following a carefully manicured, four-day convention in which Donald Trump's chief lieutenants branded him as an avatar of stability and Joe Biden as the pied-piper of race riots, the president did what he always does: He casually disposed of his team's messaging in the service of nursing personal grudges. This week, it was about how his brain isn't dying.... Shortly after Trump's [tweeted] tirade about 'mini-strokes,' his re-election campaign called for CNN to fire an analyst [-- former Bill Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart --] who asked his Twitter followers whether the president was hiding a past stroke from the American public.... When the Drudge Report ... led the site on Tuesday with Trump's furious denial [of having had 'mini-strokes,'] Trump blew up again.... Joe Biden's presidential campaign was practically thrilled to play along, arguing that Trump's focus on his own mental acuity was rooted in his failures on a more pressing health matter: the coronavirus pandemic...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jesselyn Cook of the Huffington Post: “... Donald Trump's campaign launched a series of Facebook ads on Thursday featuring a manipulated photo of his presidential opponent Joe Biden edited to make the former vice president appear older. The ads, which label Biden 'Sleepy Joe,' show him gazing out against a dark background with his mouth slightly agape. The Trump campaign is also running near-identical Facebook ads featuring the same text along with the original, unedited photo of Biden, in which his skin looks much brighter and healthier. It's among the latest examples of Trump officials circulating imagery that has been deceptively altered or pulled out of context to attack Biden."

Trump's Vote-Twice Advice Alarms North Carolina Officials. Tucker Higgins of CNBC: "Officials in North Carolina are scrambling to counteract ... Donald Trump's call for residents of the state to attempt to vote twice in the upcoming contest for the White House, issuing a notice on Thursday warning voters that doing so intentionally is a felony. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in the memo to voters that the board also discouraged people from showing up at polling sites on Election Day to check whether their absentee ballot had been counted." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Bell's notice is here. It begins, "The following is a message to North Carolina voters from Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections: It is illegal to vote twice in an election. N.C.G.S. § 163-275(7) makes it a Class I felony for a voter, 'with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time ... in the same primary or election.' Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law." Emphasis added. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Richard Hasen in Slate: "... Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his encouragement to his supporters to vote twice, first by mail and then -- if election officials allow -- in person. Voting twice -- as the president requests -- is not only illegal, but a recipe for chaos in November. Perhaps that is exactly the point. Trump defended his call as a way to test the system against voter fraud, but it's like encouraging his supporters to try to rob the 7-Eleven to make sure that the police can respond adequately to robberies.... Many people may hear his comments and think he is serious. This is particularly true given that he repeated the comments the very next day and his attorney general, William Barr, refused to acknowledge that double voting is illegal.... What's worse, the comments are going to put a strain on an election system stretched to its limits by trying to conduct a presidential election in the midst of a pandemic and with one of the candidates constantly casting doubt on the election's legitimacy. Again, this is probably Trump's real intent." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Stephanie Saul & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: Trump's "comments have now created a new headache for state election officials, who are already dealing with the formidable task of holding an election during a pandemic.... Elections officials in North Carolina also hinted that the president himself could have committed a crime.... The state's Democratic attorney general, Josh Stein, said it was outrageous for the president to suggest that people 'break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election.' And Jena Griswold, Colorado's Democratic secretary of state, said, '2020 has been unprecedented in so many ways, but I never imagined that as secretary of state I would have to inform both the president and the U.S. attorney general that it is illegal to vote twice.' That was after Attorney General William P. Barr suggested during an interview with CNN that he was not sure whether voting twice in North Carolina was illegal.... During a campaign speech in Latrobe, Penn., Thursday night, Mr. Trump repeated his claims from Wednesday, saying, 'Send in your early ballot and then go and make sure that ballot is tabulated and counted. And if it's not counted, then vote.' Then the election staff 'have the job of making sure they don't count it' twice."

Bill Barr Is So Trumpy He Makes Up Stuff. Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "In his latest warning about the dangers of mass mail-in voting, Attorney General William P. Barr pointed to a case in Texas that he said highlighted the risk of fraud. 'Elections that have been held with mail have found substantial fraud and coercion,' Barr told CNN on Wednesday. 'For example, we indicted someone in Texas, 1,700 ballots collected, he -- from people who could vote, he made them out and voted for the person he wanted to. Okay?' Federal prosecutors brought no such indictment. And while a Justice Department spokeswoman said Barr was referring to a local prosecution involving suspected mail-in voting fraud in a city council election, the assistant district attorney on that case said Barr's description doesn't match the facts. 'That's not what happened at all,' said Andy Chatham.... 'We didn't find any evidence of widespread voter fraud, and instead the ballots that were returned were consistent with the voter's choice,' Chatham said.... [One man] ultimately pleaded guilty in the case to improperly returning a marked ballot.... Chatham said he believed [the man] was a low-level player in a possibly larger scheme that never came to fruition, and that prosecutors never were able to fully unravel." Barr's spokesperson blamed his misstatement on an inaccurate DOJ memo he received. ~~~

~~~ Josh Margolin & Lucien Bruggeman of ABC News: "Russia has sought to 'amplify' concerns over the integrity of U.S. elections by promoting allegations that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by ABC News, again echoing a frequent and unfounded complaint raised by ... Donald Trump. Analysts with the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence branch issued the warning on Thursday to federal and state law enforcement partners after finding with 'high confidence' that 'Russian malign influence actors' have targeted the absentee voting process 'by spreading disinformation' since at least March." Mrs. McC: We know the Russians are working hand-in-glove with Trump. I wonder if Russia has put Bill Barr on retainer. It is a bit odd that an arm of the DHS is effectively "telling on" Trump & Barr, the country's top disinformation officials.

Jacques Billeaud of the AP: "A judge has barred Kanye West from appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot in Arizona, concluding that a voter who challenged his candidacy had shown he would probably prevail and had established the possibility of an irreparable harm if the rapper's name were to appear on the ballot.... West has already qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah. He didn't qualify in Ohio, Montana, West Virginia, Wisconsin and other states, though he has filed lawsuits challenging some of those decisions." ~~~

~~~ Laura Vozella of the Washington Post: "A Circuit Court judge ordered state officials to remove ... Kanye West from the Virginia ballot Thursday, granting an emergency order sought by two voters who said they were duped into helping the rapper-entrepreneur qualify for the ballot.... Justin Sheldon, who represented the two voters, asserted that West's campaign had 'secured the signatures to get on the ballot by fraud.'"

Elizabeth Dwoskin & Craig Timberg of the Washington Post: "Facebook plans to block new advertising the week before the presidential election -- the first time the company has taken action to limit political advertising in the United States, the company said Thursday.... The company also said that it would label posts by any candidate or campaign that tries to declare victory before the final results are in, directing people to the official results from Reuters. It will do the same for any posts that try to delegitimize the outcome of the election -- for example, a claim that voting by mail could lead to fraud. It has also started to limit users' ability to forward articles on its Messenger platform to large groups of people.... The Trump campaign blasted the company for its new policies." A New York Times story is here. The Guardian's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The Trump campaign is pissed because there's been every indication that Trump does intend to declare victory prematurely, while Biden has not expressed any such inclination. The Guardian's story spells that out. Donie O'Sullivan of CNN said the Facebook move is a joke, that campaigns can still advertise in the last week before the election as long as they book the ads before the last week.

