;)
The Commentariat -- August 12, 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Barbara Starr & Zachary Cohen of CNN: "A US Air Force helicopter was shot at near Manassas, Virginia, on Monday injuring one of two pilots on board, according to an Air Force official. The UH-1N was flying 10 miles northwest of Manassas on a routine training mission at an altitude of 1,000 feet when the incident occurred. It landed safely at Manassas Regional Airport west of Washington, DC, and the pilot was taken to hospital where they were treated and released, the official said. The incident is now under FBI and Air Force investigation to determine if the helicopter was deliberately shot at or if someone was randomly shooting into the air. The aircraft will be closely inspected for other damage, the official added."
Mrs. McCrabbie: As far as I know, the moment at the beginning and end (beginning @ about 1:35 min. in) of this campaign video is historic: it's the first time anyone outside the people in the room(s) have seen a major-party presumptive presidential nominee make an offer to be his (or her) running mate:
Joe Biden & Kamala Harris are scheduled to speak together at 2 pm ET. This Washington Post YouTube channel will play it live. Mrs. McC: Chuck Todd just said (at 1:24 pm ET) that they would speak in "just a couple of hours," so I don't know. Update: Still waiting at 4:15 pm ET!
From the New York Times' live updates of election developments: "From the first hours after Joseph R. Biden Jr. chose Kamala Harris as his running mate, President Trump, his Republican allies and conservative hosts on Fox News unfurled a string of sexist attacks on Ms. Harris. Mr. Trump followed up on Wednesday morning with a racist tweet claiming that Mr. Biden would put another Black leader, Senator Cory Booker, in charge of low-income housing in the suburbs. That tweet did not mention Ms. Harris, but it continued Mr. Trump's tactic of playing into white racist fears about integration efforts as he declared, 'The "suburban housewife" will be voting for me.' 'They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood,' Mr. Trump wrote. 'Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!' The president did not explain why he referred to Mr. Booker, whose first name he misspelled. But the race-laced salvo came after a chorus of Fox News hosts on Tuesday night assailed Ms. Harris, attacking everything from the pronunciation of her name to Mr. Biden's selection process for focusing on women of color." A CNN story, by Oliver Darcy, is here.
The Washington Post's live updates of coronavirus developments Wednesday are here: "Florida and Georgia reported their highest single-day, statewide covid-19 death tolls on Tuesday, as more than 1,300 coronavirus-related fatalities were reported nationwide." ~~~
~~~ So This. Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "On Tuesday, as Florida set a daily record for covid-19 deaths, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods prohibited his deputies from wearing masks at work. His order, which also applies to visitors to the sheriff's office, carves out an exception for officers in some locations, including hospitals, and when dealing with people who are high-risk or suspected of having the novel coronavirus. In an email to the sheriff's department shared with The Washington Post, Woods disputed the idea that masks are a consensus approach to battling the pandemic." Mrs. McC: Take a look at the smiling face of Sheriff Billy. He looks like a modern sheriff, the kind who doggedly insists that the ole boys abandon their backwards ways of policing. Apparently not.
** He Really Doesn't Care. Do You? S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump's interest in taking intelligence briefings has been declining steadily since his first months in office and has dropped to near zero in recent weeks, according to a HuffPost review of all of his daily schedules. Trump went from a high of 4.1 briefings per week on average in March 2017 to 0.7 per week since July 1, shortly after it became public that he had ignored intelligence reports about Russia offering bounties to the Taliban for each American soldier killed in Afghanistan. Monday's briefing, in fact, was the first in August and the first since July 22. That month had only three briefings scheduled.... Trump's immediate predecessors took daily briefings in the White House. Republican George W. Bush typically had his shortly after his arrival in the Oval Office at 6:45 a.m. each day. Democrat Barack Obama had the written material, known as the 'President's Daily Brief,' loaded onto his iPad by 6 a.m. each day, when he would read it prior to the in-person session later in the morning. Trump, by contrast, rarely gets to the West Wing before noon after spending much of each morning watching television and posting tweets based on his viewing." Mrs. McC: They're called "Presidential Daily Briefs" for a reason.
~~~~~~~~~~
Elections 2020
Joe Biden Chooses Kamala Harris as His Running Mate
~~~ Here's the press release on the Biden/Harris campaign Website.