Ross Lincoln of Yahoo!: "Self-described 'fanatic about voting' Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to put his considerable money where his mouth is on Wednesday with an implied offer to fund the reopening of thousands of polling places in states that have shut them down. The former California governor was responding to a 2019 Reuters article which noted an enormous number of polling place closures that have occurred since the 2013 Supreme Court decision, Shelby County v. Holder.... Since then, there has been a wave of so-called reforms in former Jim Crow states that critics say are deliberately intended to disenfranchise nonwhite voters, along with the closure of more than 1200 polling stations...While it's unclear if anyone will take him up on this offer, the ex-Governator has pretty deep pockets. His current wealth is not known, but estimates from 2011 put his personal fortune north of $400 million." --s

Black Lives Matter

White You Win, Black You Lose. Bill Barr Puts His Fat Thumb on the Scale of Justice. Aris Folley of the Hill: "Attorney General William Barr said that he doesn't think the cases of George Floyd and Jacob Blake are 'interchangeable' when asked about both in an interview on Wednesday.... Pressed by host Wolf Blitzer for an explanation, Barr said Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in Minneapolis earlier this year after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes, was 'already subdued, incapacitated, in handcuffs and was not armed.... In the Jacob case, he was in the midst of committing a felony, and he was armed. So that's a big difference,' Barr claimed before adding moments later that he doesn't want to talk about either of the cases 'as if they're interchangeable.'... It's unclear if [Blake] was armed with a knife at the time of the shooting. The [Wisconsin Department of Justice] said the knife was recovered from the floorboard of Blake's car and that no other weapons were recovered during the search.... 'Attorney General Barr is misinformed. The police officers were the aggressors from start to finish, based on video and witness accounts,' [Blake's] legal team said in a joint statement. 'There was never any point in time when there was justification for deadly force. In fact, there were innocent bystanders in the line of fire when he shot seven times into Jacob's back.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Oregon. Hallie Golden, et al., of the New York Times: "Law enforcement agents shot and killed an antifa supporter on Thursday as they moved to arrest him in the fatal shooting of a right-wing activist who was part of a pro-Trump caravan in Portland, Ore., officials said. The suspect, Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, was shot by officers from a federally led fugitive task force during the encounter in Lacey, Wash., southwest of Seattle, according to four law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation.... An arrest warrant had been issued by the Portland police earlier Thursday, on the same day that Vice News published an interview with Mr. Reinoehl in which he appeared to admit to the Aug. 29 shooting, saying, 'I had no choice.'... In the Vice interview, Mr. Reinoehl said he had acted in self-defense, believing that he and a friend were about to be stabbed. 'I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color, but I wasn't going to do that,' he said." An AP story is here. The Oregonian's story is here.

New York. Sarah Nir, et al., of the New York Times: "Seven Rochester[, N.Y.,] police officers were suspended on Thursday in the suffocation of a Black man as he was being detained in March, although the mayor and senior state officials faced escalating questions about why more than five months passed before action was taken. The man, Daniel Prude, who was having a psychotic episode, was handcuffed by officers after he ran into the street naked in the middle of the cold night and told at least one passer-by that he had the coronavirus. Mr. Prude began spitting, and the officers responded by pulling a mesh hood over his head, according to police body camera footage. When he tried to rise, the officers forced Mr. Prude face down on the ground, one of them pushing his head to the pavement, the video footage showed. Mr. Prude was held down by the police for two minutes, and had to be resuscitated. He died a week later at the hospital."

California. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "A California police officer was charged on Wednesday with felony manslaughter for fatally shooting a Black man inside a Walmart in April in a swift confrontation that the district attorney said displayed an unreasonable use of deadly force. District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley of Alameda County said in a statement on Wednesday that charging Officer Jason Fletcher of the San Leandro Police Department 'is not a decision that is made lightly, nor rashly.' She faulted the officer for 'his failure to attempt other de-escalation options,' which 'rendered his use of deadly force unreasonable and a violation' of state law." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "Nonfarm payrolls increased by 1.37 million in August and the unemployment rate tumbled to 8.4% as the U.S. economy continued to climb its way out of the pandemic downturn. The unemployment rate was by far the lowest since the coronavirus shutdown in March, according to Labor Department figures released Friday.... Government hiring helped boost the total, with the growth of 344,000 workers accounting for a quarter of the monthly gain. Most of that hiring came from Census workers.... The total of those on furlough also fell dramatically.... August's job gains mean that more than half of those displaced during the pandemic are back at work." Mrs. McC: Needless to say, those Census jobs are very temporary.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Thursday are here: "Moncef Slaoui, the chief adviser for the White House vaccine program, said on Thursday that it was 'extremely unlikely but not impossible' that a vaccine could be available by the end of October. In an interview with National Public Radio, Dr. Slaoui, the chief scientific adviser of the Trump administration's coronavirus vaccine and treatment initiative, called Operation Warp Speed, explained that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance to states to prepare for a vaccine as early as late October -- a notification Dr. Slaoui said he had learned of through the news media -- was 'the right thing to do' in case a vaccine was ready by that time. 'It would be irresponsible not to be ready if that was the case,' he said. However, he described that as a 'very, very low chance.'"

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "New filings for jobless claims totaled 881,000 last week, better than estimates as the employment market continued its gradual progress during the coronavirus pandemic recovery. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a total of 950,000. The number reflects an improving labor market as well as a change in methodology from the Labor Department to address seasonal factors. Unique circumstances associated with the coronavirus likely caused jobless claims totals to be overstated during the pandemic." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Horsley of NPR: "Without the seasonal adjustment, state unemployment claims rose by more than 7,500. In addition to the state unemployment claims, 759,000 people applied for benefits under a special federal program for gig workers and the self-employed, who are ordinarily not eligible for unemployment. Those claims also increased from the previous week." (Also linked yesterday.)

Anne Gearan & Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "The White House on Thursday denounced the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and suggested that the United States might retaliate if the Kremlin is to blame, but President Trump has failed to repudiate the attack himself, prompting criticism that he is once again being soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called the poisoning 'completely reprehensible' but did not address a question about whether Trump has 'made his voice known to the Russian government.' It was the strongest U.S. condemnation yet of the attack two weeks ago using what a German military lab says was a banned chemical weapon. Navalny survived and is now under treatment in Germany."

Pentagon Boosts Republican Senators. Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "President Trump's decision to use Pentagon money to pay for his border wall created problems on the campaign trail for Republican senators seeking reelection in states that lost military construction projects to the president's effort. But the Defense Department's move in recent months to restart many of those domestic projects has provided political cover to several Republican incumbents facing tough reelections.... Some of the revived projects are in states with two Democrats representing them in the Senate. But others are hot-button projects in states such as North Carolina, Colorado and Arizona, where Republican senators in competitive races had been taking heat over their defunding." (Also linked yesterday.)

Nahal Toosi of Politico: "The Trump administration has quietly named a new acting State Department inspector general, the latest personnel shift to hit the troubled watchdog unit since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo engineered the firing of its longtime leader. Matthew Klimow, the U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan since mid-2019, has been handed the reins of the inspector general's office for at least 90 days, according to a Wednesday email seen by Politico.... Klimow is a career government employee with a lengthy resume that includes receiving a Silver Star for valor in combat when he was in the Army. It was not immediately clear if Klimow is giving up his position as the U.S. envoy in hermetic, energy-rich Turkmenistan although in a note to the inspector general's staff, he said he would be with them for 'a relatively short time.'" Mrs. McC: I wonder how many coverups Klimow is supposed to finesse in that "relatively short time." (Also linked yesterday.)

Mark Mazzetti, et al., of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel privately went along with a plan for the Trump administration to sell advanced weapons to the United Arab Emirates, despite publicly saying later that he opposed the arms deal, according to officials familiar with the negotiations. Mr. Netanyahu chose not to try to block the deal as he took part in a broader effort in recent months to secure a diplomatic breakthrough normalizing relations between Israel and the Emirates, the officials said. President Trump announced the initiative to great fanfare last month, without mentioning the arms discussions that were proceeding on a parallel track. But after news of the arms sale became public late last month, the Israeli prime minister repeatedly denied that he had given assurances to the Trump administration that Israel would not oppose the Emirati arms deal. The officials said Mr. Netanyahu's public statements were false."

Jason Leopold, et al. of Buzzfeed: "The federal government has once again released hundreds of pages of previously unseen records from former special counsel Robert Mueller's two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and President Donald Trump's attempts to obstruct the inquiry.... They reveal what hundreds of people ... told federal investigators when they were questioned as part of the probe, which began in May 2017.... One witness said the Trump campaign had almost no fundraising structure and as late as May 2016 was 'dormant or non-existent.' The campaign seemed to have few controls, the witness said, and it was unclear whether anyone was checking to ensure that non-US citizens weren't donating to the campaign." --s

David Folkenflik of NPR: "At the Voice of America, staffers say the Trump appointee leading their parent agency is threatening to wash away legal protections intended to insulate their news reports from political meddling. 'What we're seeing now is the step-by-step and wholescale dismantling of the institutions that protect the independence and the integrity of our journalism,' says Shawn Powers, until recently the chief strategy officer for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA.... [I]t appears that [the new CEO, Michael] Pack is, in fact, interested in influencing which stories get told, and how.... This story is based on interviews with 18 current and former executives and journalists at the U. S. Agency for Global Media and the Voice of America. Citing the tumult and firings at the agency, most would not speak to NPR on the record, saying they feared for their jobs or professional reputations." --safari Read on. They're destroying VOA.

Jeffrey Lambe of Law & Crime: "A privately-funded 3-mile section of border wall built thanks to Steve Bannon and Brian Kolfage's 'We Build the Wall' (WBTW) organization is destined to fail [structurally], according to a pair of engineering reports reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. The inspections, both of which were conducted in relation to ongoing litigation surrounding the structure, confirm reports from May that said heavy erosion and inclement weather had left the wall 'in danger of falling into the Rio Grande.'... [T]he North Dakota construction firm that built the structurally unsound wall, Fisher Sand & Gravel, was also awarded a record-high $1.3 billion government contract to erect a portion of the federally funded U.S.-Mexico border wall. Despite FSG's prototype being rejected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for lacking in both 'quality' and 'sophistication,' President Trump directly inserted himself into the process for evaluating and awarding the contracts, lobbying on behalf of FSG and the firm's CEO Tommy Fisher." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's hard to conjure up any outrage against Bannon & Kolfage's grift when you realize that every aspect of "the wall" was a scam. Trump, who isn't all that bright, is still able to grasp the concept of metaphors, and I expect the wall began as a metaphor -- a virtual wall to keep the brown people south of the border, similar, for instance to Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation between Church & State." But his fans, who are dumb as rocks, thought he meant a real wall, and that suited Trump. Since he was pretending to be fiscally responsible during the 2016 campaign -- a facade he quickly dropped -- he first said Mexico would pay for the wall. That actually would be possible if the wall were strictly metaphorical; after all, the fake author of The Art of the Deal should be able to negotiate an arrangement where Mexico asserted a lot of border control. Once the concept of the wall became real, Trump had to convert it into a grift: contractor friends of his would build a POS, and somehow or the other, there would be a payoff for Donald.

Mark Hosenball of Reuters: "Attempts by former White House adviser Steve Bannon to export President Donald Trump's brand of populism to Europe are on the rocks, according to several of his current and former political partners in Italy and Belgium.... [T]wo people working with [Bannon] said an effort to found an academy [the Dignitatis Humanae Institute] for right-wing Roman Catholic activists in Italy faces a criminal inquiry by the Rome criminal court and a project aimed at ending the European Union has closed up shop.... In October, Italy's Culture Ministry revoked the institute's permission to use the monastery, saying [the] organization did not meet the requirements to manage it and had lied when applying to use the building.... In making its application, the institute said that it had operated an abbey in central Italy since 2015. However state television RAI said in a documentary that the abbey was an inaccessible ruin closed to the public.... In a separate action, Italy's Court of Auditors said the institute did not pay rent of around 200,000 euros ($236,340) for 2018 and 2019." --s

Update on the Horrifying Scandal of the Year. Ryan Saavedra of the Daily Wire: "Christine Pelosi, the daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), released a letter from a law firm on Wednesday afternoon that attacked the owner of the salon that Pelosi recently visited in apparent violation of coronavirus lockdown rules. The letter from attorney Matthew Soleimanpour was on behalf of Jonathan De Nardo, a California Certified Cosmetologist based out of San Francisco, California." Thanks to Anonymous for the link. Mrs. McC: The lawyer's letter, which Saavedra cites in full, completely exonerates Speaker Pelosi & implicates the salon owner Erica Kious in a sting. It's kinda worth reading, at least if you read any of the stories that preceded this one. (Also linked yesterday.)

Danny Hakim & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The National Rifle Association's former second-in-command is breaking with the group's orthodoxy and calling for universal background checks and so-called red flag laws in a new book assailing the organization as more focused on money and internal intrigue than the Second Amendment, while thwarting constructive dialogue on gun violence. The former executive, Joshua L. Powell, who was fired by the N.R.A. in January, reinforces the kind of criticism made of the organization by gun control groups and state regulators, but it is the first critical look at its recent history by such a high-ranking insider. He describes the N.R.A.'s longtime chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, as a woefully inept manager, but also a skilled lobbyist with a deft touch at directing President Trump to support the group's objectives, and who repeatedly reeled in the president's flirtations with even modest gun control measures." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

California. Jennifer Medina of the New York Times: "It was an image that seemed destined to go viral: a masked mother holding a crying infant, while delivering an impassioned speech on the legislative floor. It was as if, for a single moment in the California State Capitol, the near-impossibility of the demands of new motherhood and work and pandemic living had converged in a swaddle in Buffy Wicks's arms. Ms. Wicks, a veteran of the Obama and Clinton presidential campaigns, said she had never expected to become a symbol when she took her month-old child with her to vote on several crucial bills on Monday, the last day of the legislative session. Ms. Wicks lives in Oakland, just over an hour southwest of the capital, Sacramento.... [In an interview, Wicks told Medina,] 'I asked the speaker directly if I could vote by proxy. He was really trying to make it work, but the legal interpretation he was advised was that it would leave us open to litigation if there was a close vote.... I felt compelled to go and decided to bring my daughter because we're feeding every two or three hours....'" Mrs. McC: Wicks seems like a lovely young woman. But, you know, she cares about other people, and she's making sacrifices. So I guess that makes her a loser in Donald Trump's mind.