Alexander Burns & Katie Glueck of the New York Times: "Joseph R. Biden Jr. selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice-presidential running mate on Tuesday, embracing a former rival who sharply criticized him in the Democratic primaries but emerged after ending her campaign as a vocal supporter of Mr. Biden’s and a prominent advocate of racial-justice legislation after the killing of George Floyd in late May. Ms. Harris, 55, is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for national office by a major party, and only the fourth woman in U.S. history to be chosen for a presidential ticket. She brings to the race a far more vigorous campaign style than Mr. Biden’s, including a gift for capturing moments of raw political electricity on the debate stage and elsewhere, and a personal identity and family story that many find inspiring." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times has several short takes on Harris's selection here: “Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice-presidential running mate, will appear with her in Delaware on Wednesday afternoon where they will deliver remarks. The two will also take part in a virtual grass-roots fund-raiser Wednesday evening.” ~~~
~~~ Nasty Woman! Trump Was as Gracious as Ever: “President Trump wasted little time assailing Senator Kamala Harris of California on Tuesday after her selection as the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential candidate, calling her 'nasty' and 'just about the most liberal person in the U.S. Senate.' Mr. Trump’s campaign quickly posted a video ad attacking her as a 'phony' who would pull Joseph R. Biden Jr. to the left and would be the one who really pulled the strings in a Democratic administration. At a news briefing shortly after the announcement, Mr. Trump attacked Ms. Harris for supporting tax increases and expanding Medicare, suggesting she would be an easy target. 'She was my No. 1 pick,' Mr. Trump said. 'She did very, very poorly in the primaries, as you know. She was expected to do well. And she ended up right around 2 percent. Spent a lot of money. She had a lot of things happening. I was a little surprised he picked her.'”
Amanda Erickson of the Washington Post: “Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has chosen Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) as his running mate, elevating a former presidential candidate whose most electric campaign performance came when she criticized his record on school integration during a debate. Harris will be the first Black woman and first Asian American to run for vice president, representing a historic choice at a moment when the country is grappling with its racial past and future. The announcement was made in a text and a tweet from Biden. 'Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau,' Biden tweeted, referring to his late son, then the attorney general of Delaware. 'I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.'Harris, 55, is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants. The first-term senator previously served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general.” ~~~
~~~ Politico's main story is here. Politico's main page currently has links to other stories about Kamala Harris.
NEW. Michael Scherer of the Washington Post writes an inside-the-vetting-process story. Mrs. McC: I think this is the photo Scherer refers to near the end of the article.
Jeff Zeleny of CNN: "An official with Joe Biden tells CNN that the former vice president called California Sen. Kamala Harris to offer her the job of vice president 90 minutes before his announcement."
Sahil Kapur of NBC News: “Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate creates a conundrum for which ... Donald Trump's campaign didn't have an immediate answer: How to run against her. In a statement moments after the announcement, Trump senior adviser Katrina Pierson blasted Harris both as someone who will 'try to bury her record as a prosecutor' in California — which has been described by some critics as too harsh — and someone who will appease 'anti-police extremists' and who was both 'phony' and in thrall to 'radicals.'... 'This really puts the Trump campaign in a box: whether you portray her as pro-police or anti-police,' said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor and Trump supporter.... Harris was difficult to pin down ideologically in the Democratic presidential primary, which left many voters wondering what she stood for and hurt her candidacy.... But it also now makes her a more complicated target of attacks by Trump, who has also struggled to land a punch on Biden: During the Democratic primary, Harris was a rare candidate who polled near the front of the pack but never earned a derisive nickname from the president.” ~~~
~~~ Lachlan Markay & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: “... Donald Trump’s allies plan to portray [Kamala Harris] ... as [a] 'power hungry' and overly 'ambitious' [woman who would ] effectively be the president of the United States. It’s an extension of a line of attack against Biden that the Trump campaign has hammered for weeks: that he is incapable of governing and would effectively be a vessel for other interests in the Democratic Party to govern by proxy.”
Brian Schwartz of CNBC: "Wall Street leaders on Tuesday cheered Joe Biden’s selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate in the presidential election. Finance executives, confident the ticket has what it takes to topple ... Donald Trump, raved about her experience in government, as well as her fundraising prowess."