News Lede

New York Times: "A study published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that the experimental treatment [two] ...Brown student[s, Joshua Cohen and] Justin Klee, conceived might hold promise for slowing progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [A.L.S.], the ruthless disease that robs people of their ability to move, speak, eat and ultimately breathe. More than 50 clinical trials over 25 years have failed to find effective treatments for A.L.S., also called Lou Gehrig's disease, which often causes death within two to five years. But now, scientific advances and an influx of funding are driving clinical trials for many potential therapies, generating hope and intense discussion among patients, doctors and researchers."

The Commentariat -- September 3, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Eric Bradner of CNN: "... Joe Biden said he had spoken by phone Thursday with Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man who was shot in the back by police, while meeting with Blake's family in Wisconsin. 'He talked about how nothing was going to defeat him. How whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up,' Biden said. His comments came at a meeting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the site of Blake's shooting, with local political, law enforcement, religious and nonprofit leaders. Earlier Thursday, Biden had met privately in Milwaukee with members of Blake's family, who he said put him on the phone with Blake, who is out of the intensive care unit. He said he had spoken about faith with Blake.... Biden met in Milwaukee with Blake's father, brother and two sisters, with Blake's mother and attorneys joining by phone. Blake attorney Ben Crump tweeted a statement saying that it had been a 'very engaging' 90-minute meeting.... While in Kenosha Tuesday, [Donald] Trump did not meet with the family of Blake. Trump claimed that he's not meeting with Blake's family during his Wisconsin visit because they wanted to involve lawyers."

~~~ A Biden-Harris campaign ad, released Thursday:

~~~ Another ad released Thursday:

Trump's Vote-Twice Advice Alarms North Carolina Officials. Tucker Higgins of CNBC: "Officials in North Carolina are scrambling to counteract ... Donald Trump’s call for residents of the state to attempt to vote twice in the upcoming contest for the White House, issuing a notice on Thursday warning voters that doing so intentionally is a felony. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in the memo to voters that the board also discouraged people from showing up at polling sites on Election Day to check whether their absentee ballot had been counted." ~~~

     ~~~ Bell's notice is here. It begins, "The following is a message to North Carolina voters from Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections: It is illegal to vote twice in an election. N.C.G.S. § 163-275(7) makes it a Class I felony for a voter, 'with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time ... in the same primary or election.' Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law." ~~~

~~~ Richard Hasen in Slate: "... Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his encouragement to his supporters to vote twice, first by mail and then -- if election officials allow -- in person. Voting twice -- as the president requests -- is not only illegal, but a recipe for chaos in November. Perhaps that is exactly the point. Trump defended his call as a way to test the system against voter fraud, but it's like encouraging his supporters to try to rob the 7-Eleven to make sure that the police can respond adequately to robberies.... Many people may hear his comments and think he is serious. This is particularly true given that he repeated the comments the very next day and his attorney general, William Barr, refused to acknowledge that double voting is illegal.... What's worse, the comments are going to put a strain on an election system stretched to its limits by trying to conduct a presidential election in the midst of a pandemic and with one of the candidates constantly casting doubt on the election's legitimacy. Again, this is probably Trump's real intent."

White You Win, Black You Lose. Bill Barr Puts His Fat Thumb on the Scale of Justice. Aris Folley of the Hill: "Attorney General William Barr said that he doesn't think the cases of George Floyd and Jacob Blake are 'interchangeable' when asked about both in an interview on Wednesday.... Pressed by host Wolf Blitzer for an explanation, Barr said Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in Minneapolis earlier this year after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes, was 'already subdued, incapacitated, in handcuffs and was not armed.... In the Jacob case, he was in the midst of committing a felony, and he was armed. So that's a big difference,' Barr claimed before adding moments later that he doesn't want to talk about either of the cases 'as if they're interchangeable.'... It's unclear if [Blake] was armed with a knife at the time of the shooting. The [Wisconsin Department of Justice] said the knife was recovered from the floorboard of Blake's car and that no other weapons were recovered during the search.... 'Attorney General Barr is misinformed. The police officers were the aggressors from start to finish, based on video and witness accounts,' [Blake's] legal team said in a joint statement. 'There was never any point in time when there was justification for deadly force. In fact, there were innocent bystanders in the line of fire when he shot seven times into Jacob's back.'"

Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "A California police officer was charged on Wednesday with felony manslaughter for fatally shooting a Black man inside a Walmart in April in a swift confrontation that the district attorney said displayed an unreasonable use of deadly force. District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley of Alameda County said in a statement on Wednesday that charging Officer Jason Fletcher of the San Leandro Police Department 'is not a decision that is made lightly, nor rashly.' She faulted the officer for 'his failure to attempt other de-escalation options,' which 'rendered his use of deadly force unreasonable and a violation' of state law."

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "New filings for jobless claims totaled 881,000 last week, better than estimates as the employment market continued its gradual progress during the coronavirus pandemic recovery. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a total of 950,000. The number reflects an improving labor market as well as a change in methodology from the Labor Department to address seasonal factors. Unique circumstances associated with the coronavirus likely caused jobless claims totals to be overstated during the pandemic." ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Horsley of NPR: "Without the seasonal adjustment, state unemployment claims rose by more than 7,500. In addition to the state unemployment claims, 759,000 people applied for benefits under a special federal program for gig workers and the self-employed, who are ordinarily not eligible for unemployment. Those claims also increased from the previous week."

Former Michigan Republican Governor Endorses Joe Biden. Rick Snyder in a Detroit Free Press op-ed: "I will continue to support and stand up for Republican policies and values, and support Republican candidates, but I will not support Donald Trump for reelection.... He is a bully.... In addition, President Trump lacks a moral compass. He ignores the truth.... I had the opportunity to interact with Mr. Biden when he served as vice president. My interactions were always constructive and respectful. He has shown the desire to heal a deeply divided nation; has demonstrated strong moral character and empathy; and he seems willing to listen to people who have different perspectives from his own.... While I am endorsing Joe Biden for president, I am still a Republican who also will be publicly supporting Republican candidates at the local, state and federal level." ~~~

~~~ Tim Reid of Reuters: "Nearly 100 Republican and independent leaders will endorse Democrat Joe Biden for president on Thursday, including one-time 2020 Republican presidential candidate Bill Weld and the former Republican governors of Michigan and New Jersey, people involved in the effort told Reuters.... Called 'Republicans and Independents for Biden' the group is headed by Christine Todd Whitman, a former Republican governor of New Jersey who has become one of Trump's fiercest critics and who spoke at the recent Democratic National Convention in support of Biden."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "... as Mr. Trump seeks to become the oldest individual ever elected to the office for a second term, recent questions about his mental and physical condition have sent him into paroxysms of pique. They have complicated his own efforts to question the health of his challenger and fellow septuagenarian, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. The president elevated the issue this week by taking the bait of a critic's tweet and denying that he had 'mini-strokes' last year around the time of a mysterious trip to the hospital. But Mr. Trump only raised more questions when he could not keep his explanations for that hospital visit straight. He wrote that it 'was to complete my yearly physical' -- contrary to how he explained it at the time, when he said it was 'phase one of my yearly physical' to be completed later." The story has more detail about Trump's remarks & tweets concerning his and others' fitness. ~~~

~~~ "Donald Trump Would Like to Momentarily Pause This Campaign to Tell You How Good His Brain Is." Asawin Suebsaeng & Scott Bixby of the Daily Beast: "Following a carefully manicured, four-day convention in which Donald Trump's chief lieutenants branded him as an avatar of stability and Joe Biden as the pied-piper of race riots, the president did what he always does: He casually disposed of his team's messaging in the service of nursing personal grudges. This week, it was about how his brain isn't dying.... Shortly after Trump's [tweeted] tirade about 'mini-strokes,' his re-election campaign called for CNN to fire an analyst [-- former Bill Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart --] who asked his Twitter followers whether the president was hiding a past stroke from the American public.... When the Drudge Report ... led the site on Tuesday with Trump's furious denial [of having had 'mini-strokes,'] Trump blew up again.... Joe Biden's presidential campaign was practically thrilled to play along, arguing that Trump's focus on his own mental acuity was rooted in his failures on a more pressing health matter: the coronavirus pandemic...."

Elizabeth Dwoskin & Craig Timberg of the Washington Post: "Facebook plans to block new advertising the week before the presidential election -- the first time the company has taken action to limit political advertising in the United States, the company said Thursday.... The company also said that it would label posts by any candidate or campaign that tries to declare victory before the final results are in, directing people to the official results from Reuters. It will do the same for any posts that try to delegitimize the outcome of the election -- for example, a claim that voting by mail could lead to fraud. It has also started to limit users' ability to forward articles on its Messenger platform to large groups of people.... The Trump campaign blasted the company for its new policies." A New York Times story is here. The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The Trump campaign is pissed because there's been every indication that Trump does intend to declare victory prematurely, while Biden has not expressed any such inclination. The Guardian's story spells that out.

Pentagon Boosts Republican Senators. Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "President Trump’s decision to use Pentagon money to pay for his border wall created problems on the campaign trail for Republican senators seeking reelection in states that lost military construction projects to the president's effort. But the Defense Department's move in recent months to restart many of those domestic projects has provided political cover to several Republican incumbents facing tough reelections.... Some of the revived projects are in states with two Democrats representing them in the Senate. But others are hot-button projects in states such as North Carolina, Colorado and Arizona, where Republican senators in competitive races had been taking heat over their defunding."

Nahal Toosi of Politico: "The Trump administration has quietly named a new acting State Department inspector general, the latest personnel shift to hit the troubled watchdog unit since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo engineered the firing of its longtime leader. Matthew Klimow, the U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan since mid-2019, has been handed the reins of the inspector general's office for at least 90 days, according to a Wednesday email seen by Politico.... Klimow is a career government employee with a lengthy resume that includes receiving a Silver Star for valor in combat when he was in the Army. It was not immediately clear if Klimow is giving up his position as the U.S. envoy in hermetic, energy-rich Turkmenistan, although in a note to the inspector general's staff, he said he would be with them for 'a relatively short time.'" Mrs. McC: I wonder how many coverups Klimow is supposed to finesse in that "relatively short time."

Danny Hakim & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The National Rifle Association's former second-in-command is breaking with the group's orthodoxy and calling for universal background checks and so-called red flag laws in a new book assailing the organization as more focused on money and internal intrigue than the Second Amendment, while thwarting constructive dialogue on gun violence. The former executive, Joshua L. Powell, who was fired by the N.R.A. in January, reinforces the kind of criticism made of the organization by gun control groups and state regulators, but it is the first critical look at its recent history by such a high-ranking insider. He describes the N.R.A.'s longtime chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, as a woefully inept manager, but also a skilled lobbyist with a deft touch at directing President Trump to support the group's objectives, and who repeatedly reeled in the president's flirtations with even modest gun control measures."

Update on the Horrifying Scandal of the Year. Ryan Saavedra of the Daily Wire: "Christine Pelosi, the daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), released a letter from a law firm on Wednesday afternoon that attacked the owner of the salon that Pelosi recently visited in apparent violation of coronavirus lockdown rules. The letter from attorney Matthew Soleimanpour was on behalf of Jonathan De Nardo, a California Certified Cosmetologist based out of San Francisco, California." Thanks to Anonymous for the link. Mrs. McC: The lawyer's letter, which Saavedra cites in full, completely exonerates Speaker Pelosi & implicates the salon owner Erica Kious in a sting. It's kinda worth reading, at least if you read any of the stories that preceded this one.

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race, Etc.

Bill Barrow & Will Weissert of the AP: "Campaigning for more than a year as a calming, unifying figure, Joe Biden faces the most intense test yet of his core pitch when he travels to Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city wrenched by police and protest violence that makes it a microcosm of the nation's election-year reckoning with systemic racism. The 77-year-old former vice president, traveling two days after ... Donald Trump visited the same city, plans to meet Thursday with family of Jacob Blake, who remains hospitalized after being shot seven times in the back by a white police officer.... Biden also plans a community discussion that he indicated would draw business figures, civic leaders and law enforcement officials. 'This is about making sure that we move forward,' Biden told reporters Wednesday. He added that he's 'not going to tell Kenosha what they have to do' but instead encourage a community to 'talk about what has to be done.' Falling exactly two months before Election Day, the trip presents Biden both opportunity and risks as he tests his promise, made again and again for 16 months, that he can 'unify the country' and find consensus even where it's not readily apparent. The approach always has been an intentional contrast with Trump, a president who thrives on conflict."

Eric Bradner of CNN: "... Joe Biden blamed ... Donald Trump for schools' struggles to open amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying that if Trump had done his job, 'American schools would be open and they'd be open safely.... Instead, American families across this country are paying the price for his failure and his administration's failure,' Biden said in a speech Wednesday in Delaware. Biden's speech followed a briefing he and his wife, Jill Biden, a long-time high school teacher and community college professor, attended with education and health experts in Wilmington. Biden called opening schools 'a national emergency.'"

Shane Goldmacher & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. clashed on Wednesday in dueling remarks and with new advertisements about public safety and the outbursts of violence in some American cities, as the presidential campaign entered an aggressive new phase with the parties tussling over both the issues and the electoral map they are being fought on. The collisions came as a wave of new polling gave the first significant snapshot of the race since the Democratic and Republican conventions last month. The polls showed that Mr. Biden still holds a steady if not overwhelming lead, tight enough to give Democrats cause for concern and Republicans room for hope, particularly in the key battleground of Pennsylvania.... While the president has a dwindling number of days to reset a race in which he has consistently trailed this year, Democrats are still wrestling with the asymmetrical nature of battling a candidate willing to make outlandish and false statements in pursuit of victory."

** Marc Caputo of Politico: "Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee reported raising a record $365 million in August, surprising even seasoned party fundraisers and putting to rest fears that President Trump would drown him in campaign spending. The staggering cash coincides with Biden naming Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate before the convention. It more than doubles Trump's $165 million record, set in July, and also eclipses the $193 million raised by Barack Obama in September 2008. Trump has not yet announced his August numbers." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Molly Beck of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, will visit Kenosha on Thursday as tensions simmer in the city following the shooting of a Black man by a white police officer and the deaths of two people protesting his shooting by an armed teenager.... It's the first visit to Wisconsin by Biden this year, and the first to the state by a Democratic presidential nominee since 2012.... 'Vice President Biden will hold a community meeting in Kenosha to bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face,' his campaign said in a release. 'After, Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden will make a local stop.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump Urges N.C. Voters to Vote Twice. Lauren Egan & Pete Williams of NBC News: "... Donald Trump suggested that people in North Carolina should vote twice in the November election, once by mail and once in person, escalating his attempts to cast confusion and doubt on the validity of the results. 'So let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote,' Trump said when asked whether he has confidence in the mail-in system in North Carolina, a battleground state. 'If it's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote. So that's the way it is. And that's what they should do,' he said. It is illegal to vote more than once in an election." ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Mr. Trump's suggestion that people should vote twice is one he has discussed privately with aides in recent weeks amid concerns he is depressing turnout among his supporters by raising alarms about the security of mail-in voting.... He has continued to float wild theories about extensive voter fraud that are not backed up by evidence. He has repeatedly detailed far-fetched, seemingly manufactured stories about ballots being forged." ~~~