AND look who produced the first Biden/Harris ad:
Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: “If you’re looking for a quintessential example of fragile masculinity, look no further.... Donald Trump suggested Tuesday morning that, in pledging to pick a woman as his running mate, Joe Biden has offended men everywhere.... Trump made his comments in a simpering interview with Fox Sports personality and OutKick founder Clay Travis.... Asked by Travis who he would pick if he was in Biden’s position, the president replied: 'I would be inclined to a different route to the way he’s done. First of all he roped himself into a, you know, certain group of people.' For those unable to crack the president’s mysterious code, Travis explained: 'He said he had to pick a woman.' Trump replied: 'He said that. Some people would say that men are insulted by that, and some people would say it’s fine. I don’t know.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: If Donald and the white boys are insulted by Biden's committing to choosing a woman, let me remind them that for much of the period during which U.S. presidential nominees have effectively chosen their running mates, they limited that choice to white men.
Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: Donald “Trump appeared to declare the end of the rally era Tuesday. He said the events — the success of which he has always measured by the size of the crowd and the 'ratings' — are a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. Or more exactly, of the dispiriting optics that proper social distancing would mandate. 'You can’t have empty seats,' Trump said in an interview with Fox Sports Radio.... 'You know, you have one person and everything’s empty around them. You can’t do that.’ Speaking later with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump ... [said] 'I’d love to do the rallies. We can’t because of the covid. You know, you can’t have people sitting next to each other.'... Although Trump did not say so, the empty-seats problem is also partly a function of reluctance on the part of some his supporters to expose themselves to potential infection.” The Raw Story has a summary report here.
Annie Karni & Thomas Kaplan of the New York Times frame Donald Trump's pledge to permanently cut payroll taxes as an "opening" for Democrats to raise Social Security cuts as a campaign issue. “On Monday..., Joseph R. Biden Jr. capitalized on the opportunity. 'Donald Trump said that if he’s re-elected, he’ll defund Social Security,' he tweeted. 'We can’t let that happen.' The Democratic National Committee amplified the line of attack the next day, blasting out a statement that highlighted 'At Least 7 Times Trump Said He Will Permanently Eliminate Funds To Social Security And Medicare.'” Mrs. McC: Of course, "Donald Trump pledged" or "promised" screams oxymoron. But funding for Social Security & Medicare already is shaky, and if consideration is given to further straining it, it better not be by an ignoramus on a Saturday night at a campaign social for tipsy, rowdy private clubbers. This isn't a Democratic campaign "opening"; it's another Trump disaster, and Democrats are merely realistic to set their hair on fire in order to point that out.
Thanks to Nisky Guy for this link:
Mrs. McCrabbie: BTW, toward the end of yesterday's Comments thread, there's a great little discussion, which Bobby Lee began, re: particulars on our obligations to the Trump Family Crooks after we voters throw Donnie out of office. unwashed ends the exchange with a LOL classic.
Congressional Races
Georgia. Matthew Rosenberg, et al., of the New York Times: "Conspiracy theorists won a major victory on Tuesday as a Republican supporter of the convoluted pro-Trump movement QAnon triumphed in her House primary runoff election in Georgia, all but ensuring that she will represent a deep-red district in Congress. The ascension of Marjorie Taylor Greene, who embraces a conspiracy theory that the F.B.I. has labeled a potential domestic terrorism threat, came as six states held primary and runoff elections on Tuesday.... Now, with Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, one of the most Republican in the country, likely to vote red in November, Ms. Greene is all but assured of getting the chance to put into action her talk of rooting out an imagined deep-state cabal of pedophile Satanists who are trying to take down President Trump." A Politico story is here.
Minnesota. Astead Herndon of the New York Times: "Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota fended off a well-funded primary challenger on Tuesday, ensuring a clean sweep of re-election fights for the group of first-term Democratic congresswomen of color known as the Squad and sending a message to Washington about the staying power of the party’s new progressive voices. Ms. Omar, who made history in 2018 by becoming the first Somali-American to be elected to Congress, as well as the first naturalized citizen of African birth and the first woman of color from Minnesota to do so, secured the victory after spending her first two years in the Washington spotlight."
Amy Gardner & Dan Simmons of the Washington Post: "Voters trickled to the polls with no wait times and election workers began processing a crush of absentee ballots with no major difficulties Tuesday morning in a slew of primaries and runoffs across five states, a sign of the extra preparations states have taken to hold elections during the coronavirus pandemic. The contests in Georgia, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Vermont were also expected to draw lower turnout, which contributed to the relative quiet. But Georgia and Wisconsin, in particular, rolled out new safeguards to avoid the chaos of primaries earlier this year in those two states, which were marked by polling place closures, poll worker no-shows and equipment difficulties for staff who were not properly trained amid fears of coronavirus infection." (Also linked yesterday.)
Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday once again put on hold a judge’s order that relaxed election procedures because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the result will keep a referendum on partisan gerrymandering off the November ballot in Oregon. The court’s brief order provided no reasoning, and the vote was unannounced. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor noted their dissent. But the action was pretty much in line with similar cases from Alabama, Idaho, Wisconsin and elsewhere in which the court has put on hold judicial orders that provided pandemic-related relief over the objections of state election officials. The court has said it disfavors judicial action that comes too close to an election, and defers to local control. In this case, it was Oregon’s Democratic leaders who objected when a federal judge eased the requirements for a group called People Not Politicians. It wanted to put on the ballot a measure turning over redistricting decisions to an independent commission rather than the Oregon legislature." A Reuters story is here.
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: “There’s no mystery about what President Trump intends to do if he holds a lead on election night in November. He’s practically broadcasting it. First, he’ll claim victory. Then, having spent most of the year denouncing vote-by-mail as corrupt, fraudulent and prone to abuse, he’ll demand that authorities stop counting mail-in and absentee ballots. He’ll have teams of lawyers challenging counts and ballots across the country. He also seems to be counting on having the advantage of mail slowdowns, engineered by the recently installed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Fewer pickups and deliveries could mean more late-arriving ballots and a better shot at dismissing votes before they’re even opened, especially if the campaign has successfully sued to block states from extending deadlines.... If Trump is leading on election night, in other words, there’s a good chance he’ll try to disrupt and delegitimize the counting process.... ~~~
~~~ “The only way to prevent this scenario, or at least, rob it of the oxygen it needs to burn, is to deliver an election night lead to Biden. This means voting in person. No, not everyone will be able to do that. But if you plan to vote against Trump and can take appropriate precautions, then some kind of hand delivery — going to the polls or bringing your mail-in ballot to a 'drop box' — will be the best way to protect your vote from the president’s concerted attempt to undermine the election for his benefit.” Emphasis added. (Also linked yesterday.)
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The Washington Post's live updates of coronavirus developments Tuesday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
They Don't Know What They're Doing. White House: Yeah, Trump Lied, and We Changed Our Minds. Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump’s senior aides acknowledged on Tuesday that they are providing less financial assistance for the unemployed than the president initially advertised amid mounting blowback from state officials of both parties. On Saturday, Trump approved an executive action that he claimed would provide an additional $400 per week in expanded unemployment benefits for Americans who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. By Tuesday, senior White House officials were saying publicly that the maneuver only guarantees an extra $300 per week for unemployed Americans — with states not required to add anything to their existing state benefit programs to qualify for the federal benefit.... The Saturday directive from the White House said that 75 percent of the new benefit would be paid for by the federal government. That was interpreted by many states to mean that they would have to provide an additional $100 per week for their residents to qualify for the benefit. On Tuesday, White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow suggested that adjustments had been made to that plan and that no new money is required from the states for their residents to qualify for the $300.... The White House guidance means all states will probably be able to implement the program without spending new money on aid."
Peter Baker of the New York Times: “American scientists hope this is one time that President Trump really does believe it is all just a Russian hoax. As President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia triumphantly declared on Tuesday that his country had produced the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, public health experts in the United States worried that Mr. Trump would feel compelled to compete in a pharmaceutical manhood contest by hastily rolling out his own vaccine even before it is fully tested.... The White House has said that data, not politics, will govern the decision to approve a vaccine, although Mr. Trump has repeatedly linked his Operation Warp Speed to the campaign calendar. He has suggested that a vaccine could be rolled out by Election Day even though scientists said it would take until early next year to complete the trials.... At a news briefing ... [Tuesday], the president offered no comment on Russia’s announcement but made a point of boasting about the 'tremendous progress' on an American vaccine and asserted that 'we’re moving very close to that approval.”
Alan Blinder & Billy Witz of the New York Times: "Two of the nation’s wealthiest and most powerful football conferences abandoned their plans to play this fall over coronavirus concerns, a move that fractured the season and promised repercussions far beyond the playing field, even as other top leagues were publicly poised to begin games next month. The decisions by the two conferences, the Big Ten and the Pac-12, extended the greatest crisis in the history of college athletics, a multibillion-dollar industry that depends heavily on football to underwrite lower-profile sports and which provides universities with a national profile they use to recruit students and attract donations. By canceling games this autumn, the two conferences defied calls by some coaches and players and by President Trump to mount a season in the face of the virus’s largely unchecked spread." ~~~
~~~ David Li of NBC News: "The Big Ten, a Midwest alliance boasting some of America's most elite schools and storied college football programs, postponed 2020 gridiron action on Tuesday due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 'The Big Ten Conference announced the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season," according to a league statement. 'In making its decision, which was based on multiple factors, the Big Ten Conference relied on the medical advice and counsel of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee.'... The Big Ten's action pushed college football closer to a total fall shutdown." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ “Donny from Queens.” David Nakamura of the Washington Post: “... President Trump called in live [to the Fox News Sports show] on the air Tuesday.... Colleges are 'making a tragic mistake' if they cancel their seasons, he told host Clay Travis, who gained prominence three years ago for citing his allegiance to 'the First Amendment and boobs' on CNN. After all, Trump continued, the players are 'so powerful and so strong and not lots of body fat . . . maybe none, in some cases' — so they are at less risk of getting sick. 'It just attacks old people,” he declared, though a study released this week found 97,000 children in the country tested positive for the virus in the last two weeks of July, a 40 percent increase.' However, on professional football, the president had some reservations. The National Football League, Trump said, 'wants to open very badly' and is working with his administration to do so safely. But, he added, referring to his ongoing spat with NFL players who began kneeling in 2017 to protest police brutality, 'if they don’t stand for the national anthem, I hope they don’t open.'”
Georgia. Wayne Drash & Ellen Eldridge of Georgia Public Broadcasting: “More than 800 students and 42 teachers and staff in Cherokee County are quarantining after coronavirus was reported at 19 different schools, the school district announced late Monday.... The district's updated note Monday evening said 38 students and 12 teachers and staff tested positive for the virus. At Etowah High School, nearly 300 students of the 2,400 total student population were quarantining. Etowah was one of the high schools last week where photographs went viral after dozens of students crammed together in front of the building without masks to celebrate their first day of school.... Earlier Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp ruled out a mask mandate for schools and said he believes the reopening of classrooms across Georgia has gone 'real well,' with the exception of viral photos shared on social media that showed students crowded together." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: You might think Kemp's observation was the stupidest remark made by a Georgia official regarding the Cherokee County schools. You'd be wrong. According to CNN, one Cherokee County school principal said she didn't need to wear a mask because she was "protected by God."
Kentuckians Are Mad at Mitch. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "About five months after Kentucky reported its first loss of life from covid-19, its economy continues to sputter.... Many unemployed workers say their benefit checks aren’t enough to afford their bills, and some here simply have stopped looking for jobs. Businesses say they’re also hemorrhaging cash, and local governments fear they’re on the precipice of financial ruin, too. The economic tumult in Kentucky is vast, and it has added new urgency to the political standoff on Capitol Hill, where the prospect of a prolonged deadlock could worsen the financial woes in a state that was hurting long before the pandemic arrived. Caught in the middle is [Mitch] McConnell, 78, who some critics say has struggled to navigate the priorities of the president, the political desires of a fractious Republican conference and the economic needs in his own backyard." (Also linked yesterday.)
Nastiest, Dumbest President* in U.S. History Calls NBA Players Nasty & Dumb. Scott Gleenson of USA Today: "... Donald Trump called NBA players 'very nasty' and 'very dumb' in a Tuesday radio interview while expressing his disapproval of the league's players kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice. For the NBA's restarted season in Orlando, Florida, all but two players have knelt during the national anthem. Players have also worn jerseys with messages associated with the Black Lives Matter movement written on the back." (Also linked yesterday.)
Minnesota. Evan Hill, et al., of the New York Times: "Nearly 11 weeks after George Floyd was killed by the police in Minneapolis, inciting a wave of protests across the United States, a Minnesota county court has released police body camera footage of the episode to the public for the first time. The New York Times has reviewed the full 65 minutes of footage, which was previously viewable only by appointment, and selected crucial moments that offer new information. The footage fills in blanks, raises new questions and gives insight into both Mr. Floyd’s state of mind and how the police response to his apparent use of a counterfeit bill became a deadly encounter. It shows officers escalating the situation from the beginning of the arrest, Mr. Floyd begging not to be placed into a squad car and a repeated lack of care for Mr. Floyd’s health while he is restrained on the ground." (Also linked yesterday.)
Virginia. Allyson Waller of the New York Times: "A man who prosecutors described as a Ku Klux Klan leader was sentenced this week to six years in prison after driving into a group of Black Lives Matter protesters outside Richmond, Va., in June. The man, Harry H. Rogers, 36, was convicted on Monday by a judge in Henrico County District Court of six misdemeanors, including assault, destruction of property and hit-and-run charges. He was handed the maximum penalty on each count. Mr. Rogers still faces three felony counts of attempted malicious wounding. The charges all stemmed from an episode on June 7."
Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday defended his 'reluctance to embrace' United States intelligence agencies as he continues to question the latest reports that Russia is meddling in the 2020 election." In two tweets, Trump excused his current reluctance to embrace the intelligence community by denigrating former agency heads: "sleazebag" James Comey, "proven liar" James Clapper, & "Wacko" John Brennan. "The president's distrust of the intelligence community's has been put back in the spotlight after the top U.S. counterintelligence official announced last week a series of foreign threats facing the 2020 presidential election, including that Russia is using a range of measures to 'primarily denigrate' ... Joe Biden in his campaign for the White House.... Asked about the report over the weekend, Trump claimed Russia would prefer to see Biden in office, contradicting the intelligence report. When a reporter asked Monday if he'd brought up election meddling directly with Putin, Trump again dodged. '... I'll tell you who's meddling in our elections. The Democrats are meddling by wanting and insisting on sending mail-in ballots where there's corruption all over the place,' Trump said, repeating his inaccurate claims about mail voting." (Also linked yesterday.)
Jacqueline Feldscher & Nahal Toosi of Politico: “The State Department did not fully consider the risk of civilian casualties when it approved more than $8 billion in arms sales to Middle Eastern countries last year, according to a redacted inspector general report released Tuesday. An unredacted version of the report, obtained by Politico, also raised questions about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s assertions that an emergency situation existed, allowing him to greenlight the sales over congressional objections.... The IG ... said the department 'did not fully assess risks and implement mitigation measures to reduce civilian casualties and legal concerns' surrounding the transfer of precision-guided munitions to the three countries [Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan]. The IG provided additional details about this failure, as well as a recommendation, in a classified annex of the report.... In essence, the public version gives the impression that Pompeo moved quickly on an urgent issue, whereas the unredacted version shows a much longer timeframe of deliberation and action, undermining the argument that an emergency existed at all.”
Harper Neidig of the Hill: "A federal appeals court Tuesday appeared unsympathetic to arguments that it should order a district court judge to dismiss criminal charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reheard oral arguments about how the Flynn case should proceed at the lower court after the Department of Justice (DOJ) suddenly moved to withdraw its case against the former adviser to President Trump. Most of the judges appeared concerned with an earlier decision from a divided three-judge circuit panel that would have forced the district court to approve the DOJ's motion without holding a hearing. At Tuesday's hearing, which ran nearly four hours, lawyers for Flynn and the Trump administration were grilled by a 10-judge panel about their stance that the lower court has no right to question the DOJ's decision to drop the charges by holding such a hearing." A Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Way Beyond the Beltway
Precursors to Trump
Mexico. Mary Beth Sheridan of the Washington Post: "The star witness in Mexico's biggest corruption scandal in years has alleged that former president Enrique Peña Nieto benefited from millions of dollars in corporate bribes that were funneled into his campaign and also used for payoffs to lawmakers to support his reforms, officials said Tuesday. Emilio Lozoya, a former top official in Peña Nieto’s 2012 campaign, made the accusations in an appearance Tuesday before Mexican prosecutors, according to Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero. Lozoya said he handled the bribes from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht on the orders of Peña Nieto and one of his top aides, Luis Videgaray, the attorney general said in a video distributed on social media. The allegations are the most serious yet against Peña Nieto, who has maintained that his campaign did not receive illegal donations.... Lozoya, 45, who served as head of the state-owned oil giant Pemex from 2012 to 2016, was arrested in February in Spain on Mexican corruption charges." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: If Trump had known what a crook Peña Nieto allegedly was, Trump would have treated the former Mexican president a lot better.
Spain ¿Dónde Está Juan Carlos? Raphael Minder of the New York Times: "An announcement last week by the former king of Spain, Juan Carlos, that he would be leaving his country amid a raft of investigations related to his wealth has set off frenzied speculation in the Spanish news media about his whereabouts. That has added a layer of intrigue to a royal departure that has shocked many Spaniards and frayed the relationship between the two parties that form Spain’s fragile coalition government. Prosecutors are investigating whether Juan Carlos — who abdicated in favor of his son Felipe in 2014, after being troubled by health problems and personal scandals — was the beneficiary of a web of offshore foundations and secret bank accounts. Last week, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he had no idea where the former king had gone."
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