~~~ Wait, wait! You think Trump is bad? Here is the Attorney General of the United States repeatedly saying he doesn't know if it's illegal to vote twice because he doesn't know what the state law is. He says maybe a voter can go in and change his mind after he's voted once. Just astounding: ~~~

Philip Bump of the Washington Post: Nearly four years later, Trump still can't accept the fact that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. Now, besides his usual fake claim that he really won except for all the voter fraud in California, blah blah, he's claiming that the vote that were to libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in 2016 were really votes for Trump. Mrs. McC: This is a fairly hilarious post, except for a couple of factors, like Bump's final note that Trump "creates these rationalizations that have the unhappy side effect of reducing confidence in the electoral system." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trumps Go All-in for the Crazy. Chris Rodrigo of the Hill: "Lara Trump recently joined Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer at a campaign event in Florida, throwing the support of the Trump name behind the far-right activist and self-described Islamophobe. President Trump's daughter-in-law and campaign adviser was photographed with Loomer, the GOP nominee to challenge Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) in a reliably blue district, at a campaign event with some pictures showing a lack of face masks and social distancing." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Both parties get stuck with radical candidates on their side. In the past, if the candidates were bad enough, the party denounced them & refused to give them campaign money and endorsements. Otherwise, party leaders held their noses & tentatively accepted the nutters, but maybe without financial support or endorsements. Party leaders sure as hell don't campaign with nonconforming candidates. So when a Trump family member campaigns with a crazy QAnon candidate -- and one who has almost no chance of winning -- it's obvious they're pushing hard for the batshit-crazy vote. And it also suggests, especially when considering Trump's recent insane endorsement of wacky ideas, that the Trumps themselves are batshit crazy.

Laura Vozzella & Peter Jamison of the Washington Post: "Two voters who say they were tricked into supporting Kanye West's campaign for president are suing to try to get him kicked off the ballot in Virginia, seeking immediate court intervention as deadlines for printing and mailing absentee ballots are fast approaching. In a suit filed Tuesday in Richmond Circuit Court, Matthan Wilson and Bryan Wright, both Suffolk residents, said signature-gatherers for West misled them into pledging to serve as electors for the rapper and entrepreneur. Wilson and Wright are represented by Marc E. Elias and other attorneys at the nationally prominent Democratic firm Perkins Coie. The suit names state elections officials as defendants, saying they should not have certified West for the ballot...."

Rachel Maddow featured these two ads by Vote Vets. The first one, released last week, is a true tearjerker. Mrs. McCrabbie: I made a small contribution to Vote Vets.

~~~ BUT Trump was more upset about this less consequential Lincoln Project ad:

     ~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday threw a tantrum about a new Lincoln Project ad that mocked him for scoring lower television ratings for the Republican National Convention than Democratic rival Joe Biden.... 'We had FAR more people (many millions) watching us at the RNC than did Sleepy Joe and the DNC, and yet an ad just ran saying the opposite. This is what we're up against. Lies. But we will WIN![' Trump tweeted." Mrs. McC: Less a tantrum than a lie, according to TV rating services.

Georgia. Annie Grayer & Pamela Kirkland of CNN: "The state of Georgia has likely removed nearly 200,000 Georgia citizens from the voter rolls for wrongfully concluding that those people had moved and not changed the address on their voter registration, when in fact they never moved, according to a new report released on Wednesday. The ACLU of Georgia released the report which was conducted by the Palast Investigative Fund, a nonpartisan group that focuses on data journalism, on Wednesday."

Montana. Iris Samuels of the AP: "... Donald Trump's reelection campaign and the Republican Party sued Montana on Wednesday after Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock gave counties the choice to conduct the November election entirely by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit alleges Bullock's directive would dilute the integrity of Montana's election system."

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The Washington Post's live updates of coronavirus developments Wednesday are here.

Nothing Suspicious About This. At All. Kathryn Watson & Sara Cook of CBS News: "The Centers for Disease Control has urged governors to be prepared for the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine by November 1, which is two days before Election Day." ~~~

~~~ Sheila Kaplan, et al., of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified public health officials in all 50 states and five large cities to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine to health care workers and other high-risk groups as soon as late October or early November. The new C.D.C. guidance is the latest sign of an accelerating race for a vaccine to ease [the] pandemic.... The documents were sent out on the same day that President Trump told the nation in his speech to the Republican National Convention that a vaccine might arrive before the end of the year.... The documents were dispatched the same day that Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the C.D.C., sent a letter to governors asking them to prepare vaccine distribution sites by Nov. 1, as McClatchy reported.... The possibility of a rollout in late October or early November has heightened concerns that the Trump administration is seeking to rush the distribution of a vaccine -- or simply to hype that one is possible -- before Election Day on Nov. 3."

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The CDC, which once set the world standard for public health agencies, now has been reduced to an arm of the Trump re-election campaign. It might be Exhibit 1 in the argument that Trump has ruined the federal government.

Noah Weiland, et al., of the New York Times: "Dr. Scott W. Atlas has argued that the science of mask wearing is uncertain, that children cannot pass on the coronavirus and that the role of the government is not to stamp out the virus but to protect its most vulnerable citizens as Covid-19 takes its course. Ideas like these, both ideologically freighted and scientifically disputed, have propelled the radiologist and senior fellow at Stanford University's conservative Hoover Institution into President Trump's White House, where he is pushing to reshape the administration's response to the pandemic. Mr. Trump has embraced Dr. Atlas, as has Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, even as he upsets the balance of power within the White House coronavirus task force with ideas that top government doctors and scientists like Anthony S. Fauci, Deborah L. Birx and Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, find misguided -- even dangerous -- according to people familiar with the task force's deliberations. That might be the point. 'I think Trump clearly does not like the advice he was receiving from the people who are the experts -- Fauci, Birx, etc. -- so he has slowly shifted from their advice to somebody who tells him what he wants to hear,' said Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease expert at Emory University...." (This is the article behind an NYT live update item linked yesterday.)

The Second-Most Incompetent, Obnoxious White House Prick. David Lynch, et al., of the Washington Post: "Amid the Trump administration's troubled response to the coronavirus pandemic, senior White House aide Peter Navarro has refashioned himself as a powerful government purchasing chief, operating far beyond his original role as an adviser on trade policy.... Navarro's harsh manner and disregard for protocol have alienated numerous colleagues, corporate executives and prominent Republicans. In a previously undisclosed incident, the White House Counsel's Office in 2018 investigated Navarro's behavior in response to repeated complaints and found he routinely had been verbally abusive toward others. Navarro narrowly avoided losing his job, but the abuse has continued.... On Monday, the administration terminated one contract that Navarro had directly negotiated -- for 42,900 Philips ventilators. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the cancellation was 'subject to internal HHS investigation and legal review.' The contract had been criticized by a House oversight subcommittee, which concluded that the government had overpaid for the ventilators by $500 million. The cancellation came after another transaction Navarro championed, a government loan to fund Eastman Kodak's transformation into a drugmaker, unraveled and became embroiled in a securities investigation. The watchdog panel says it is broadening its inquiry to examine all of Navarro's deals."

Scandal of the Year. Lock Her Up. Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "For almost six months, hairdressers in San Francisco have been prohibited from cutting and styling their clients' hair inside a salon. But on Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), one of the most outspoken Democratic lawmakers on following coronavirus restrictions, became an exception to the rule in her home district. Surveillance footage aired on Fox News on Tuesday showed Pelosi walking through a salon with a mask around her neck as a stylist wearing a mask followed behind. Republican critics pounced on Pelosi, accusing her of hypocrisy.... A spokesman for Pelosi insisted she was following the rules outlined by the salon before her visit. 'The speaker always wears a mask and complies with local covid requirements,' spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement to The Washington Post, adding Pelosi briefly took down her mask while getting her hair washed. 'This business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The speaker complied with the rules as presented by this establishment.'... [But] San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) announced last week that salons could reopen for outdoor service only starting Tuesday." An AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: While I suppose Pelosi didn't anticipate a videographer would stalk her, this was still a stupid move. Pelosi is extremely wealthy and could easily have afforded to have a Covid-tested stylist come to her home. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded on Wednesday to criticism of her trip to a San Francisco hair salon -- which was not cleared to reopen for indoor service and where she appeared momentarily maskless. Her defense: 'It was a setup.' The California Democrat insisted that she had followed the salon's rules as they were presented to her.... Pelosi said she was told that the city would allow one customer in the shop at a time, and she complied with those guidelines. However, San Francisco ... allowed salons to open for outdoor service only starting Tuesday, the day after her visit. 'As it turns out, it was a setup,' Pelosi said of the appointment at a Wednesday news conference.... 'So I take responsibility for falling for a setup....' Fox News aired surveillance footage from eSalon showing Pelosi walking through the business.... Erica Kious, eSalon's owner, told Fox that she rents space to independent stylists and was incensed that Pelosi came in when the rest of Kious's business had to remain closed.... But Pelosi, responding to reporters' repeated questions about the visit, said there is 'more to this that I'm not going into as to the motivations of the salon.'... 'I think that this salon owes me an apology,' Pelosi said." From the WashPo's coronavirus updates for Wednesday, linked above. Here's a San Francisco Chronicle story. The Hill has a story here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: For all it's worth, I amend my comment above. I believe Pelosi. The fact that video of Pelosi immediately showed up on Fox "News," accompanied by Kiois' on-air criticism of her, makes the incident look suspiciously like a set-up, as Pelosi charges.

More cops have died from covid this year than have been killed on patrol. -- Joe Biden, in remarks Tuesday ~~~

~~~ The "Law & Order" President* Is Killing Police Officers. Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post: "As of Sept. 2, on-the-job coronavirus infections were responsible for a least 100 officer deaths, more than gun violence, car accidents and all other causes combined, according to the Officer Down group. [National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund] reported a nearly identical number of covid-related law enforcement deaths.... It also noted that fatalities due to non-covid causes are actually down year-over-year, undermining President Trump's claims that 'law enforcement has become the target of a dangerous assault by the radical left.'"

Brittany Shamas & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "A Minnesota biker who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has died of covid-19 -- the first fatality from the virus traced to the 10-day event that drew more than 400,000 to South Dakota. The man was in his 60s, had underlying conditions and was hospitalized in intensive care after returning from the rally, said Kris Ehresmann, infectious-disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health. The case is among at least 260 cases in 11 states tied directly to the event, according to a survey of health departments by The Washington Post. Epidemiologists believe that figure is a significant undercount, due to the resistance of some rallygoers to testing and the limited contact tracing in some states. As a result, the true scope of infections stemming from the event that ran from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16 is unlikely to ever be known." Free to non-subscribers.

Zack Budryk of the Hill: "A viral photo of two California girls forced to use Taco Bell WiFi to do their homework spotlighted the disadvantages faced by low-income families as many school districts move online. California Senate President Kevin de León tweeted a photo of the two last week, noting that 40 percent of Latinos lack reliable Internet access. 'This is California, home to Silicon Valley ... but where the digital divide is as deep as ever,' León tweeted." Mrs. McC: My monthly Comcast bill, which includes Internet access, land-line phone service, & two TV modems (and a modest TV premium package) is about $235. Obviously, low-income families can't afford anywhere near this. Comcast advertises that it will provide some low-income families with Internet service, which they claim is only $10/month. I hope that's true, but I'm betting there are other charges attached to actually getting it installed & keeping it running. If you know more about it, let us know, too.

Black Lives Matter ~~~

But Not to King Donald. Rebecca Klar of the Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday called for federal government agencies to begin reviewing potential funding cuts to cities having what the president deemed 'lawless' protests. Trump signed a five-page memo ordering federal agency heads to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget detailing all federal funds provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City and Washington, D.C. within 14 days. 'My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,' Trump stated according to a copy of the memo shared by the White House.... Attorney General William Barr is also directed to publish on the Department of Justice website a list identifying 'anarchist jurisdictions,' defined as state and local jurisdictions 'that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities,' according to the memo.... [Trump] specifically calls out his frequent Democratic targets, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, by name in the memo. Trump calls for review to cut funding to cities with 'lawless' protests[.] Cuomo appeared to respond to Trump's memo by calling it 'an illegal stunt'" and criticizing the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.... Russell Vought said the review will help ensure federal resources 'flowing to lawless cities aren't being squandered.'" ~~~

~~~ AND Definitely Not to This GOP Congressman. Amanda Terkel of the Huffington Post: "Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) said he'd be more than willing to shoot any armed demonstrators in Louisiana in a Facebook post Tuesday that was accompanied by a picture of Black men with guns. 'One way ticket fellas,' he wrote on his campaign account. 'Have your affairs in order. Me?... I wouldn't even spill my beer. I'd drop any 10 of you where you stand.'... Higgins [is] a former police officer.... Facebook confirmed to The Acadiana Advocate that it took Higgins' post down for violating the company's 'violence and incitement' policies.... Higgins' initial post came in advance of a Black Lives Matter protest scheduled for Tuesday night. The event was peaceful, according to the Advocate, and was basically a barbecue. A small group with guns known as the Louisiana Cajun Militia did show up. They appeared to be all, or mostly, white.... It doesn't seem like a coincidence that Higgins chose a picture of armed Black vigilantes. It was taken from coverage of a Black militia that showed up in Louisville, Kentucky, to protest the police killing of ... Breonna Taylor. If Higgins was truly concerned about vigilantes of all colors at protests, as he said, it would have been far easier to find a picture of white militia members." ~~~

~~~ ** NOR to These Rochester, N.Y. Cops. Michael Hill of the AP: "A Black man who had run naked through the streets of a western New York city died of asphyxiation after a group of police officers put a hood over his head, then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes, according to video and records released Wednesday by the man's family. Daniel Prude died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester. His death received no public attention until Wednesday, when his family held a news conference and released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. 'I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched,' Prude's brother, Joe Prude, said at a news conference. 'How did you see him and not directly say, "The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground. He's cuffed up already. Come on." How many more brothers gotta die for society to understand that this needs to stop?'... A medical examiner concluded that Prude's death was a homicide caused by 'complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.' The report lists excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, as contributing factors." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday rejected the notion that systemic racism exists in the criminal justice system, but acknowledged that 'there are some situations where statistics would suggest' people of color are treated differently than white people. 'I think there are stereotypes. I think people operate very frequently according to stereotypes, and I think it takes extra precaution on the part of law enforcement to make sure we don't reduce people to stereotypes, we treat them as individuals,' Barr told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. In the at times contentious interview, the attorney general defended law enforcement officers against accusations of excessive force, arguing that rather than being motivated by race, an officer may be 'scared for his life and is in a situation where a half a second can mean the difference between his life and his death, and he's wrestling with somebody.... They sometimes may do things that appear in hindsight to be excessive,' Barr asserted, but he cautioned that 'it doesn't necessarily mean that it's racism.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: If, the Fates forbid, police found Billy Barr running around in the buff, do you think they would put a spit hood over his head & ram his face into the pavement till he stopped breathing? I doubt it. (Sorry for imposing this image on you, but, you know, sometimes hypothetical comparisons are awfully helpful!)

Republicans' Fake "Democrat Cities" Argument. Emily Badger of the New York Times: "Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland, Ore., and Kenosha, Wis., are first and foremost 'Democrat cities' in President Trump's telling.... Mr. Trump has sharpened his party's long-running antipathy toward urban America into a more specific argument for the final two months of the campaign: Cities have problems, and Democrats run them. Therefore, you don't want Democrats running the country, either. But that logic misconstrues the nature of challenges that cities face, and the power of mayors of any party to solve them, political scientists say. And it twists a key fact of political history: If cities have become synonymous with Democratic politics today, that is true in part because Republicans have largely given up on them.... Mr. Trump and his surrogates have pushed that history to its seeming conclusion: Rural and suburban problems in America today are national problems -- but urban problems are Democratic problems.... [Yet] politicians, of either party, do not blame Republican county executives for rural opioid problems.... The president ... has never mentioned ... Republican-led Tulsa, Okla., San Bernardino, Calif..., Miami, Jacksonville, Fla., or Fort Worth -- in his vows to deploy federal forces to help control urban crime. Numerous studies suggest that the partisanship of mayors has limited effect on much of anything: not just crime, but also tax policy, social policy and economic outcomes." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Luke Broadwater & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The United States Postal Service has paid about $286 million over the past seven years to XPO Logistics, the former employer of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. He still holds at least a $30 million stake in the company, which has ramped up its business with the Postal Service since he took the helm at the agency. The figures, obtained by The New York Times from a public records request, shed new light on the extent to which the company where Mr. DeJoy was a top executive -- and in which he still has a substantial amount of money invested -- is intertwined with the agency he now runs, fueling questions about a potential conflict of interest.... The documents also show a surge in revenue for XPO from the Postal Service since Mr. DeJoy took over on June 15.... The findings emerged on the same day that the House Oversight Committee issued a promised subpoena for documents that the panel has said Mr. DeJoy is withholding from Congress, including information about his personal financial affairs." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Here we go again: "... fueling questions about a potential conflict of interest." "Fueling questions"? "Potential conflict of interest"? This is the definition of "conflict of interest." It's a glaring conflict, a conflict so glaring as to disqualify DeJoy from holding the postmaster general job. More-or-less equivalent to contracting out the federal government's social media policy to Mark Zuckerberg. Be best, NYT. Tell it like it is.

AND Farcical Mystery Solved! Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "... Donald Trump's latest outlandish conspiracy about a 'person' he refuses to name having 'firsthand' witnessed a commercial flight full of 'thugs' and 'looters' clad in 'black uniforms with gear' may seem ripped directly from an unhinged relative's Facebook page. But before this bizarre theory was being pushed by the president, another GOP lawmaker was spouting a nearly identical story. Speaking to pro-Trump outlet Breitbart News over the weekend, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA) ... relay[ed] a story that matches closely the tale the president spun to Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday. 'So, these people that descended on Washington, D.C., most of them were not local,' Nunes declared. 'In fact, I flew in with a bunch of them where I got on a plane in Salt Lake City where I had to commute through and I saw maybe two dozen BLM people.... The irony is they were all white people, they weren't even Black, but somebody was paying for those people to go there -- they were coordinated, paying for that, and then what they did was they were not protesting....'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Because people who "aren't even Black!" don't care that cops are killing Black people.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Philip Otterman of the Guardian: "The German government has said toxicological exams at Berlin's Charité hospital have yielded 'unequivocal proof' that the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. Navalny, a strong critic of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on 20 August and was transferred to Berlin two days later. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said in a personal statement on Wednesday afternoon that testing by a special military laboratory had shown proof of a chemical nerve agent from the novichok group. 'It is now clear: Alexei Navalny is the victim of a crime,' Merkel said. 'He was meant to be silenced. This raises very difficult questions that only the Russian government can answer, and has to answer.' Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, was used to poison the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain."